Kayla Adams has the first Saturday of every month reserved for her favorite sport.

Adams, 17, has limited use of her legs due to a condition called hydrocephalus. But thanks to an organization called AccesSurf Hawai'i, she is able ride the waves off White Plains Beach every month.

"It's so much fun," Adams said. "It feels like I'm flying. I love everything about it."

AccesSurf Hawai'i was created last year by Mark Marble, a physical therapist at the Shriners Hospital for Children.

In short, Marble formed the organization to give physically and mentally challenged people a chance to enjoy Hawai'i's beaches.

"I want these people to know that they can come out to the beach and have the use of proper equipment, under the care of knowledgeable people — lifeguards and therapists," Marble said.

Word is spreading fast.

In November 2006, AccesSurf Hawai'i held its first session. There were five able-bodied volunteers and eight adaptive participants.

Since then, more than 150 participants have registered to ride the waves.

ANY AND ALL WELCOME

"We take all ages. Any type of disability or challenge, mental or physical, we invite them all," Marble said. "If they're a little hesitant to surf right away, we just take them out in the water so they can do adaptive swimming or floating. We find a way to help them enjoy the beach."

AccesSurf Hawai'i is a non-profit organization, and the monthly sessions are free.

In its one year of existence, more than 250 volunteers — including several professional surfers — have helped make it work. Marble said corporate sponsors, including Crocs and Crazy Shirts, have also been crucial to the organization's success.

At this month's session, 8-year-old Seth Taylor rode the first wave of his life. He is an autistic child, and his parents heard about AccesSurf Hawai'i through friends.

"He absolutely loved it," said Andy Taylor, Seth's father. "I was nervous for him at first, so I paddled out with him. But from the first wave, he was grinning from ear to ear. He was lying down for the first few waves, but after a couple, he was standing up."

David Rutledge, a surfing instructor on O'ahu's North Shore, took Seth out for the surf session.

"There's no description for the feeling," Rutledge said. "I get to surf every day — that's my job. But of all the surfing I do, this is my favorite. You really feel like you're changing people's lives."

INSTRUCTORS ARE KEY

The surfing instructors often carry the participants from the beach to the water, and then ride the waves on the same board with the participants. In effect, the instructors are the guardians of the participants in the water.

"These are the bravest people I know," Rutledge said. "I know what the consequences are out there, even for able-bodied people. But just to see the excitement in these kids ... it's worth it."

Buttons Kaluhiokalani, a former professional surfer, has been volunteering for AccesSurf Hawai'i for the past four months.

"Some of these kids can not even stand up on their own," he said. "But they're out there surfing. It's so cool to see. I've been surfing for 40 years now, but I fell in love with this program from day one."

Some of the adaptive participants don't need the assistance from the instructors.

Richard Julian, for example, rides the waves on a specially-designed board.

Julian, 36, surfed as a child, and then lost the use of his legs in an accident more than 20 years ago. Now, he sits on his board and paddles into the waves with a kayak-style paddle.

"For a good 15 years, I had no access to the surf," Julian said. "But in 1999, I got back into it when this adaptive wave-ski was invented. Now, I do top turns, bottom turns — the joy of flowing with the wave and the water is still there. It's that same feeling I loved as a kid."

Marble said specially designed boards and life vests have been created in recent years to help the adaptive surfers. Even a special mat was created to help wheelchairs roll on the sand and get closer to the ocean.

LOOKING TO GROW

After one year of success, the goal is for expansion.

Marble said he has received inquiries from California and Florida, and even in Europe.

But first, he wants to share the wave-riding experience with more people in Hawai'i.

"One of our hopes right now is to be able to do this more than once a month," he said. "And then we want to take this to the some of the other islands, Maui and Kaua'i.

"But that can only be done with the help of sponsors and volunteers. If we get that going, who knows how far we can go."

For information on the organization, visit www.accessurf.org.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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