Standout Surfer

Antony Smyth. Photo ISA / Reynolds

Smyth scored the highest two wave heat total of 16.77. Smyth, who has paralysis in his right arm, will go on to represent his country in the Finals on Sunday for a chance to win Gold against 69 surfers from 18 countries, marking the largest international Adaptive Surfing competition to date.

He later posted on Facebook: "What a day! I had the right board (borrowed one for the tough conditions). I had the right waves come to me. I had awesome support. I finished today seeded no 1 into the next round... One of the best days of competition I have ever had! But that is done, they are going to come at me on Sunday! I have work to do. Thank you everyone for your support!"

The opening day of competition took place in clean, glassy 3ft surf, as athletes competed for a chance to surf in the Finals on Sunday from all four divisions, Stand, Upright, Prone and Assist.

Also impressive was Lucas Retamales, a blind surfer from Chile, who put on an inspiring performance drawing a huge reaction from the crowd. He was able to sense incoming waves and get long rides from deep in the ocean to the beach. Having lost his surfboard in the recent Chilean tsunami, Retamales kept his composure and put on a spectacular effort on a borrowed board.

Lucas Retamales. Photo ISA / Ferguson

On the women’s side, Danielle Burt, representative of Team USA, spoke about the union of the global Adaptive Surfing community after her Round 1 heat.

“In my next heat I get to surf with the guy who inspired me to get into Surfing in the first place, Alcino “Pirata” Neto. He was the first above knee amputee I’ve ever seen standing up on a surfboard.

“It was also great to meet Eric Welton. He started surfing after seeing pictures of me, which is what the ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship is all about, to inspire other people.”

ISA President Fernando Aguerre commented on the action packed first day of competition.

“The first round of competition was absolutely amazing! Seeing all of the athletes on the beach cheering and rooting for their country and the other countries was so inspirational. Every one of these athletes has a unique story that has led them to this ISA World Championship. It is a beautiful thing to see them in one place, forming new friendships and paving the road for the future growth and development of Adaptive Surfing around the world.”

Eric Welton from Hawaii. Photo ISA / Reynolds

The competition will resume on Sunday with the Finals and Closing Ceremony.

All day on Saturday, the athletes and team officials will gather for the Adaptive Surfing Symposium to discuss the best practices and the future of the sport. The Symposium will take place at Challenged Athletes Foundation headquarters from 10am-3pm.

Competition will continue on Sunday with the live webcast at 3:45pm SA Time:

The event schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Sept. 26 – 10am-3pm: Adaptive Surfing Symposium featuring keynote speakers about the future development of Adaptive Surfing at Deni + Jeff Jacobs Challenged Athletes Center.

Sunday, Sept. 27 – 7am-5pm PST: Live webcast of competition Finals at La Jolla Shores to culminate with the event’s Medal and Closing Ceremony