Darkness in Light is an initiative to bring hope to people whose lives have been directly or indirectly affected by suicides. Irish surfer Al Mennie has taken it upon himself to spread awareness about the said initiative. He is doing so by taking up the grueling surfing challenge named Surf 154- Surf Through Darkness. The challenge is to catch 154 waves in the dark between sunset and sunrise.

The number was decided based on data released by the European Commission in 2018 on the number of deaths by suicide. As per the data every year 56,000 people die by suicide, which averages to 154 people a day. Shocked by the numbers, Mennie wants to use the information to spread awareness and raise funds for anti-suicide charities.

Al Mennie surfs through the darkness

On Sunday evening, AL Mennie undertook the said challenge of catching the waves at Downhill Beach out to Benone. As per reports by Belfast Telegraph, Mennie wanted to do more than just lend his voice to the initiative. He said, “I was doing things like radio interviews for the group and I felt like I wasn’t giving enough.”

Though his target was to catch 154 waves, Al Mennie went above and beyond and caught 158 instead. Commenting on the name of the challenge he added, “I wanted to draw attention to it, which is why it’s called Surf 154, to ensure it’s in people’s minds. It’s a huge number for this to be happening every single day.”

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Talking about his game plan, Mennie revealed it was to catch as many waves as possible. As the night got darker, Mennie grew cautious. Furthermore, he ensured he only picked waves that were easy for him to control. Al Mennie admitted that his legs got tired and the water felt heavy. However, once he crossed the 100 mark, he knew he was going to push it till the end. Ultimately, all his efforts paid off.

The fruits of the efforts by the 42-year-old surfer

Al Mennie began the challenge on 30th April 2023 at 9:01 pm. It took the 42-year-old an hour and 59 minutes to surf through the stretch in the dark. The recorded time is said to be far less than what Mennie had anticipated he’ll be taking. Prepared for unforeseen situations, the surfer was well-equipped with a helmet and impact vest.

Through his dedicated effort, the Northern Ireland-based surfer was able to raise £2,000 in less than two hours. Now, this amount will be divided among 14 charities that cater to the mental health of people across Northern Ireland.

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Al Mennie’s efforts to raise awareness about the dark reality of society are truly commendable and an inspiration for many.