Queensland Beach Town While on Holiday, Showcasing His Skills With the Help of a Local Instructor

Steve Fox, a 60-year-old national para surfing champion from Gerringong, New South Wales, impressed onlookers at Agnes Water, a coastal community nearly 500 kilometres north of Brisbane. Wearing a rashie with the words "blind surfer" across his chest, Fox carved up the waves with the assistance of local instructor Shayne Silver. "What he does is something really, really amazing, Silver said.

Fox was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a child and completely lost his eyesight about 10 years ago. Instead of giving up the sport he loves, he has learnt to listen and feel the ocean. "Because I lost my sight over a long period of time I kept making small adjustments, he said.

Adaptive, or para surfing, is an inclusive sport enabling people living with a disability to surf using specialised equipment and modified surfboards. Fox also relies on assistance from other surfers to direct him and call him into the waves. Instructor Silver said it was an "amazing experience" to work with him.

"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, Silver said. Surfing Australia, which has established a Para Surf Committee with the aim of having the sport included in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, says the sport is growing in popularity. Fox was crowned one of 12 national champions at the Australian Para Surfing Titles in Byron Bay earlier this year and has also competed in the World titles.

He is eager to encourage more people in the blind and vision impaired community to "give it a go". "It's good for the spirit, good for the soul, he said. There's a growing para surfing community and whether you're blind or whether you're in a wheelchair, whether you're an amputee, you can still get out there and surf.