A little bit of rain wasn’t going to deter seven avid vision impaired surfers from taking part in a very special surfing day hosted at Avoca Beach on February 26 by Central Coast Surf Academy in conjunction with Vision Australia.
Academy co-owner/operator Milenka Donohoe said although the water was a little murky following heavy rain, wave conditions were perfect for the surfers, some of them hitting the waves for the first time, under the expert guidance of award-winning vision impaired surfers Matt Formston and Sarah Gibson.
Both recently returned from competing at the recent ISA World Para Championship at Pismo Beach in Central California, Formston and Gibson gave specialised tuition and inspirational talks to the keen students.
“We do these sessions each year and this year we’ll be doing several,” Donohoe said.
“In fact we have another one coming up in a couple of weeks.
“Everyone absolutely loved the day and they were all keen to come back.”
Donohoe said the Academy also works with the NDIS.
“We work with people living with mental health issues and various disabilities,” she said.
“Surfing can be life changing, both physically and mentally – it’s so good to see people enjoying being in the moment.”
Gibson, who is married to Academy coach Brett Gibson, came away with a second placing at the World Championships and said she enjoyed sharing her expertise with the budding surfers.
Formston, who is legally blind, is a professional para surfer and former professional para cyclist who has previously held three consecutive world titles at the ISA Para Surfing World Championships, along with numerous other achievements.
“This year I came fourth – I just couldn’t get a good wave,” he said.
“Teaching surfing to visually impaired people is a big passion of mine.
“A couple of these guys did a session with me a year ago – it was good to see them back.
“We take them in the water and let them feel the waves and the energy of the ocean first – this is making a big difference to the way they transition to the board.”
Formston said he would like to see more visually impaired people enter the world of competitive surfing.
“Surfing has been the biggest joy of life apart from my family and if I can give that to anyone that’s amazing,” he said.
“If some young people want to take it to the next level that’s amazing too.
“But the person who is the best surfer is the person with the biggest smile on his face.”
Jordan Ashby from Vision Australia said the best place to be on the Central Coast is at the beach.
“It’s awesome to get people out on the beach,” he said.
“It’s all about getting out with family and trying new things.
“There were some people there who haven’t been able to try surfing before and that was wonderful.
“We had some incredible volunteers on the day, helping people in the shallows and wherever help was needed.”
The next surfing day for the visually impaired will be on Saturday, March 12.
Terry Collins