00:00 A huge crowd has turned out at Port Macquarie's popular town beach for today's world record
00:07 paddle out attempt.
00:09 It's been organised by Kevin Young, whose son, Zach Young, died 10 years ago after being
00:15 bitten by a shark when he was just 19 and out surfing at Coffs Harbour.
00:21 This event has been organised in memory of his life and the figure that needed to be
00:26 beaten today was 512 people out in the surf at one time for the paddle out.
00:33 And Kevin Young is saying more than 600 have paddled out today from the young and the old
00:39 gathered here together and that it appears the record has unofficially at this stage
00:44 been broken.
00:45 It was pretty difficult in the water.
00:46 A few people got smashed but it was the biggest thing I've ever seen.
00:47 Well over 600 people in the water.
00:48 I don't know what the number is.
00:49 I know we're way on top of the number.
00:50 That's for sure.
00:57 The requirement today was that everybody in the paddle out had to hold hands for a 60
01:02 second period before coming back in and there was drones in action to make sure that was
01:08 verified.
01:09 And among those to take part in the paddle out today was a shark bite survivor, 44 year
01:15 old Toby Begg who was bitten by a white shark at Port Macquarie's Lighthouse Beach in September
01:22 this year.
01:23 He suffered severe injuries to both his legs and today was his first time back in the water.
01:29 And as he was pushed back up the beach at the end of the paddle out a huge cheer erupted
01:34 from everybody gathered here at Port Macquarie.
01:37 So certainly a very feel good community event today in Port Macquarie and unofficially a
01:42 new world record set for the largest paddle out.
01:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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