# The full story of the leaked texts dividing Australia’s surfing community: Surf legend Derek Hynd, 69, spoke at a women’s rights protest… then a young writer exposed message he sent her a decade ago

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-full-story-of-the-leaked-texts-dividing-australias-surfing-community-surf-legend-derek-hynd-69-spoke-at-a-womens-rights-protest-then-a-young-writer-exposed-message-he-sent-her-a-decade-a/
- Published: 2026-11-08T10:49:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T11:03:32+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16270351/derek-hynd-lucy-small-message-surfing-women-byron-bay.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Lucy Small shared a decade-old message she says Derek Hynd sent her.
- Hynd had recently spoken at a protest against harassment and inequality in surfing.
- He expressed regret over the wording but wanted to see the full exchange.

## Summary

Surf writer and former professional surfer Derek Hynd has faced criticism after Lucy Small shared a message she says he sent her about ten years ago. The exchange surfaced days after Hynd spoke at a Byron Bay protest against sexual harassment and gender inequality in surfing, prompting debate over his own conduct and calls for accountability.

Small said she was 22 and seeking professional support for an article about Angola when she contacted Hynd about collaborating. In the message, he declined to join her, citing sexual tension and saying he would want to sleep with her. Hynd later told a surf website he regretted the wording and that the criticism “holds reasonable water”, while saying he wanted to see the full conversation before issuing an apology; reactions in the surfing community remain divided.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.