Pro and beginner surfers alike came together at Surfrider Beach on Saturday, Sept. 26, for a Surf Experience Day organized by the Mauli Ola Foundation.
The event, hosted by professional surfer Allen Sarlo, welcomed 20 local and out of state children, all of who have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Sarlo and fellow professional surfers Sage Erickson and Kala Alexander gave the children surf lessons and rode tandem with beginners. Parents and spectators were able to watch the new surfers from shore.
“There is no better feeling than riding a wave, and no better wave than Surfrider Beach,” Sarlo said of the children’s experiences in a release about the event.
The Mauli Ola Foundation is a nonprofit that promotes surfing as a natural form of therapy for individuals living with genetic diseases. According to the organization, surfing can be therapeutic to those with cystic fibrosis because of salt water’s ability to clear out mucus that builds up in their lungs.