A small crowd of people cheered Elizabeth Ross as she rode a surfboard for the first time. She climbed off the board and walked onto the sand at Santa Claus Beach near Carpinteria.
"I actually did surf; I actually stood up for five feet of surfing, which I never would have expected," said Ross.
Riding a surfboard is a bit of a feat. What’s even more remarkable is that she's blind.
"Not being able to see, I couldn't tell if I was going out into the ocean or to shore," said Ross. "But, the fact is, the body can still match the waves, and match Mother Nature, and just be in union with it without sight."
Santa Barbara-based Blind Fitness held its annual surf clinic recently. Nearly two dozen blind or sight-impaired people from across Southern California attend the event, along with about 60 volunteers.
"Today, we are helping blind and low-vision athletes get out into the water and providing a safe and communal space to do so, because they don't have this opportunity to get out into the water, let alone put their toes into the water," said the organization's executive director, Tanya Isaac-Dutton.
The nonprofit group holds similar events throughout the year, such as blind tennis and blind golf, to give vision-impaired people an opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities.
"It's very emotional. The moment when our participants go out into the water is the most magical feeling in the world, and to be a part of that is amazing," said Isaac-Dutton. "I wish I could bottle it up and share it with everybody, because it feels so good."
The surf project is a collaboration between The Forseeable Future Foundation, Surf Happens, and Wayfinder Family Services.
"I think that's the awesome thing about this community is that they are willing to try something new," said Wayfinder's Annelie Duplessis. "And if they don't like it, they don't like it, but they tried it."
Russ Dafoe is a surfer who’s one of the volunteers. Teams of three or four people take each participant out into the surf, give them tips, and move alongside them as they ride the waves.
"They are the ones that are really doing it," said Dafoe. "Just having us there for them is really important."
Dafoe guided Daniel Van Claussen back to the beach after his second successful ride on the waves.
"Oh my god, it's so exciting," said Van Claussen. "I've never stood up on a surfboard before, and just the feeling of actually getting up is exhilarating."
The 44-year-old Los Angeles man was born with glaucoma and was partially sighted until he was in his 20s. Now, all he sees is some light and shadows.
Van Claussen said with the help of the volunteers, he’s using his other senses to ride the waves.
"The sound, listening to the direction of the waves, and then the feel of the water. I cannot believe I have been standing up on a surfboard," said Van Claussen. "This is incredible, and I want to keep going."
Ross, who lost her vision in a traffic accident 20 years ago, called the experience life-changing.
"They (the volunteers) are so wonderful, because they are telling you what to do," said Ross. "I was actually paralyzed for 15 years, and I couldn't even stand up. The thought that I just stood up on moving waves makes me feel connected to my body again. When they say you can't heal, it doesn't heal; well, it does. I'm surfing. I feel like I'm back, like I am joining back in the human race."
