Aussie surfer’s international ordeal to get medical treatment from remote Indonesia after boat explosion

A Indonesian adventure of a lifetime had turned into a nightmare for this teenage Aussie surfer.

Nineteen-year-old Jensen Kirby from Perth embarked on what was supposed to be the Indonesian adventure of a lifetime — two months surfing the pristine waves off northern Sumatra’s Telo Islands.

The Telo Islands attract intrepid surfers from around the globe, seeking the thrill of riding some of the world’s best waves without the crowds. However, for Kirby, a routine speedboat transfer to one of these remote surf resorts turned into a nightmare that left him with burns covering 13 per cent of his body.

Jensen Kirby, 19, travelled to the Telo Islands for a surfing adventure.

Reaching the Telo Islands is an adventure in itself.

Surfers first fly into Padang, the bustling capital of West Sumatra, before taking a speedboat to the remote islands.

These islands are a destination for keen surfers, offering consistent waves in warm water far from the crowds.

The Telo Islands in Indonesia is a bucket-list surf destination.

But what was meant to be an exciting start to Kirby’s June trip took a tragic turn on the speedboat.

“The mechanic was putting the battery on, and he plugged the negative to the positive and the positive to the negative,” Kirby recounted during an interview with ABC Radio Perth.

“As soon as it clicked, it sparked and then just ignited the petrol fumes that were in the boat. All I saw was the spark.

“Then next moment, I just saw the flames around me. I was just in the middle of this fire.”

Kirby leapt into the water to escape the flames.

The speedboat he was on caught fire due to a technical mishap, causing burns covering 13% of his body.

Kirby leapt into the water to escape the flames and was then flown to Malaysia for medical treatment.

“I just turned around and jumped straight into the water because I was so scared,” he recounted

“I just got away as far away as I could just in case there was another explosion,” he said.

Once he emerged from the water, he quickly realised the severity of his injuries.

The teenager said his skin felt like “sunburn times a hundred”, and when he reached the shore, the skin on his leg peeled off like paper.

Kirby urgently needed medical attention, but the remoteness of the Telo Islands posed a significant challenge.

Kirby’s mother played a crucial role in ensuring he received the necessary medical attention.

Despite warnings that his skin will take years to fully recover, Kirby is determined to return to surfing.

His mother and the boat skipper swiftly arranged for him to be flown from a nearby resort to Padang, and from there, he boarded another flight to Kuala Lumpur.

His mother met him in the Malaysian capital and took him to a hospital.

“If mum wasn’t there, I couldn’t have been able to get treatment because they made her put a $10,000 deposit down, and I don’t have that kind of money,” Kirby told the broadcaster.

Following initial treatment in Malaysia, Kirby and his mother returned to Perth, where he continued his recovery.

Doctors have since warned that his skin will take years to recover fully, Kirby is determined to get back into the water.

“I’m going to have to be so cautious about the skin and the sun,” Kirby explained.

“It’s going to be really tough,” he said as he hopes to return to the waves.