A 34-year-old Australian man is believed to have drowned following a surfing accident in Bali.
According to the Illawarra Mercury, friends became worried after a broken board that appeared to belong to Wollongong musician Jae Haydon washed up near Uluwatu on Monday morning. A body that washed up 12 hours later on a southern Kuta beach was identified by local authorities as belonging to Haydon, according to News Corp reports.
News Corp quoted Badung regency lifeguard co-ordinator Ketut Ipel, who said that the man believed to be Haydon was struck by a wave:
The victim’s body has been found. The victim had died when he was found. The victim was surfing at around 7.30am when a strong wave suddenly hit him. His surfboard was found broken.
Following the news, a GoFundMe was created to raise money to help his family return the body to Australia and cover funeral expenses, which has at time of writing raised over $31,000 in the space of four hours.
The GoFundMe quotes Haydon’s mother and sister, who describe him as a “free spirit” who “brought incredible joy to loads of people in this world“.
