My name is Landen Smales, I’m a 19-year-old surfer from Australia, and I’ve been given an amazing opportunity to represent Australia as an Irukandji at the 2026 ISA World Longboard Surfing Championships in El Salvador from 16–22 October.

I’m incredibly proud and excited to have the chance to represent my country, but I also want to represent my Indigenous culture, my family and everyone who has supported me throughout my surfing journey.

I’ve been lucky enough to achieve a lot in my surfing so far. I currently hold 11 Queensland State Titles, 5 Australian Longboard Titles and 9 Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles. In 2025, I was also really honoured to be named Australian Junior Indigenous Athlete of the Year by the Indigenous Sports Network.

The last 12 months have been a bit of a rollercoaster. I’ve had two knee surgeries and a long road of rehab, but I’ve worked hard to get myself back into the water. I’m now feeling stronger than ever and more motivated than ever to get back out there and compete.

Getting the opportunity to represent Australia at the World Championships is something I’ve dreamed of, and now I have the chance to take on the best longboard surfers in the world and hopefully chase a World Title.

The biggest challenge now is getting to El Salvador.

Unfortunately, I don’t have financial support to cover the costs of travelling and competing overseas, so I’m reaching out to my family, friends, supporters and the surfing community to help me make this opportunity happen.

The costs of flights, accommodation, travel, food, competition expenses and everything else that comes with travelling overseas add up quickly. Any donation, no matter how big or small, will help me get one step closer to El Salvador.

If you can’t donate, sharing my GoFundMe would mean just as much to me. Every bit of support helps and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has backed me throughout my journey.

I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got, represent Australia and my Indigenous culture with pride, and take on the world’s best.

Hopefully, with your help, I can get to El Salvador and chase that World Title.

Thank you so much for your support. It means more than you know.

Lando