Gunther Kitzler: Heartbreak as Australian surfer dies in Indonesia with his mates finding him unconscious and sinking at the end of his leg rope

An Australian surfer has drowned in Indonesia despite the desperate efforts of his friends to save him.

Gunther Kitzler, 56, was knocked off his board by a wave that also broke his leg rope while surfing a famous break in East Java with friends on Monday.

Surf magazine Tracks reported that Kitzler’s two friends found him unconscious and sinking on the end of his broken leg rope.

However, as the two men tried valiantly to tow him back to shore, another wave broke through and they lost sight of Mr. Kitzler.

This led to a search that continued well into the night, but without success.

“We searched the beach for a few hours… but couldn’t find him again, he had already gone underwater,” one of the men involved in the search told Seven News.

Local media published a photo of Indonesian police holding Kitzler’s purple surfboard, which showed signs of damage where the leg rope should have been tied.

Mr. Kitzler’s body was found late Tuesday morning, about 2 miles from where he was last sighted.

Indonesian police are investigating a cracked plank on the beach where Kitzler disappeared beneath the waves

“Gunther was one of the real Bondi good guys you grew up with in the 80s and 90s,” said 1993 world champion surfer Pauline Menczer in a heartfelt tribute.

‘Always friendly, sociable and an absolute master of style.’

Mr. Kitzler had lived in Bali for the past 25 years, where he was affectionately known as ‘The Big G’ and had built a reputation “as a hard-surfing, gentle giant.”

Friend and fellow Australian expat living in Indonesia, Troy Sinclair, said Mr Kitzler was “a larger than life figure”.