For 20 years, AccesSurf Hawaiʻi has worked to make the islands’ beaches and ocean more accessible to people with disabilities. You may have read about them in our previous coverage of the Adaptive World Tour, where the best adaptive surfers in the world compete at Queens in Waikīkī.
On November 7, the nonprofit will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special Day at the Beach at White Plains Beach in Kalaeloa. The milestone coincides with the organization’s 20 for 20 campaign, which aims to raise $200,000 to fund 20 free Day at the Beach community programs.
It started small. In November 2006, a group of therapists, watermen and women, medical professionals, and adaptive athletes put on a single Day at the Beach with the goal of getting more people with disabilities into the water. That day turned into a program, and the program turned into a movement. Today AccesSurf offers free adaptive surfing, swimming, and paddling sessions year-round, including Wounded Warrior Day at the Beach, which has run since 2011.
It’s hard to put into words just how powerful these events are, literally speaking, they are life changing. The adaptive movement has grown around the world thanks to groups like AccesSurf and to have such a robust presence in Hawai’i, the spiritual home of surfing, and to welcome others to feel safe and surf waves like Queens, is nothing short of pure Aloha.
Related: Pure Stoke at Queens: The 2026 Hawai‘i Adaptive Surfing Championships
While the words may be hard to find, the numbers help paint the picture. By their count, AccesSurf has hosted more than 1,000 events and given people more than 40,000 adaptive ocean experiences. Last year alone, 478 participants came through 64 programs, helped by 1,506 volunteers.
The group has played a huge role in providing adaptive surfing a bigger stage. It began building competitive opportunities in 2007, and started hosting its international contest in Waikiki in 2019, and now works with a similar program in Okinawa, Japan.
“This anniversary honors the people who built AccesSurf, the participants, volunteers, families and staff who have shown up over the last 20 years to make the ocean accessible to everyone,” said Executive Director Zoe Lewis. “As we look to the next 20 years and beyond, we invite everyone to be a part of our mission.”
Now, here’s how you can help. The 20 for 20 campaign runs November 1 through December 6, with a push around the November 7 party and Giving Tuesday. You can donate on your own or start a fundraising team, and teams that recruit 20 donors or raise $5,000 are in the running for prizes. If you’re in a position to help, whether by donating or spreading the word, here is the link: https://www.accessurf.org/
Related: The Regenerative Surf Congress Brings a New Wave of Surf Culture to Chile
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