|PIC1|Three new editions of the popular Surfers Bible were launched on Sunday at the home of international surfers' ministry Christian Surfers, Cronulla Beach in New South Wales, Australia.

"Christian Surfers was founded here in 1977," said Christian Surfers International Director, Brett Davis.

"We had our first ministry house on the site of Rydges Hotel but like that hotel chain, our organisation has also spread around the world including the USA, UK, Brazil, Peru, Portugal, Japan, Tahiti, South Africa, Indonesia and New Zealand," he said.

The first Surfers Bible was released in 2002 in association with Bible Society and since then, 75,000 copies have been sold around the world.

Sunday's celebrations saw the release of the New Testament, the complete Bible and a Gospel of Mark. Each publication contains stories of well known Christian surfers, whilst two of the new products contain a DVD featuring a surfing documentary shot in Nias, an island off Indonesia.

"Some people have commented that Christian Surfers is an oxymoron like 'smart bomb' or 'military intelligence' because they think that Christians and surfers live opposite lifestyles," said Brett.

"But surfers have a really strong connection with nature and the waves and we want to introduce them to the wave creator - the God of the Bible," he said.

Daniel Willis, CEO of Bible Society NSW, spoke about the impact of the original release and hoped that the three new editions would make a similar impact around the world.

"We are proud to have supported the DVD that is included with the New Testament and Bible editions that show Christian surfers in action," he said.

Brad Whittaker, one of the featured surfers in the Bible and New Testament and also the director of the DVD, said that in addition to the surfing documentary, the DVD also contained screen savers and personal stories from each of the seven surfers who went to Nias.

"Not only is there some great surfing footage, we also show the surfers in action as they worked with local Nias communities building wells and community centres," he said.