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🇦🇺 Australia /Good News

Blind surfer stuns locals at Queensland beach

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Legally blind surfer Steve Fox has impressed onlookers with his skills at Agnes Water beach in Queensland, Australia.
  • Fox, a national para surfing champion, navigates waves by listening to the ocean and feeling its movements, relying on instructors for guidance.
  • Surfing Australia is advocating for para surfing's inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, aiming to inspire more people with disabilities to participate.

Steve Fox, a legally blind para surfing champion, is captivating locals and visitors alike at Agnes Water beach in Queensland, Australia. The 60-year-old surfer from New South Wales, who lost his sight completely about 10 years ago due to retinitis pigmentosa, is demonstrating remarkable skill and resilience on the waves.

What he does is something really, really amazing.

— Shayne SilverAgnes Water surf instructor Shayne Silver describing Steve Fox's surfing abilities.

Fox, wearing a rashie emblazoned with "blind surfer," has been carving up the waves with the assistance of local instructor Shayne Silver. Silver described Fox's ability as "something really, really amazing." Fox has adapted to his visual impairment by learning to keenly listen to and feel the ocean's movements, including wind direction and swell sounds, to guide his surfing.

Because I lost my sight over a long period of time I kept making small adjustments. You just rely on the movements of the ocean, which way the wind's blowing, which direction the swells and the sounds are coming from.

— Steve FoxBlind surfer Steve Fox explaining how he navigates the waves.

"Because I lost my sight over a long period of time I kept making small adjustments," Fox explained. "You just rely on the movements of the ocean, which way the wind's blowing, which direction the swells and the sounds are coming from." He also relies on other surfers to help direct him and call him into the waves, using a system where instructors indicate directions like '12 o'clock' for paddling.

We've got a bit of a system where we use the clock, and he knows where 12 o'clock is and that's the direction that he's got to paddle into the wave.

— Shayne SilverInstructor Shayne Silver detailing the communication system used with Steve Fox.

Surfing Australia, which has a Para Surf Committee, is actively campaigning for the inclusion of para surfing in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. Fox, a national champion at the Australian Para Surfing Titles, hopes his passion will inspire others with disabilities to try the sport. "It's good for the spirit, good for the soul," he said, emphasizing the growing para surfing community and its inclusivity for individuals with various disabilities.

It's good for the spirit, good for the soul.

— Steve FoxSteve Fox encouraging others with disabilities to try surfing.
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Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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