This past week, the Kōkua Initiative at Waiākea was the water sponsor for The Hawai'i Adaptive Surfing Championships, which were held by local non-profit AccesSurf Hawai'i!
Pictured: Rich Julian, the Co-Founder of AccesSurf
From the Opening Ceremony to the Final Heats and Award Ceremony, hundreds gathered each day to take part in the series of events surrounding the Championships in Waikiki, which featured over 100 athletes from 17 different countries. This was the first time in three years that AccesSurf was able to hold the even and it was also the inaugural stop of the brand new Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour.
In addition to keeping everyone hydrated throughout the week, Waiākea partnered with surf media company The Inertia to help shine more light on AccesSurf and adaptive oceansports, which create opportunities for all people with disabilities both seen and unseen to experience the ocean.
Click here to learn more and support AccesSurf and stay tuned for our project with The Inertia to learn more about these incredible athletes and their sport.