This Iconic Hawaiian Resort Is Now Offering Adaptive Surf Lessons From a 5-time Para Champ

Victoria Feige grew up as an avid surfer, but a spinal cord injury at age 18 left her with partial paralysis from the waist down. Still, that didn’t stop her: she won five para surf world championship titles. But her true passion comes in helping others with disabilities experience the joy and thrill of the waves.

Now she’s teamed up with O’ahu’s Turtle Bay Resort’s on-site Jamie O’Brien Surf Experience to offer the first commercially-available adaptive surf lessons in Hawaii. “I want to help other people with a disability enjoy the ocean like I do,” she said, according to the surf school’s site, adding that she’s “excited to take you surfing.”

The new offering is available to both guests of the iconic North Shore resort, as well as the general public to make the water sport as accessible as possible to all.

Each student will be assigned two instructors and taken to an area that’s more conducive to gentle waves. The experience is tailored to each individual’s needs and can include the use of an access trax, golf carts, and amphibious beach wheelchairs. Lessons also include the use of boards, booties, rash guards, and towels, as well as photos of the experience. 

In addition to the new adaptive surf classes, the surf school offers private, semi-private, and group classes in surfing and paddleboarding at its North Shore campus.

The 1,300-acre Turtle Bay Resort has long been one of the most coveted hotels in O’ahu, known for its seven beaches and various activities, like snorkeling with sea turtles and horseback riding. It also makes it a perfect spot for the adaptive lessons, Feige said, because of the “gentle, uncrowded, tropical surf breaks with spectacular beauty.”

“I fell in love with surfing after catching my first wave in Canada, but getting out there again after becoming a wheelchair user was challenging,” Feige, who is also North America’s first clinical physiotherapist who also uses a wheelchair, added. “In the warm, tropical waves here in Hawaii, it’s easy and I feel free, happy, and energized surfing — I want to help other people with disabilities feel that too.”