US and Mexican surfers have given a fitting farewell to the two West Australians who went missing while on a surfing holiday in Mexico last month.
Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, both experienced travellers, went missing around November 20 while driving through the rural town of Sinaloa.
Their burnt out van was found shortly after containing two, as yet unidentified bodies and three men were arrested.
Mexico’s Surfing Federation president, Luis Skeen said local surfers organised paddle outs as way of showing their “sympathy, love and respect” for the pair and their families and the “shame” they’d felt at how the crime had reflected on their country.
“This incident doesn’t really represent the reality of today but it affects everything. It affects the perception towards Mexico and the safety of travel,” Mr Skeen said.
“It takes us back to what was happening 35 years ago when there were bandidos if you were travelling down the coast looking for waves.”
Mr Skeen joined about 50 other surfers for a paddle-out described by the Adam Coleman’s family as “fitting tribute.”
“As a surfer, he would be gobsmacked by all this attention,” the family said in a statement.
“The love and solidarity shown towards us at this time is heart warming and a comfort so massive it cannot be fully explained by words.”
The family of Dean Lucas also released a statement.
“He would also appreciate so much the overwhelming and heartfelt support from his brothers and sisters in the international surf community and the love being sent from so many other people all around the world as well,” the family said.
“On his behalf, we want to say thank you, one more time.”
Both families said they hoped the incident would not tarnish the perception of Mexico.
“Despite the horror that befell them, they would want the world to know that they believe the majority of Mexico is not a violent land and that the country and the people do not live in fear, chaos or insecurity,” the Lucas family said in a statement.
“Mexico is full of friendly, warm and caring people and unfortunate tragedies such as this can happen anywhere in the world.”
