About 100 ocean lovers battled against rough seas, strong wind and cold temperatures to complete the 15th annual Paddle Against Poverty on Saturday morning from Stanwell Park.
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The crew battled through the beach break set for Thirroul around 8am, paddling close to four hours on a selection of surf life saving paddle boards, kayaks, surf skis and stand-up paddle boards. Even a giant fake lama made an appearance.
Event spokesman Aaron Hughes said it was a tough day for the group, which ranged from 10-year-olds to keen paddlers in their late 50s, as the journey was originally expected to take up to 2½ hours to complete.
"I was ready to call it off, but everyone was super dedicated," Mr Hughes said.
"We had to finish up at Headlands [Austinmer] as we had an [easier] exit through the boat ramp. [It was] both a safety thing, and we didn't want to put everyone through the gruelling finish."
The wild weather meant some pulled out of the event, but Mr Hughes said organisers were "stoked and surprised" by the final number on the water - their biggest to date.
At last count the paddle had raised over $14,000, with funds going towards Thirroul Neighbourhood Centre and helping impoverished children in Asia, via Compassion Australia.
It is $7000 shy of their original "ambitious" target, though organisers are still taking donations in person, and via paddleagainstpoverty.org.au during the coming weeks.
