Former Bra Boys member Koby Abberton has explained why he told his son to ‘never get rescued again’ after the nine-year-old was caught in a rip during a surfing lesson with his school in Bali.
The retired professional surfer, who lives in Indonesiawith his family, told Daily Mail Australia that Makua has the skills to get himself out of trouble in the water and that he may have just been ‘putting it on’ to get out of school.
Abberton explained that Makua ‘was not hurt’ in the incident and revealed how he’s been coaching him since he could swim to be aware of how to navigate and avoid dangerous situations while surfing.
On Tuesday, the 45-year-old published a screen grab of a conversation he had on WhatsApp with a teacher from Makua’s school, named Intan Sinuhaji.
The teacher had contacted Abberton to inform him that Makua had been ‘sucked out by the tides’ during a surfing lesson.
‘The coach needed to throw his leash for Makua to grab and hang on it,’ the staff member explained.
They added that Makua had sustained a scratch on his left ankle during the incident.
Koby Abberton has spoken out on why he told one of his son’s teachers to tell his nine-year-old boy Makua ‘to never ever get rescued’ while out surfing
Pictured: Abberton’s conversation with a staffer at his son’s school, which he revealed on Instagram
Abberton (pictured with his ex-wife, Olya Nechyporenko, and son, Makua) left Australia partly due to the ‘really crazy police presence’ around him after a 2007 documentary about the Bra Boys
Abberton replied by simply saying: ‘Good. Tell Makua to never ever get rescued again by anyone.
‘I told Makua [the] tide would drop and the waves would be big.
‘Next time have makua paddle alone and don’t be lazy.’
The screen grab then appeared to show that the staff member had got Makua to reply to his father, with the nine-year-old writing: ‘Dad I was stuck in the rip.’
Abberton replied: ‘He can definitely paddle on a surfboard’
He then appeared to reply to his son, writing: ‘So paddle to Padang.’
Padang Padang is a world-renowned surfing spot on Bali’s north-east coast that has a 110m-long beach, with white sand.
Abberton provided some clarity on his seemingly cold response to his son.
‘The reason why I replied like that to the teacher is because I know my child and I know he was not hurt in any way,’ he said.
Makua (pictured) told Koby over WhatsApp: ‘Dad i was stuck in the rip’ in the conversation with his school. Koby told his boy to paddle his way to a popular beach instead of accepting assistance
The former pro surfer ditched Australia to start a new life in Bali with Makua and his Ukrainian model ex-wife (pictured together)
‘Otherwise, he would have ran the two minutes to our house for help. We look at the surf before every lesson he has.
‘I’m more worried about the indoctrination of our kids in the Australian school system. Learning the same thing over and over again without any real knowledge being taught.’
He explained that he has taught his son, who trains three times a day as he looks to pursue a career in pro surfing, skating or MMA, how to navigate dangerous surfing conditions.
‘My son knows CPR and breath work including great holds,’ Abberton added.
‘I am up at 6am since I was his age. We look at the surf and make an assessment. I explain to Makua where [the] dangers and exits are.
‘He has been surfing since [he was] nine months old.
‘He has been cut many times on reefs before as we live in Indonesia and are surfing over shallow reefs instead of Australia’s sand.’
Abberton, his Ukrainian model wife Olya Nechyporenko and his son, Makua, moved to Bali in 2011. He claims he made the decision to emigrate from Australia because he didn’t like what his native country had become.
Abberton told Daily Mail Australia that he has taught his son how to stay safe while surfing
He added his son knows how to perform CPR and suggested that Makua had ‘put the whole thing on’ so that he could stay out surfing for longer without getting in trouble
He says his son has hopes of one day following in his dad’s footsteps by pursuing a career in professional sports.
‘Makua is training three times a day to follow his pursuit of pro surfing, skating or MMA,’ Abberton told Daily Mail Australia.
‘In the end, I’m pretty sure he put the whole thing on and just tried to arrive late to school and surf longer without getting into trouble.’
It comes as the Australian government issued a warning to tourists on Monday urging travellers to be careful when swimming or surfing in coastal areas, following multiple recent incidents involving drownings.
While updating its Smartraveller advice, the government said: ‘Australians have drowned in coastal areas, due to rough seas and strong rip currents at popular tourist beaches including in Bali.’
In March, an Australian family was left devastated after surfer Sam Kepompong tragically died while riding waves near Bali.
The 33-year-old was surfing near to Ekas Beach but was swept out into the ocean.
He revealed that his son trains three times a day and wants to become either a surfer, skateboarder or MMA fighter
Father-of-two Jacob Vennix, 32, also tragically drowned on his honeymoon in Bali in January, after he had been swimming at an estuary at Pasu Beach in Tabanan Regency.
Abberton gained notoriety in Australia following the release of the documentary Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water, which was backed by Russell Crowe. The legendary actor and director also provided the voiceover for the show.
The former pro surfer has since spoken on how that show changed his life, adding that it was perhaps another reason why he opted to move abroad.
‘Ten years ago I just didn’t like the state of Australia, so after the Bra Boys movie and all the media attention there was this really crazy police presence around me and my beach, and I was just the number one target,’ he said in 2021.
‘I started getting pulled over in the streets with my son in the car and I was told I was taking drugs and all this sort of s**t, and I had this beautiful wife… I just knew I was going to go to jail if I left it up to the police.’
The documentary reflected on his time in the Bra Boys surf gang, who were founded and based in Maroubra in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
‘I grew up at a beach where if you did not listen, you got punched in the face – I don’t mind that way of life. But when I left Australia, I left that man behind too,’ he said, reflecting on his upbringing.
‘Sadly, men like me don’t respect soft men – I’ll squish them – but men like that, men we respect, should be running the country.’
Abberton’s first reaction when he heard about the scary incident in Bali’s notoriously dangerous surf was to write ‘good’
On Instagram, Abberton has describes himself as a ‘truth-telling dad’. He adds that he is interested in ‘Indo eco-living’.
His Instagram feed features videos and images of he spending time exploring the outdoors with Makua, posting a clip of the pair going fishing together while also enjoying a snowboarding holiday in Japan.
In one reel posted to his Instagram, the former pro surfer is seen helping stitch up a cut his son appeared to sustain on his foot while out surfing.
He also published several pictures of he and his Makua climbing Bali’s largest volcano on New Year’s Eve in 2023.
It was here that he spoke of his pride for his son.
‘At some points, we were scaling 100ft cliffs into the abyss with no ropes,’ he wrote.
‘At 4am the wind really kicked on and we were climbing the last of the ravines about 1hr before summit I told Makua we should stop I was scared for him.
‘He looked me dead in the eye and said dad I want this. I am a beast dad I got this.
‘It was right up there with my proudest moment in life.
‘This is a story of a dad just wanting to see his son believe & succeed and have no limitations or fears.’