Surfers with disabilities find freedom in the waves at Nova Scotia beach
MARTINIQUE BEACH, N.S. — Surfers of all abilities hit the water at a Nova Scotia beach this weekend for They Will Surf Again, an event that allows people with disabilities to enjoy the freedom of riding the waves.
More than 40 people with disabilities, including 14 recent immigrants from Syria and Iraq, signed up for the event at Martinique Beach near Halifax on Saturday. Organizers say it is the only Canadian stop for Life Rolls On, which sets up similar events in cities across the continent.
Jesse Billauer, who founded the U.S.-based organization after a surfing accident rendered him quadriplegic around 20 years ago, flew in from California to support the roughly 115 volunteers assisting with the event.
“It makes you feel weightless … A lot of people in wheelchairs don’t get that sensation,” Billauer says. “By being able to get out into the ocean, (they) have that freedom and independence they might have lost.”