Dave Pearson

To be part of someone's return to the ocean is great.

And we've had many events where, you know, you paddle out with someone, you take them out for their first surf and then you have a barbie on the beach and a cup of coffee or a couple of beers and just celebrate that life's got some normality back in it again.

And they're pretty special.

We've done a few events where we've, you know, we brought a young guy down from far north Queensland who'd lost his leg and

We brought a guy up from South Australia who'd also lost his leg a couple of years prior.

And there was about, I think, 20-odd of us turned up and we all went out in the ocean together to take him for his first trip back in the water.

And we just sat in the ocean and all in a circle and had a conversation about how the ocean means so much to us and that's why we're here supporting each other.

And to see the change in his life, not only from that, but from another few great things that happened within...

the group helping him out with other things and just giving him the drive to move on and move forward with his life.

And you just get so much from it and you go, wow, we had a tiny bit to play in this guy's success going forward.

And now he's got a life that means something to him and he's got his family and they're all happier.

And yeah, just to be part of that is great.

And yeah, if somebody says, I want to go for a surf and I'll say, yep, I'm in on it.

My plan was to turn up at the same time as my attack and paddle out the same spot and hopefully have a good surf.

And when I got to the beach, you know, all my mates who were there the evening that I was attacked, plus all my other surfing mates were there as well.

And they were all out in the ocean when I got there.

And my son was home.

My daughter was there.

So we were all out in the surf.

I paddled back out.