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Learning to surf is a humbling task. There will be seemingly endless falls into the water, getting hit by waves and having to get back on the board to try again.
But then there’s the magical moment when you ride the momentum of a wave. The feeling is euphoric – like flying on water. The ocean demands respect and one of the best feelings is playing harmoniously with it.
That feeling is what pro-adaptive surfer Victoria Feige wants everyone to experience – regardless of their physical or mental abilities.
“There is resilience in surfing, not just for people with disabilities, for everyone,” Feige told USA TODAY. “Yes, you are going to get smoked by the ocean, but you have what it takes to keep pushing.”
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Surfing is a great form of exercise in a natural environment and has been proven to help develop confidence, resilience and social skills in children with intellectual disabilities. Surfing has also been found to help veterans with PTSD and depressive symptoms.
To share his love of surfing with people of all skill levels, Feige recently joined forces with Hawaii pro surfer Jamie O’Brien to bring private adaptive surf lessons to the Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience at Turtle Bay Resort in early March. . It is the first and only surf school in Hawaii that offers adaptive surf lessons.
“We’re really putting center stage on what’s possible while also keeping them safe,” O’Brien said.
Located on Oahu’s North Shore, Turtle Bay Resort is near Kawela Bay, a protected bay where the reef transforms wave energy into a smooth, gentle wave. Entering the water is easy from the beach and the access trails make it even more accessible. It was the perfect place for adaptive surfing lessons.
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Returning to the board
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, but now living in Hawaii, Feige grew up spending most of her time outdoors playing board sports such as skiing and surfing. When she was 18, she landed badly during a big snowboard jump and suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury that left her partially paralyzed from the waist down. Although she can stand and walk a little, Feige uses a wheelchair most of the time.
Fiege thought his board sports career was over. However, as she was still a good swimmer, she tried surfing again two years after her injury. “You need strength and skill in the water. How would I overcome the sand? How would I deal with the current and waves?” she said.
Feige started out in the lime – where most beginners spend their time, not surfing full waves or being able to do much other than move forward – paddling on their backs and getting on their knees. “I thought nothing else was possible,” she said.
She was wrong.
Feige met other adaptive surfers who showed her that she could still catch green waves and ride them like she did before her injury. Now, she has several Paralympic surfing world titles, as well as being a surfing and adaptive skiing instructor and physiotherapist.
“No matter who you are, what background you have, you go into the ocean and you feel alive,” Feige said. “There can be challenges when living with a disability; it can sometimes be isolating. When you catch a wave, you do this – it’s the agency. And everyone needs a little fun.”
What are adaptive surf lessons like at Turtle Bay’s Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience?
“My goal is to really create the gold standard of adaptive surf lessons,” Feige said. First, students ages 4 and up fill out a questionnaire to inform instructors about their medical needs and physical capabilities. Each student is accompanied by two instructors for a “more specialized and personalized experience,” according to Feige.
Each instructor is trained to work with people with different disabilities. If Feige is in Hawaii, she will teach the classes herself. “Very few have an adaptive surfer also teaching the classes,” she said.
Surfers of all levels are welcome. Beginners can try surfing for the first time, while more experienced surfers can learn to progress, be more independent and work on their maneuvers.
“After suffering a catastrophic spinal cord injury, I thought my ability to enjoy the ocean was gone,” said Jon Price, who visited Turtle Bay and took his first surf lesson with Feige. “Meeting Victoria changed my perspective. His experience, training and energy helped encourage me to enjoy surfing with a new understanding of what is possible.”
The surf school has golf carts and a stringy beach wheelchair to transport students to and from the beach. Students are taken into the water on soft-top surfboards, which are safer, more cushioned and stable than hard-top surfboards – which can be tailored to their abilities. Handles or buttons can be added to surfboards, and there are also steps for those who don’t have back extension or trunk control to sit.
For an hour, students are guided into the gentle waves with the help of instructors. They also photograph your session.
Turtle Bay Resort itself is “extremely affordable,” as Feige put it. The resort’s entrances, spa, gym, restaurants, shops and a selection of rooms and suites are accessible for people with reduced mobility. There are also ADA lift or transfer wall systems for pools and hot tubs.
The surf lessons are just the beginning of what Feige and O’Brien want to do with adaptive surfing in Turtle Bay. They hope to host adaptive surf clinics, where groups can come together and learn together, and events.
“It shows that surfing is for everyone,” said O’Brien. “There is no limitation on who and who cannot surf. The ocean is for everyone.”
Have you or someone you know experienced accessibility issues while traveling? What happened?
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY and lives in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
