Whilst many people enjoy surfing as a recreational activity and sport, surf therapy takes a structured approach to surfing to achieve a therapeutic benefit. Surf therapy currently plays a significant role globally in improving peoples’ health and wellbeing. Target groups include, but are not limited to, disadvantaged children and youth, people with autism spectrum disorder, people with physical impairments and people with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or other forms of mental illness. The last five years have seen a rapid increase in the use of surfing as therapy for a range of these vulnerable populations. Surf therapy incorporates both learning to surf and structured approaches to develop empowerment, mastery and self efficacy. Surf therapy is an alternative approach to traditional clinical paradigms, that aims to promote well-being. Surf therapy is an empowering process combining physical and mental health as well as social support and surfing skills development.

The International Surf Therapy Organisation (ISTO) was formed in October 2017 to bring together the knowledge and expertise of people using surf therapy in a range of settings and populations. ISTO aims to expand the evidence base for the effectiveness of surf therapy and use this evidence to convince health care providers and policy makers that surf therapy should be seen as a key component of routine care. Already, surf therapy can be prescribed by general practitioners in the UK, and is considered to be part of routine care by a naval hospital in San Diego.

Professor Philip Ward (UNSW Sydney) was one of the founding members of ISTO, and recently joined the board of the Waves of Wellness Foundation in Australia He will chair this symposium that features leading global surf therapy practitioners and researchers.

Kris Primacio led the Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation surf therapy program in California for several years, and now serves as CEO of ISTO. Kris will outline the role of ISTO in identifying and nurturing new organisations that offer surf therapy, supporting standardised collection of outcome data, and building awareness of the benefits and applicability of surf therapy in the global therapeutic community. She will also report latest developments in the field that emerged from the ISTO conference in Manhattan Beach, California, in November 2019. Incorporating input from local and state government leaders in southern California, current and former competitors from the professional surfing league, and surf therapy practitioners from the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, Peru, Costa Rica, Germany, and Guatemala.

Jamie Marshall, a PhD student from Edinburgh Napier University (UK), will describe his research that took a grounded approach to explore programme theory in three leading surf therapy organisations working in different settings (California, USA, Harper, Liberia, and Newcastle, Australia). His work enabled a comparison of theoretical similarities and contextual differences within the global surf therapy paradigm. The findings highlight key elements of surf therapy that can enhance service optimisation and expansion into new settings whilst providing further qualitative support for therapeutic efficacy.

Joel Pilgrim is the CEO of the Waves of Wellness (WoW) Foundation, Australia’s largest surf therapy organisation, currently operating in NSW, Queensland and Victoria. In partnership with the Movember Foundation, WoW designed and implemented the first men’s wellness surf therapy program. Pilot programs conducted over two years were evaluated, in conjunction with the University of Waterloo, Canada, and First-Person Consulting, Melbourne, covering 38 programs and 492 participants. Pre- versus post-program qualitative and quantitative analyses demonstrated that participants reported increased overall life satisfaction, a very high level of satisfaction with the surf therapy program and increased mental clarity. WoW is currently working to extend this program to regional communities Australia-wide.

Surf therapy is a novel therapeutic technique that will support empowerment, wellbeing, physical and mental health, and community well-being for both the participants of surf therapy programs and their families. With more than 45 organisations from 12 countries represented at the ISTO symposium in November 2019, and the forthcoming special issue on surf therapy in the Global Journal of Community Psychology, this new therapeutic modality is poised to make a major contribution to well-being in many community settings.