Coolum to Coolangatta ... that’s the paddle Damien Rider aims to do in 24 hours to break the world record and raise awareness on child abuse

Paddle boarder Damien Rider hopes to travel 200km in 24 hours from Coolum to Coolangatta breaking a world record and raising awareness on child abuse

Rainbow Bay's Damien Rider will be out to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect when he attempts to break two world records paddling a board from the Sunshine Coast to Coolangatta in September.

THE reasons behind Damien Rider’s attempt to break a world record in paddling a board from the Sunshine Coast to Coolangatta are more important than the feat itself.

Mr Rider, of Rainbow Bay, will be tackling the 200km journey called Paddle Against Child Abuse in September during Child Protection Week in Queensland.

The issue is very close to his heart – having been a victim himself, Mr Rider has battled with memories and emotions that have haunted him and controlled his life at times.

Now, through the paddle, he hopes to raise awareness about child abuse and share with others who are living with similar experiences.

The campaign will also be a fundraiser, and money raised will go towards a web-based platform where victims and those seeking inspiration can go to find out what they can do, where they can get help, and also to hear other stories of hope.

To date, he has self-funded the campaign and has given up six months of his life to train on a 5.4m paddle board for the record attempt which will see him tackle the journey from Coolum to Coolangatta in 24 hours, paddling down the outside of Moreton and Stradbroke Islands.

He will set out to break two world records – the furthest distances paddled on a board in 24 hours and the furthest distances travelled on open water.

Mr Rider has also created a website for his world record attempt which features some incredible footage of him paddling off the Gold Coast with humpback whales breaching within metres of his board.

He is also looking for assistance with a support crew for the journey, which he hopes will take place within a three- day window from September 7-10 to coincide with Child Protection Week.

To find out more about the Paddle Against Child Abuse, visit the website at pozible.com/worldrecord