Last weekend I had the opportunity and privilege of being a pusher for two surfers that I know well, in the Para Surfing championship in Portimão, Algarve. I will try to explain how important this event was for me, and why volunteering in Para Surfing changed the way I see surf now.

Two years ago, a SurfAddcit volunteer asked me if Van der Waal would be interested in sponsoring athletes or the association in some way. Without really knowing how, but interested in the subject, I met with José Marques to talk about a possible partnership.
As soon as I met them, volunteers and surfers, and after watching their training session, I realized that I didn't want to sponsor athletes that much(*) but more than anything I wanted to go into the water with all those people who were having so much fun on those small waves. My first feedback to José Marques was: forget about sponsorship, I want to be a volunteer.

Soon I discovered that para surfing is more or less like the surf that I practive. There are days with small waves and days with big waves, that there are days when everything goes well and others when we don't get anything right, that there are extremely annoying days and others that give us an adrenaline rush that takes our breath away for several minutes. And this, all combined, addicted me to para surfing almost immediately. I started, like almost all volunteers, in reception (that is, being in charge of receiving the surfers who came on the wave and delivering them to the pusher to go to the outside again) and little by little I moved to the outside, learning from the other volunteers or through experiences with 'my' surfers.

My weekends (and my daughter's) started to have a slightly different morning surf, together with many people who, despite their difficulties, face bigger waves than those I would face in a surf session and who give in to my inexperience to do so. After two years, the growth we have achieved together has been immeasurable.
All this to get to the last weekend. As soon as the championship in Portimão was announced, two of the surfers I follow most during the weekend sessions asked if I would go as their pusher.

I had never competed. Neither as a surfer (ahahaha! Imagine that) nor as a para surfing volunteer. Neither did either of the two surfers I followed. And under conditions that were challenging even for the most experienced surfer, we did something amazing together: scored some nice waves, one of them finished the competition in 4th place, and we had a lot of fun together.

Getting ready for the heat at Portimão Para Surfing League

The deep connection we have been building over these 2 years, where each of us knows the other's limitations well, while at the same time enjoying what we do best, is extraordinary. On the other hand, there is a feeling of mutual gratitude that, besides being very beautiful, is something we see less and less in surfing. They have helped me evolve tremendously in adapted surfing, and the proof of this was this day where we competed on equal terms with the best, without ever failing to have a lot of fun. Because... well, you know the cliché about the best surfer around ;)

Nelson Cunha, in a wave at Carcavelos, probably on one of the best days we ever had so far. 

(*) We don't sponsor athletes or events, as we don't have cash for it and we truly believe in something different for the surf industry. With some surfers we exchange packs for photos and videos, because Martim don't surf that well and it's always nice to have nice pics.