I’m Jen and blind-deaf and fell in love with surfing my first time out on the waves. I was lucky enough to be paired with Rafael as my surf instructor who continues to surf with me a year later. I feel so lucky to have found Rafael who has never asked me for anything in return besides a fist bump and to paddle harder. It is only because of Rafael’s 30 years of surf experience and 10 years of paramedic/EMT calm, that I am able to confidently surf in the finicky tides of Santa Cruz with clusters of surfers who often don’t pay attention and risk serious crashes. Surf guides not only have to be strong surfers themselves and knowledgeable of the break you’re surfing but they also have to know how to guide attentively. This skill set is what Rafael brings to our team while I bring the adaptive tips and tricks I’ve learned from surfing blind-deaf. Together we formed Crip Curl Adaptive to make surfing accessible and free to surf-curious individuals in the blind-deaf community. We aspire to provide free lessons and guides to anyone who is brave enough to try surfing and we invite you to join the ride. We need your help to raise funds so we can purchase the necessary equipment and resources to get our project going and bring more blind-deaf surfers out on the waves.