Two ocean defenders, Mike Brumby and Lukas Gallu, are set to paddle around the entire Bali coastline on 2 July 2022, in an effort to break records, create awareness and raise funds for the Coral Triangle Center.
The Bali coastline is approximately 450km, a remarkable distance not yet including factors such as currents, winds and waves. But for Mike Brumby and Lukas Gallu, it’s a journey worth taking.
With their love for water, these two sportsmen want to draw awareness to the oceans and their importance to the planet’s life support system, to our livelihoods, to reducing the effects of climate change and more. And so this epic challenge to circumnavigate Bali was born.
Mike, an Englishman who grew up in Indonesia since he was the age of 3 and calls the country home, is a sports teacher and fitness coach now living in Surabaya. Though he is relatively new to stand-up paddle (SUP), his love for windsurfing has created an affinity for life in the ocean. Lukas hails from Sumba and is a water sport wizard. He is the number-one ranked SUP rider in Indonesia and is an instructor with Maliko SUP Bali. This athlete’s impressive repertoire includes kitesurfing, surfing and hydrofoil surfing.
On 2 July 2022, Mike and Lukas will start their 16-day journey around the island, paddling 6 hours everyday (20km to 45km per day). The anti-clockwise route starts and finishes in Sanur, and at every stop they plan to visit local schools to share more on ocean conservation with students. They’ll return (victorious!) to Sanur on 15 July 2022.
Importantly, this journey is also a fundraising effort for the Coral Triangle Center (CTC). Based here in Bali, this organisation is pivotal in Indonesia’s marine conservation. Founded in 2010, their initiatives are vast, ranging from engaging with coastal communities, facilitating research and coral planting initiatives, to working with the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. Their objective is to train, educate and enable as many people, across multiple scales, on how to protect marine environments, especially Indonesia’s 411 MPA’s or Marine Protected Environments.
Mike and Lukas are aiming to raise IDR 20.000.000 and donate this specifically to CTC’s ‘Adopt-a-Coral’ program, which helps to restore damaged reefs here in Bali, especially in Nusa Penida (which is an MPA).
Furthermore, because such a feat has never been attempted before, ‘The Bali Island Paddle’ has been accepted as an ‘official attempt’ to be part of the Guiness World Records and also the Indonesia World Records Museum (MURI) based in Semarang.
How You Can Support
You can help Mike and Lukas’ fundraising efforts by donating on ‘kitabisa.com‘, these funds will be donated to CTC for their Adopt-a-Coral program.
Donors will receive the following from CTC:
– A donor acknowledgement e-certificate./
– A photo of the baby corals transplanted in its restoration site/
– An annual report detailing the growth and progress of the baby coral.
– An update about the environmental education program provided to the school children.
Fundraising platform here: https://kitabisa.com/campaign/thebaliislandpaddle .
Follow their journey and support them by spreading the word! You can stay tuned through their instagram page @thebaliislandpaddle.
