The famous waves of Byron Bay now have some new fans. The world's best surfers with a disability have taken over the town for a championship that begins their world tour. And paralympic delegates are watching on with a view to adding adaptive surfing to the program in time for Brisbane 2032.
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00:00Byron Bay has rolled out the blue carpet for some of the world's most determined surfers.
00:08So far, Mother Nature has come along for the ride.
00:10This is like Hawaii in Australia, isn't it?
00:14Blue water, green surrounds, Wollumbin in the background under the clouds.
00:18It's beautiful.
00:19Absolutely beautiful.
00:20A one metre swell at Byron Bay's main beach was enough to give competitors the waves they
00:24needed to show off their skills and courage.
00:28That was good and I saw that end section and I thought, I've got to have a go.
00:31I didn't make it, but that's okay.
00:34Now in its second year, the Australian Adaptive Pro features more than 80 surfers from 16
00:40countries.
00:41They're divided into nine categories, depending on their disability, and everyone has a story
00:46to share.
00:49Earlier this year, Catherine Beattie lost everything she owned when her house burned
00:53down in the California bushfires.
00:56Almost immediately, people started offering to shape me boards, get me adaptive equipment,
01:02just to make sure I could get here to Australia.
01:04Adaptive surfing won't be part of the Paralympics in Los Angeles, but behind the scenes, the
01:09campaign continues to make it part of the 2032 Games in Brisbane.
01:14Australian Paralympic delegates are keeping a low profile at this event, but organisers
01:19know they're here and looking at things like the athlete classification system and the
01:24safety measures put in place to protect competitors.
01:26It's supposed to be an inclusive world, why isn't surfing part of it?
01:31So if they've got the professional surfers in, the para-surfers should be there.
01:35But for some, competition will never be the main game.
01:39I love this community and I love being in the water.
01:43It's my happy place.
01:45Saltwater therapy for those who believe in the healing power of the ocean.