The Ryde Blog - Amazing Story

My friend Jeff Mull wrote the following story for SurferMag.com about a man with no arms and no legs who Bethany Hamilton took surfing. It’s pretty inspiring. Thanks Jeff.

 

See It To Believe It: Inspiring Surf in Waikiki with Nick Vujicic

by Jeff Mull

SURFER Hawaii correspondent

With Hawaiian music echoing off the sands of Waikiki beach and filtering into the Queens lineup, Bethany Hamilton, who lost her right arm in a shark attack in 2003, took one of her mentors and inspirations, Nick Vujicic, on a surf lesson in hopes of sharing her love of the sport with him. Normally, this wouldn’t warrant any attention, but the man that Bethany took surfing that day had no limbs.

According to doctors, there is no medical explanation for why the 25-year-old Australian was born without any arms or legs. Vujicic (pronounced VOY-chich), who struggled for many of his earlier years with his handicap, came to grips with his condition as a teenager and has since become an evangelist and source of inspiration for hundreds of thousands of people as he travels the world as a motivational speaker, lending his experiences and words of hope and encouragement to people across the globe.

“I was born this way,” said Vujicic. “There’s no medical reason this happened to me, I was the first child my parents had. Going to school was pretty hard for me ‘ya know all of the bullying and all of that. It was quite difficult dealing with all of that and trying to find out who I am. I would wonder, is it OK to be me? Is my life worth living?” “As I grew up I realized a principle in my life: you don’t know what you can do until you try. It’s not about how you look and what you wear; it’s who you are. Even without arms and legs you still have a purpose.”

While in Hawaii speaking to students, Vujicic mentioned to his support staff that he had always wanted to meet Bethany Hamilton, (source of inspiration in his own life) and learn to surf.

“Bethany is a huge inspiration to me,” said Vujicic. “I’ve spoken to millions of people across the world, but to be honest, I was a little bit nervous to meet Bethany. I’ve always wanted to surf and I think Bethany’s gonna be a great coach.”

A short plane ride later found Hamilton waxing up a longboard for Vujicic and recapping the finer points of what he needed to know to get a wave. With the help of Honolulu surfing legends Tony Moniz and Lance Hookano, Vujicic was making his way out to the lineup in no time.

“I’m so stoked to meet Nick and take him surfing,” said Hamilton. “It’s so great to get other people out in the water. I know it’s gonna be a really special experience for us both. He’s a huge inspiration to me. I have three limbs, he has none. So many people get caught up with what they don’t have, but seeing him is just so encouraging. I hope that anyone who sees him surf can get inspired.”

With Vujicic strategically positioned on the nose of Hamiltonís oversized longboard, the crowd of onlookers that had amassed on the beach erupted in a thunderous mix of whistles, hoots, and hollers as they caught their first wave with Vujicic screaming with joy for the entire ride. The next hour saw the pair catching dozens of waves with Vujicic hopping to the front of the nose on occasion and even “leaping” from one board to another mid-ride. The seemingly unbelievable feat of watching a man with no legs surf was not lost on the crowd that had amassed on the beach. With every wave caught the eclectic mix of die-hard Waikiki locals and tourists hooted, cheered, and whistled in encouragement.

For Lance Hookano, who helped make the session possible and coached Vujicic into the surf, it was a life-changing experience.

“It makes me think anything’s possible. I’ve been on this beach my whole life and I’ve never been a part of something like this. Nick is one of the most stoked people I have ever seen. He loves it. He’s got saltwater running through his veins.”

Veteran pro surfer Tony Moniz also played an instrumental role in the day, paddling Vujicic out to the lineup, pushing him into waves, and even splitting the peak with him from time to time. For Moniz, the day’s events were something he would never forget.

“This changed my whole life. Best day for me in a longtime. I’m speechless. Nick’s so stoked and so positive, he’s such an inspiration, this was a monumental experience for me.” Nearly two hours and 20 rides later, Vujicic and Hamilton decided to call it a day. With the sun falling behind the horizon, the pair sat amid the golden Waikiki sand with friends and soaked in the day’s experience.

“That was amazing. I think I’m in love with surfing,” said an emotional Vujicic. “I really don’t know what to say (to ride a wave like that) it was completely unreal. And to be out there with Bethany and to have everybody cheering and surfing with everybody, it’s hard to put into words but it was just an amazing afternoon. One of the best days of my life for sure.”

 

posted on:   Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
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