Photos: US Surfer's Lost Board Floats From Hawaii to The Philippines

Doug Falter, a photographer and surfer who lost his surfboard in Hawaii back in 2018, was astounded to recently learn that his board was found in the Philippines, around 5,200 miles away.
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"I was really upset as I managed to catch the biggest waves of my life on this board," Falter wrote in a 2018 Facebook post. "That's why it meant so much to me."

However, in a post last month, Falter revealed that the surfboard had been found by Giovanne Branzuela floating near Sarangani, a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region. 

Branzuela is an aspiring surfer and a primary school teacher.

“As bummed as I was when I lost it, now I am happy to know my board fell into the hands of someone wanting to learn the sport. I couldn’t imagine a better ending to this story than to see the sport of surfing begin in a place where nobody surfs,” Falter wrote last month.

“If it weren’t for travel restrictions I would have raised money to bring boards for learning and surf supplies and be on a plane to go and visit Giovanne. I could teach him how to surf and hopefully a few of his 144 students. He is in charge of a school on the islands where my board is and I’m sure some of the kids would love to learn,” Falter added.

Branzuela, who purchased the surfboard from his neighbor a couple of months ago, said that a fisherman had found the board in the sea in August 2018, six months after Falter lost it. The teacher has offered to return the board to Falter once COVID-19-related travel restrictions have been lifted, and for his part, Falter intends to give Branzuela a beginner’s surfboard, AFP reported.

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