On Sunday, the 15th of March, I join the Daniel family on a trip to Phillip Island. The island, about an hour’s drive from Seaford, is known for its great waves. Daisy’s family owns a house there and often spends warm weekends enjoying the beach and surfing.
This time, however, they aren’t going to surf themselves but to help those who can’t. A couple of weeks ago, when I had just arrived, they volunteered for the first time with the DSA, the Disabled Surfers Association. The organisation hosts events that allow people with disabilities to experience the ocean.
Though I’ve only taken a surfboard into the water once (and, unsurprisingly, failed to stand upright on it), I ask if I can help out too. Fortunately, volunteers don’t need to know how to surf—our job is to carry the board, sometimes with a person on it, into and over the waves. Each participant gets to ride a few waves, and after every go, we guide and carry the board back into deeper water until the team leader spots a good wave approaching. At that point, we form two lines, creating a path through which the surfer, assisted by a team leader holding onto the end of the board, rides the wave to shore.
Here’s how it works: There are four lanes. People with disabilities sign up for the event in advance and are placed into groups based on the level of assistance they need. Each group is assigned a lane, and each lane is then supported by a team of volunteers. Volunteers can choose to assist participants with either lower or higher needs, depending on their own abilities.
We decide to stay together as a group and join one of the lower-needs lanes. Before we start, two team leaders explain what we’ll be doing. To demonstrate, they ask Rupert – Daisy’s brother and the youngest in our group – to lie down on a surfboard. Since he’s so small, eight of us lift the board, though two would have been enough. It’s just a practice run to prepare us for when we’ll be carrying bigger and heavier participants.
Our first participant is even smaller than 11-year-old Rupert. This little guy, Levi, is only four. I already notice him during the explanation. He seemed agitated, flailing his limbs in every direction. He has a special chair that’s secured to the board, and his carer and her friend carefully place him in it.
He’s still restless, so we try to hype him up by cheering his name and clapping – something we’ve been told he likes. But the moment we lift the surfboard into the air, he falls silent and sits completely still. I’m positioned in the middle of the board, right next to Levi, and when I look up at him, I see his proud face and a tiny smile. His nana told us he loves the water, that it calms him, but I didn’t expect to see it happen so clearly. It’s miraculous to witness how instantly the ocean soothes him.
There’s another young guy I know I’ll remember for a long time. Beau is a happy kid, and from the moment I lay eyes on him, it’s clear he can’t wait for his turn. With a grin so wide it could lift the grumpiest person alive, he walks over with his mom by his side. The first thing he says is, “I want to try to stand up.” The volunteers cheer encouragingly, and Beau’s eyes light up. The team leaders talk with each other, then turn to his mom, explaining what they’re going to do. Beau walks into the water with us, one volunteer carrying the board for him.
Each lane had an assigned photographer – and being one myself, the capturing of special moments are very important to me. Our photographer was running around a lot (maybe he was asked to act as a butterfly), photographing other lanes or people on the side. So, when Beau was riding the wave, pushed himself up and stood straight up for a couple of seconds, all we could do was capture the moment in our memories. Even the volunteers of the next lane were shouting Beau’s name and everyone shared the excitement of this kid’s achievement. Nevertheless, I was a little disappointed that this incredible moment wasn’t digitally captured, and I considered running out of the water to get my own camera, but decided against it – scared to offend the official photographers.
We spend hours in the water helping people, young and old, to surf. For some, it isn’t their first time – they are confident and excited – while others are hesitant, unsure of what to expect. Around noon, I get out of the water for a little break. My teeth are chattering so violently I half-expect them to crack, but no matter how hard I try, I’m unable to control my body’s reaction to the temperature. I’m talking to Sarah, Daisy’s mom, when I see Levi getting on the board again. He liked it so much that he gets to go as second time.
I look around and can’t find the photographer. In a split second, I turn around and sprint to my bag. My Sony ddoesn’t have a zoomlens, so to get close-ups I havee to actually get really close. It makes me think about the famous Robert Capa quote: If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.
I go as deep as the rest of the group and hold my camera high above my head whenever a wave crashes into me. When Levi glides past on his surfboard, I snap picture after picture, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pride on his face.
After Levi, my good karma kicks in—Beau walks over to us for his second turn. He’s trembling from the cold, just like me, but his grin is unwavering. Nothing is stopping him from getting back on that board. When he gets up on the surfboard, there’s pure joy radiating from his face. Capturing that moment—the rush, the pride, the unfiltered happiness—feels just as good as if I were the one riding the waves.
Afterwards, I talk with his mom, who greets me with the same beaming smile. It’s easy to see where he gets it from. I snap a picture of the two of them, knowing that no matter how tough a day gets, this is the kind of happiness I can always look back on.
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