Coastal Adaptive Sports offers activities and leagues in several sports (Basketball, Cycling, Kayaking, and Wheelchair Games), but surfing is our most visible and most supported by various organizations and lots and lots of great people. We would love to give a shout out today to one of our most foundational resources in our surfing endeavors – Ocean Cure.
Ocean Cure hails from Carolina Beach, NC, though their reach is extended far beyond that. Founded and spearheaded by Kevin Murphy, the organization works to accomplish several stated goals:
- To "make surfing a reality for people who never thought they would be able to surf, or surf again"
- To demonstrate that “there is no beach that we cannot make accessible”
- To "make sure that our participants leave understanding that there is no obstacle that they cannot overcome"
In general, Murphy and his friends and colleagues have fought to bring accessibility to anyone who wants to surf. With dozens of events held each year, serving people with disabilities or other life challenges has made Ocean Cure a very effective, essential force in the area. The organization has assisted over a thousand participants, using beach wheelchairs, adaptive surf boards, and accessible flooring. The team of professional instructors and well-trained volunteers have blessed people in Carolina Beach, creating “one of the most handicap accessible boardwalks on the east coast.” They also aid other adaptive surf camps.
Our connection, other than sharing a goal, is that Murphy and friends were pioneering some of what came to be the Adaptive Surf Project, which we partner with to offer Wheel to Surf events that serve thousands of people and incorporate hundreds of volunteers every year. Sign up for one and you’ll fall in love. We owe a great deal of what we all enjoy now on the efforts and inspiration from Ocean Cure.
Ocean Cure associates and affiliates with these great organizations and activities and others:
- Odysea Surf and Kiteboard School
- Odysea Surf Camp
- Surfers Healing
- Wounded Warriors
- 90 Days to Earth Day
- Life Rolls On
- Coastal Adaptive Surf
- Adaptive Surf Project
- Little Pink Houses of Hope
- Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall - Brightmore of Wilmington
- Cape Fear Vision Resource Center
- Wounded Veteran Organizations
- Brigade Boys and Girls Club
In addition to loving people, Ocean Cure also demonstrates great passion for the ocean and the environment. It is an organization that doesn’t just talk. It actively advocates and works with hands to clean up the ocean and beaches and call for action on the part of others through "conservation, activism, and education."
At Coastal Adaptive Sports, we appreciate all that Ocean Cure has done for us and is doing, and we encourage you to support them. Contact us for more information on other resources and opportunities in the area.