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Roxy Davis adaptive surf event rides highest wave of popularity

Roxy Davis adaptive surf event rides highest wave of popularity
The Roxy Davis Foundation took 80 people with disabilities surfing at the commemoration of the International Day Of Persons With Disabilities and International Volunteer Day at Surfer's Corner in Muizenberg on December 07, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. The day aims to provide an opportunity to mobilise action to achieve the goal of full and equal enjoyment of human rights and participation in society by persons with disabilities. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)
Nicola Amon
By Nicola Amon
12 Dec 2024
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The Roxy Davis Foundation’s adaptive surfing event highlighted the mutually beneficial relationship between persons with disabilities and volunteers, with its potential to improve the mental health of both parties. While the event has grown in popularity, long-time participants said they still needed more assistance.

The Roxy Davis Foundation’s adaptive surfing event saw its highest number of surfers and volunteers on 7 December 2024. Despite the monthly event’s growing popularity, long-time participants said a “shortfall” still existed in volunteer numbers.

With 72 people attending the adaptive surfing and beach activities held on the day, and 106 people volunteering, Roxy Davis, the foundation’s founder, said this was the “most we’ve ever seen” since the event started in 2016. However, long-time participants still saw a “shortfall” of volunteers.

The event is centred on providing an opportunity for people with physical disabilities to learn to surf, with the help of volunteers to ensure their safety, and structural elements such as beach mats to increase accessibility.

Depending on the abilities of each surfer, some need up to six volunteers assisting them, according to Michele Macfarlane, a blind athlete who attended the Roxy Davis Foundation’s surf event for the first time in 2019.

“The surfers are growing, but we need more volunteers and funding. It almost went down at a couple of stages, and that would be so tragic,” said Macfarlane.

A ripple effect for universal access


The Roxy Davis beach day caters for people with all disabilities. “It should be like this on a day-to-day basis,” said Tyler Pike, an adaptive surfer and volunteer on the day. “The beach belongs to everyone, it should be accessible for everyone. The way the city’s been planned, it’s very inaccessible. There’s a lot of stairs and too few areas that don’t have ramps,” said Pike.

“The mats are not out unless we put them out,” said Davis. “So, once a month, on our beach day, people can access the beach. And it’s not just for wheelchairs, it’s for the visually impaired, or moms with prams.”

Roxy Davis. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)



International Day Of Persons With Disabilities aims to provide an opportunity to mobilise action to achieve the goal of full and equal enjoyment of human rights and participation in society by persons with disabilities. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)



A participant in the Roxy Davis Foundation's adaptive surfing event. (Photo: Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)



However, the planned upgrade of the Muizenberg beachfront set to begin in February 2025 includes plans to create facilities for adaptive surfing. Davis’ research into surf therapy, which included comments from participants, supporters and volunteers, guided the inclusion of universal access in the upgrade.

The upgrades will include daily access to the beach mats needed for people in wheelchairs. 

“It’s so terrible when you feel like you want to do something, but it’s inaccessible so you don’t do it because of that,” said Pike. “You feel left out — it’s a barrier and it’s an awful feeling to feel excluded.”

Washing your worries away


“I remember feeling so nurtured and safe,” said Macfarlane, reflecting on the first time she attended the event. Macfarlane’s brother had recently been admitted to hospital after a collision with a cement truck in Kloof Nek Road. Following the traumatic event, she found that the only way she could “breathe again” was through surfing.

Read more: Surf therapy connects people to water — ocean health depends on this ‘blue attunement’

“You can’t think of anything else in the waves. And it lasts, it’s almost like it shakes all your cells up. It shakes the feeling off,” she said.

‘Creating better humans’


In light of International Volunteers Day, on 5 December 2024, and International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on 7 December, Davis said the event highlighted how the two went hand in hand: people with disabilities were in need of assistance, and volunteers could benefit just as much from the experience.

Amongst the first-time volunteers on the day was Eastend United, a football team from Hanover Park. Gasant Abbass, the team’s coach and president, highlighted the importance of showing the children in his team how “privileged” they were. 

“It’s good for us because we are being exposed to people on a different level — staying in your own circumference, you won’t grow,” said Abbass.

He said the children in his team were regularly exposed to drugs and violence. By teaching them the importance of helping others, Abbass aims not only to expose them to a healthier environment, but to “create better humans”.

Ananda Law, a volunteer on the day, highlighted the ways in which volunteers themselves could benefit from participating in the event. 

Law had participated in the surf therapy events herself. 

“I was coming out of a depression, found water and learnt how to surf and I realised that it changed my life so much that the least I could do was give my time back to people.

“There’s never been a volunteer who has left without saying, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” said Law. “You know that something’s changed for them.” DM

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