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| CREDIT:JASON CHILDS |
An Australian surfer has died at a popular break off the Indonesian province of East Java.
Local authorities found the body of Gunther Henry Kitzler about 8.45am local time (12.45pm AEDT) on Tuesday, more than 24 hours after he was swept away in strong currents off Grajagan Beach, a renowned surfing hotspot known as G-Land.
The 56-year-old was with friends, believed to be a New Zealander and another Australian. Kitzler went into the water early on Monday morning, 10 minutes before the others, according to the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency.
“Fifteen minutes later, the two people saw Gunther’s surfboard floating with Gunther’s feet still tied to the surfboard. While trying to help Gunther to the beach, suddenly there was a big wave which caused the surfboard rope to break,” the agency said.
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| Gunther Kitzler, originally from Bondi, in the Quiksilver Uluwatu Challenge off Bali in 2014.CREDIT:JASON CHILDS/QUICKSILVER |
Kitzler, who had lived in Sydney before moving to Indonesia, was swept away. His body was found five kilometres from where he was last seen.
It is not known whether he suffered a medical episode before he lost consciousness or if he was a victim of the conditions.
Grajagan Beach is known for its large and hollow waves and has eight distinct breaks with difficulty levels ranging from intermediate to advanced.
“Know your limits, G-Land can give you some of the best waves of your life, but it’s likely to take a bit of skin, or bone, in the process,” the Surf Indonesia website warns.
Surfing magazine Tracks wrote that Kitzler was one of Bondi’s best surfers in the 1980s and 1990s.
“After dabbling in the pro surf scene, Gunther eventually fell in love with Bali and moved there permanently,” the magazine wrote.
“Over the last 25 years, he established a reputation in Bali as a hard surfing, friendly giant who was typically roaming the island at dawn, sharing the surf report with his friends, before paddling out.”
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