We went along to the inspirational English Adaptive Surfing Open 2018 on Fistral Beach at the end of June to join a celebration of inclusivity in the surfing community.
The event welcomed around 20 adaptive surfers who had travelled from all over the country to compete against each other for open and national titles. It also saw Surfing England affiliated Surf Clubs and Accredited Surf Schools come together to take part in adaptive surfing training in a drive to increase opportunities in this area.
Our instructors Grant Woodhouse and Johnny Fryer joined the workshops and learnt how to care for adaptive surfers in the sea, as well as how to help them move from their wheelchair into the ocean.
“It was great to have the opportunity to learn these skills and to share the surfing stoke with fellow surfers,” explains Grant. “We have a number of regular visitors to Newquay Activity Centre who are adaptive surfers and this understanding will enable me to enrich their experience in the future – I’m looking forward to it!”
Participation of UK adaptive surfers is currently small in comparison to the rest of the world but it is hoped that through events such as this it will grow in the future.
To find out more about the inclusivity of our lessons, please drop us a line on 01637 877722.
