How Surf Adaptado Challenges The Impossible And Builds Community From The Waves Of Costa Rica

(MENAFN- Costa Rica News) The post How Surf Adaptado Challenges The Impossible And Builds Community From The Waves Of Costa Rica appeared first on The Costa Rica News.

Since 2015, and formally as an association since 2018, Surf Adaptado de Costa Rica has been swimming against the tide with a clear purpose: to support people with disabilities in experiencing surfing, whether recreationally, therapeutically, or competitively.

The association was founded by Natalia Vindas, who serves as president, and Gustavo Corrales, vice president. This initiative is much more than a sport; it is a human endeavor that demonstrates that, despite being an individual sport, adaptive surfing thrives thanks to the community that supports it, proving that collaboration is essential to overcoming barriers.

In addition, Adaptive Surfing understands that inclusion in sports is an act of personal and social transformation.

We recently spoke with Natalia Vindas, who gave us a chronological account of the beginnings of Adaptive Surfing.

“When athlete Ismael Araya and coach Gustavo Corrales participated in the first Adaptive Surfing World Championship, organized by the International Surfing Association (ISA) in 2015. During the symposium, Fernando Aguerre, president of the ISA, asked Ismael what message he wanted to bring back to Costa Rica after this event, and Ismael's response was: 'I hope to bring hope,'” she said.

Back in Costa Rica, Coach Gustavo set out to recruit more adapted athletes, forming the first national adapted surfing team in 2016 with athletes Ismael Araya, Juan Manuel Camacho, John Barrantes, Ronald Faerron, and Mathews van der Hooght (who won a bronze medal in the prone category).

In 2017, the first woman, Natalia Vindas, and Costa Rica's first blind surfer, Henry Martínez, joined the team. They made their debut at the ISA World Championship in 2017, with Natalia winning a bronze medal in the women's prone category.

Upon returning from this world championship, they decided to organize themselves as a formal group and founded the Adaptive Surfing Sports Association for the Inclusive Development of Surfing for People with Disabilities in March 2018. From there, they began organizing free activities for people with disabilities and national competitions, growing and reaching more and more people, until 2021, when the National Para-Surfing Team achieved fourth place by country in the ISA World Championship with several individual medals.

“In 2023 and 2024, the Association, known as ADESURFA, organized three international events, establishing Costa Rica as the host country for stops on the Para Surf League and AASP world tours. These events were attended by athletes from more than 17 different countries, achieving a great position for the country on the world para-surfing map,” she said.

In addition to Natalia and Gustavo, there are other Costa Ricans who make up the organizing team: Andrea Chacón (current spokesperson), José Francisco Vindas (current secretary), Henry Martínez, Juan Manuel Camacho, and Maikel Venegas.

Fundamental to the organization: The athletes and coaches

Six men and one woman, for a total of seven athletes, make up Surf Adaptado Costa Rica. They have several instructors and surfers who collaborate with them, such as Ariel Gutiérrez (coach of the national para-surfing team).

The athletes come from all over Costa Rica, both from the Central Valley and the coasts.

Among the highlights of the Costa Rican organization are: they have served 400 people with disabilities. 100 volunteers have supported them; they have participated in 15 Surf Camps, 6 national competitions, and 9 ISA (International Surfing Association) world competitions.

The athletes have won 21 medals at ISA World Championships. In fact, Costa Rica's Adaptive Surfing team celebrated recent success at the 2025 Para-Surfing World Championships, where they won three individual medals (copper and bronze) and a commendable ninth place among 24 countries.

Athlete Juan Manuel Camacho won a bronze medal, and Roy Calderon and Mathews van der Hooght also won bronze.

This organization, inspired by“Pura Vida” and nature, has its sights set on the future: to achieve a full team of nine men and nine women to continue flying the flag for Costa Rica.

Highs and lows within Adaptive Surfing

Doña Natalia told us that they have had highs and lows within the organization. In her opinion,“the main challenge is financial, but we have overcome it by holding raffles and selling services such as adaptive surfing lessons for nationals and foreigners,” she said.

The organization offers various types of services, including:

Adaptive surfing lessons: Lessons designed for people with disabilities.

Adapted equipment rental: Boards and specialized equipment available.

Talks and workshops: Educational and awareness sessions.

About the events...

Each adaptive surfing event is an opportunity to transform lives, promote inclusion, and show that we are all equal in the sea.

Natalia Vindas added that the entire Adaptive Surfing team is motivated by their love for the sea, its waves, and the freedom it offers, inspiring more people with disabilities to experience surfing and courageously face their own waves in life.

That is why the organization's slogans are:“In the sea, we are all equal” and“We are the children of the impossible.”

For our TCRN team, it is great to talk to people who have created great initiatives such as Adaptive Surfing, people like Natalia, who believes that surfing is a sport that provides comprehensive well-being to all people, especially those living with a disability.“That is why we promote the inclusion of this population in sports and on beaches. We encourage them to go beyond their limits and adapt the environment to allow more people to participate in activities in natural settings,” she concluded.

If you would like to participate in the various activities organized by Surf Adaptado or become a new sponsor, you can contact them through their social media accounts: @surfadaptadocr on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. You can also visit their website at .

The post How Surf Adaptado Challenges The Impossible And Builds Community From The Waves Of Costa Rica appeared first on The Costa Rica News.

MENAFN30112025000216011060ID1110416516