Special kids get on board

Dave Brooks

In a few quick splashes Tuesday, Nick Avalos found himself living out

one of his dreams -- surfing a small break at Huntington State Beach.

The extraordinary 8-year-old can now add the water sport to his

already impressive list of hobbies, which includes skateboarding,

guitar-playing and drumming. While many children struggle to master

one hobby, Avalos has taken on all four, despite having a severe

visual disability.

He and about 20 other students were treated to an afternoon surf

session Tuesday, sponsored by Los Angeles-based Kanoa Aquatics, a

surf camp that recently expanded to Huntington Beach at the corner of

Newland Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

“It was a lot like skating, but really smooth,” he said. “This is

something I’ve always dreamed about doing.”

Avalos and the other students were from the Braille Institute, an

Anaheim resource center for the blind and visually impaired.

For many of the participants, Tuesday’s lesson was the first time

many had ever been surfing. Kanoa owner and former pro surfer Kip

Jerger conducts the special surf camps each year in both Huntington

Beach and Venice Beach.

“We believe that all people should be able to experience the ocean

and the joy of surfing,” he said.

Jerger and surf instructors Lloyd Herbert of New Zealand and Diego

Monteiro of Brazil took the youngsters out on specially designed

Softcore surfboards, with rope handles near the front. The

instructors would stand at the back and literally push the boards

into the waves, telling the youngsters the exact time when they

should try to stand.

“We’re with them the whole time, talking to them, letting them

know when the waves are coming and what the ocean environment is

like,” Herbert said. “When the wave does come, we hold their hands

and ride it in with them. A lot of what we do is constant

reassurance.”

Heather Bailey of the Braille Institute said the experience was a

chance for visually impaired students to participate in activities

their peers normally enjoy.

“They can say to their friends ‘I went surfing this summer too,’”

she said.

Many of the students visit the Braille Institute several times a

week after school, and volunteers and instructors at the facility

teach the students important life skills -- doing their laundry,

keeping things tidy, even using a keyboard.

Bailey said the students also experience many activities that

sighted people enjoy -- paragliding, horseback riding, rock climbing

and white-water rafting. Several students have even taken flying

lessons with the Young Eagles.

“We chose surfing this time, because it’s a great way for the kids

to work on balance and confidence,” she said.

Instructor Herbert said the surfing lessons are always a big

pleaser with the youngsters.

“They’re definitely a little nervous, but when they finally do

catch a wave, it’s big smiles all around,” he said. “I think a lot of

them have been waiting for this moment to say cowabunga.”

Youngster Avalos said he plans to go surfing again and hopes to

catch a few more waves this summer. In the meantime, he says he’s

going to use his summer days to pick up a new hobby -- playing the

slap bass.