DS1 surfing yesterday

[saintlyjimjams]

I really do recommend these guys - they're brilliant. So good with DS1 who as you can see from their description is severely autistic and non-verbal.

Maybe not best to start surfing in December but if you're on holiday in Devon and wondering what to do with your child with SN you couldn't go far wrong than a surf session with these guys. It really has changed DS1's life.

[grim] wow thats amazing! i remember when he first stared surfing a few years ago JJ, his little face it a treat! well done your DS . Thanks for sharing.

GRIM?!! whoops twas obviously meant to be a !

He loved it from the first session. But we used to only go once a year with Breaking the Barrier (who offer free trial surf sessions). Going (nearly) every week since July has really benefitted him. He wants bigger and bigger waves now. The only problem I'm having is finding gloves for him - he curls his hand so I can't get them on. Mittens didn't work either. Have just ordered some 1.5mm ones from ebay so will try those. If they don't work I'm stumped. He didn't mind cold hands yesterday, but it will get colder.

I've seen gloves that are in two parts - you can leave half unfastened to let your fingers be free while the rest of the hand is covered. Maybe not ideal but might get him used to gloves ?

I was wondering about those. Although he will wear non-neoprene gloves. It's just the neoprene that seems to be a problem. I think because it is tight to get on. The 1.5mm ones are pretty flexible so I hope to me able to get them on.

Yes and that's a change since about the end of August. He used to come onto the beach and run around between waves. It meant I had to be on hand ready to grab him and stop him legging it off along the beach. But now he literally just turns around and starts heading back out to sea. He'll even fetch the board. We have trouble persuading him to finish at the end of the session these days, I always book an hour but he'd just keep going.

Thank you for sharing - his enjoyment is so obvious.

Really would like to try it.

Oh do tryingto! The first time we took him I honestly didn't think he would like it in a million years. This was his first ever wave when he was 9

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He was freezing in his shortie wetsuit but he didn't care!

whoops forgot to click linky thing!

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He just looks so calm saintly, just there on the board doing his thing.

How old is he zzzzz? I refused to have a go the first Breaking the Barrier as I said there was no way it would work. Then the second year I thought we'd try it but I spent the whole time beforehand saying 'well this won't work' (in fact I think I am on here saying 'this won't work')

If you fancy having a go Breaking the Barrier's a good time to try. It's a free half hour session, loads of volunteers plus instructors and always a great atmosphere on the beach.

DS1 couldn't swim until recently really either. In fact I didn't actually know he could swim really until his last IEP two weeks ago which has a target of him swimming two widths without resting! Took him ages to work out that your sort of lie down in the water rather than try and walk through it. He usually comes off the board close to the shore (and Bigbury is shallow anyway). The times he's come off out of his depth he just automatically grabs for the board so is fine and coach always grabs him straight away anyway. At Lifeworks they wear a lifejacket (most of the kids do who go out with Discovery as well tbh) and don't go out anywhere near as far as ds1 is there- they stay in depth and have two adults per board. There's some photos from this year's event here:

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All surf coaches are surf lifeguards as well (they have to do lifeguard training first) so they're pretty switched on.

DS1 just wants to go way out the back and sit with the big boys, but that's happened slowly as he's got to know the coaches and they've got to know him iyswim.

Although have to say I'm not sure ds1 would have done it at 6. I don't think we could get him on a beach at 6. But by 9 he was definitely ready and this year he has just grown to love it. He literally asks for surfing all the time.

The really cold time of year to surf is January February. It's been such a mild autumn the sea is still pretty warm!

The surf school provide wetsuits to wear during sessions - including the freebies that Lifeworks/Breaking the Barrier run (although I think you have to be 8 for a Lifeworks session). No need to buy or anything.

We used to have similar toilet issues but he grew out of those thank gawd.