Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club (SÅBC) : Two Years of Community, Opportunity & Ingenuity

Officially established August 2024, Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club (SÅBC) celebrates two years of innovation and collaboration, blending traditional Australian surf culture with bleeding-edge technology to pioneer many firsts, including the first officially affilated adaptive surf club with a wavepool as its home break.

SÅBC Ångels are Born
SÅBC Ångels (the club volunteer water safety team) undertake continuous nationally recognised training & certification, with reported completions during club operations numbering:

• First Aid & CPR = 38
• Board Rescue³⁸ = 38
• Advanced Trauma & Bleeding³⁹ =28
• National Disability Insurance Scheme Worker Check (NDISWC)⁴⁰ = 11
• Working with Children Check⁴¹ = 9
• Ocean Safety Surf Coach Award (OSSCA)⁴² = 9
• Wilderness First Aid⁴³ =9
• Surf Coaching⁴⁴ = 5
• Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction⁴⁵ = 4
• Adaptive Instructors⁴⁶ = 4
• Drone: RPA Operator Accreditation⁴⁷
  = 4
• AMSA Coxswain Grade 3 NC⁴⁸ = 3
• Commercial Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) 25kg⁴⁹ = 2
• Aeronautical Radio Operator Certificate (AROC)⁵⁰ = 2
• Long Range Operator Certificate of Proficiency (LROCP)⁵¹ = 1
• AMSA General Purpose Hand NC⁵² = 1
• Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO)⁵³ = 1

SÅBC Ångels include experts & specialists who give time and support at SÅBC events at no additional cost to Adaptive Surfers, eliminating a major prohibitive financial barrier to participation typically encountered by people living with a disability attempting to surf in a safe and supported way. Iconic custom red SÅBC ‘Water Safety’ rashvests featuring ‘Salt-Water-People’ sleeves (representing the shared connection of every surfer to each other through Salt Water) by Zach Bennett-Brook provides instant recognition of SÅBC Ångels.

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LOCAL & GLOBAL BOARD-BANDWIDTH CONNECTION
SÅBC International Wavepool Community Virtual Competition
Through the use of technology partners Liveheats⁵⁶ & FlowState⁵⁷, SÅBC extend local competitions to include adaptive surfers around the world to build and maintain connections. During September 2024 as part of the clubs first event, ‘Equinox Ostara’, SÅBC ran it’s first international wavepool-based virtual competition, with 35 video submissions across 12 countries from 10 wavepools^{2 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67} judged within and between categories using a custom-built, individualised co-effecient judging model.

The second large-scale club round of international wavepool virtual competition, part of the first event in February 2025: ‘Ni Ni Ni’, integrated professional and amateur adaptive and non-adaptive surfers within and between divisions using the refined individualised co-effecient judging model. Wave Pool Surf Tour⁶⁸ officially launched their international virtual wavepool based competition June 2026⁶⁹ as another way to connect surfers around the world.

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Hey Humans! • Cronulla Connected
Fresh from SurFebruary with SÅBC, Blakey Johnston extends open invitations to adaptive surfers to share the experience of racking up another world record together… 1,027 surfers united in perfect conditions at Cronulla.

Melbourne Adaptive Boardriders Club • Connection & Fun
With assistance from SÅBC getting established, Melbourne Adaptive Boardriders Club⁷¹ ran its first event at URBNSURF Melbourne in May 2025⁷². Ådaptive Athlete Åcademy donated an adaptive surfboard to Melbourne Adaptive Boardriders Club Inc⁷³ founder Robbie Peime of Adapted Culture⁷⁴ to further the shared goal of fewer barriers to community-level sport focused on connection and fun.

North Shore Connection
Coach Chris of Adaptive Surfers Academy⁷⁶ based at Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii has helped countless surfers return to surf in the true spirit of Aloha. Ådaptive Athlete Åcademy are proud to be a tiny part of this via donation of an adaptive surfboard in 2023.

California Connection
Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals (AASP¹⁴) founder Charles ‘Chaka’ Webb & D.J. Lombardo detour from Byron Bay to enjoy SÅBC hospitality at 2025 Series Event: Martius Tyr in March.

Japan Connection
Japan’s wavepool, the PerfectSwell Shizunami Surf Stadium, hosts the annual Japan Open Adaptive Surfing Championships and Para Surfing Festa, both supported by water safety crew running ocean therapy activities year round. Ådaptive Athlete Åcademy proudly donated an adapted RiverSkate⁷⁸ to Yasihiro Shibata (Winner of the International 2026 Aloha Award) and another to Yasuhiro Isashi to help expand ocean, river and wavepool activity options.

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ADAPTIVE SURFING EQUIPMENT & ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
It Takes Toys to Pool Party Properly

The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun
“…you can get all caught up on board design, but does it feel fun?” ~ GG

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BRAGGING RIGHTS (& LEFTS)
Big Brother is Watching… and Capturing… and Keeping Score
Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club events are captured in photos and videos provided free to members by club sponsor FlowState. Recent events have increasingly been live-streamed by club sponsor LiveHeats, alongside publishing competitive scoring by internationally accredited judges. The highly indiviudalised adaptive surfers, their techniques, and unique equipment at SÅBC events have helped train the Artificial Intelligence models increasingly being used to automatically capture, judge and coach surfing performance in wavepools.

Celluloid, Tabloid, Apple & Android
SÅBC members have also been photographed at club events by some of the worlds most renowned and upcoming surf & sport photographers, including:
• Tim Bonython
• Matt Dunbar
• Brenden Newton
• Dimas Menelau
• Rod Soares
These professional photos and videos have been featured on television, in magazines…

…and online, because some “…do it for the ‘gram!”
The @adaptive.surf instragram account records statistics up to ~100k views per month, with an organic following of ~1,500 followers (*real people connected to adaptive surfing).

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PROGRESSIVE SURFING COMPETITIONS
SÅBC Integrated Team • Surfing NSW Heavy Weight Rumble
The 2024 Surfing NSW Heavy Weight Rumble was the first-ever Sydney boardriders inter-club competition held in a surf park⁸⁰, with the 14 September 2025 edition progressing the format by adding adaptive surfers into the mix, including representation from Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club.

T♉︎rrid 2025: First Adaptive Boardriders Battle
Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club hosted the first Surfing Australia sanctioned Adaptive Boardriders Battle with entries representing Northern Beaches Para Surfer Boardriders Club, Gold Coast Para Surfer Boardriders Club, Melbourne Adaptive Boardriders Club & SÅBC as part of the final 2025 Series 22 November Event: T♉︎rrid.

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Social & Community Participation

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SÅBC & International Womens Day

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Salt-Water-People : A NSW Ports funded Community Project
The genesis for the Salt-Water-People project was an identified gap in officially recognised and nationally accredited training for people otherwise equipped to provide water safety during adaptive surfing competitions. Strong partnerships with training providers committed to focusing on more ideal future outcomes were involved in planning stages, concurrent with key stakeholder consultation, to create and roll-out a strategic sequence of training opportunities for a cohort of engaged and committed participants to attain formalised policy & legislation compliant water safety and lifeguarding component qualifications while removing the financial barrier of training costs.

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SHARKS: AN ALARMING FREQUENCY
An unprecedented pattern of increasing shark attacks occurring on the Australian coast over the past few years have rocked the country, with everyone in the surfing community feeling a degree of impact directly or indirectly via family and friends.

Community Shark Bite Kit
Danny Schouten founded Community Shark Bite Kit in response to his fellow Port Macquarie based friend Kai McKenzie being saved by a fast-acting off-duty police officer using a dog leash as a tourniquet for the leg severed by a Great White Shark Attack in July 2024⁸⁵. Almost exactly a year earlier another Port Macquarie local & SÅBC foundational Board Member, Toby Begg, was saved by an off-duty emergency department doctor using a leg-rope to tourniquet a severed leg following a Great White Shark attack in August 2023⁸⁶. Toby & Danny ran presentations on the value and application of Community Shark Bite Kit tourniquet use during the SÅBC Event 4 Åwe Force+ on 26 April 2025.

Unimaginable loss & Mercury rising
In September 2025 the devastating news spread of losing Mercury Psillakis to a shark attack at Long Reef on Sydney’s Northern Beaches ⁸⁹. Twin brother Mike Psillakis has campaigned and become a major driving force under extremely challenging circumstances in efforts to prevent this happening again. SÅBC are proud to have Mike as a longstanding member and master craftsman of hand-shaped surfboards for members, and fortunate to be among 120 grassroots Boardriders clubs receiving shark mitigation drones & pilot training for surveillance, reporting & instigating rapid response in emergencies, particularly outside of patrolled locations and hours, with every drone bearing Mercury’s name in honour of his legacy. SÅBC share an ethos of zero preventable deaths with Surfing NSW & Surfers Rescue 24/7 who received initial funding of $650,000 from the NSW government’s $30 Million Shark Management Programme in response to this tragedy and campaign.

Danny Schouten’s Community Shark Bite Kit subsequently received government funding to enable rapid deployment around Australia. Free community training in the use of the torniquet and other components in these kits is regularly made available via Surfers Rescue 24/7 & Surfing NSW Trauma Training as featured on televsion.⁹⁰

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A Brief Chronology of Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club (SÅBC) Events
SÅBC events are themed to reflect integration into the bigger picture of time and place, incorporating strong aspects of Australian surf culture: Uniting for greater causes, capacity building, athlete development & competition, strong communities, coming together over a shared passion, food, music & art.

Dinner in the Dark & The Art of Human Sight • 18 October 2025 • World Blindness Awareness Month
Experiential Black Tie event at The Pullman Hotel Sydney Airport

Dinner in the Dark
Enter a world with Joanne Cabot where vision takes a backseat and your other senses come to life. Join us for an immersive dining experience where blindfolds unveil a whole new perspective on living with vision loss. Embark on a journey of exploration, uncovering hidden depths of sound, touch, smell, and taste. The night promises to be a tantalizing blend of discovery, learning, and connection.

The Art of Human Sight
Revealing a series of works of Inner Vision.
The Blind Flyer
Witness the translation of human senses & emotion to technology and back again blending synasthesia, interoception & visualization via artificial intelligence by Tom K
My Harbour Art
Vision realised from the Art of Human Flight by Mike Lake
Salt Water Dreamtime
Salt-Water-People • Maps of the elemental, the environmental, the emotional, awe inspiring ocean-all & connectional by Zach Bennett-Brook
Saxon McCuorquedale
Eye of the Storm
Private Screening ~ The Blind Sea
Award winning account of Matt Formston’s most fearsome and dangerous challenge yet, breaking the world record for a blind surfer and surfing the monster waves of Nazaré

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1. Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adaptive.surf/ ↩︎
2. URBNSURF https://urbnsurf.com/ ↩︎
3. Michael Johnson ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mic.johnson1706/ ↩︎
4. Douggs ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/douggsbase/ ↩︎
5. Scott Hiscoe ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/scott_hiscoe/ ↩︎
6. COG ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cog101/ ↩︎
7. COG ~ Sharing Space (2008 album) https://open.spotify.com/album/5rGS9GNBneHP1jc6r5pq1t?si=ks0fcKhXSImF5gA0FXiKEA ↩︎
8. Sydney Ådaptive Boardriders Club ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adaptive.surf/ ↩︎
9. URBNSURF https://urbnsurf.com/ ↩︎
10. Michael Johnson ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mic.johnson1706/ ↩︎
11. The First-Ever World Adaptive Surfing Championship: A Historic Event for the Sport of Surfing ~ Adrex https://www.adrex.com/en/articles/water/surfing/the-first-ever-world-adaptive-surfing-championship-a-historic-event-for-the-sport-of-surfing/ ↩︎
12. What day is February 22nd? Summary of Cat Day’s History and Events ~ Fun! Japan https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/13510 ↩︎
13. Australian Para Surfing Titles ~ Surfing Australia https://surfingaustralia.com/parasurf/ ↩︎
14. Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals (AASP) ~ https://adaptivesurfingprofessionals.com/ ↩︎
15. International Surfing Association (ISA) ~ Para Surfing https://isasurf.org/learning/para-surfing/ ↩︎
16. Jade ‘Reddog’ Wheatley ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/devonsanga/ ↩︎
17. Ollie Dousset ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/olliedousset/ ↩︎
18. Matt Formston ~ https://www.mattformston.com/ ↩︎
19. Tim Bonython ~ Surfing Visions https://www.surfingvisions.com/tbp/ ↩︎
20. Wavegarden https://wavegarden.com/ ↩︎
21. Sydney Olympic Park ~ https://www.sydneyolympicpark.nsw.gov.au/ ↩︎
22. New Petition Calls for Inclusion of Para Surfing in 2028 Paralympic Games ~ Surfer Magazine https://www.surfer.com/news/petition-inclusion-para-surfing-in-2028-la-paralympic-games ↩︎
23. ISA President Reaffirms Paralympic Ambitions on Back of Surfing’s Successful Olympic Debut – International Surfing Association 28 September 2021 https://isasurf.org/isa-president-reaffirms-paralympic-ambitions-surfing-successful-olympic-debut/ ↩︎
24. Brisbane 2032 ~ Olympics https://www.olympics.com/en/brisbane-2032 ↩︎
25. DSRT Surf https://www.dsrtsurf.com/ ↩︎
26. ISA World Para Surfing Championship To Be Held at DSRT Surf in Palm Desert, California – International Surfing Association 24 July 2026 https://isasurf.org/isa-world-para-surfing-championship-to-be-held-at-dsrt-surf-in-palm-desert-california/ ↩︎
27. Sydney’s first ever surf park URBNSURF, officially opens to the public ~ Wavepool Mag 14 May 2024 https://wavepoolmag.com/sydneys-first-ever-surf-park-urbnsurf-officially-opens-to-the-public/ ↩︎
28. Man pulled unconscious from Sydney surf park lagoon dies ~ Wavepool Mag 2 August 2024 https://wavepoolmag.com/man-found-unconscious-at-sydney-surf-park-dies/ ↩︎
29. CPR and board rescue course for any recreational surfer – Surfers Rescue 24/7 https://www.surfersrescue247.com/about ↩︎
30. Wilderness First Aid – Wilderness First Aid Australia https://wildernessmedicine.com.au/our-courses/Wilderness-First-Aid/ ↩︎
31. ISA Adaptive Surf Instructor Program – International Surf Association https://isasurf.org/learning/para-surfing/isa-adaptive-surfing-instructor-program/ ↩︎
32. Surf Coaching – Surfing Australia https://surfingaustralia.com/coaching/ ↩︎
33. Surf Club Officiating – Surfing Australia https://surfingaustralia.com/officiating/ ↩︎
34. Arc’teryx Australia ~ https://arcteryx.com.au/ ↩︎
35. Grant Allen ~ Paralympics Australia https://www.paralympic.org.au/athlete/grant-allen/ ↩︎
36. Robbie Peime ~ Icon Talent Management https://www.iconmanagement.com.au/talent/men/1970384/robbie-peime ↩︎
37. One Giant Cratered Road to Recovery ~ Total Ability https://totalability.com.au/one-giant-cratered-road-to-recovery/ ↩︎
38. Surfers Rescue 24/7 ~ https://www.surfersrescue247.com/about ↩︎
39. Advanced Trauma & Bleeding ~ https://www.surfersrescue247.com/surf-trauma-techniques-2 ↩︎
40. National Disability Insurance Scheme Worker Check (NDISWC) ~ Service NSW https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/services/ndiswc ↩︎
41. Working with Children Check (WWCC) ~ Office of the Children’s Guardian https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-for-a-working-with-children-check ↩︎
42. Ocean Safety Surf Coach Award (OSSCA) ~ The Australian Pool and Ocean Lifeguard Association Incorporated (APOLA) https://apola.com.au/training/community/ossca/ ↩︎
43. Wilderness First Aid ~ https://wildernessmedicine.com.au/our-courses/Wilderness-First-Aid/ ↩︎
44. Surf Coaching ~ https://surfingaustralia.com/coaching/ ↩︎
45. Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction ~ Sport Integrity Australia https://www.playbytherules.net.au/elearning-scenarios/safeguarding-children-and-young-people-sport-induction-course ↩︎
46. Adaptive Surf Instructor ~ https://isasurf.org/learning/para-surfing/isa-adaptive-surfing-instructor-program/ ↩︎
47. Drone Safety Rules ~ Civil Aviation Safety Authority https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/drone-rules/drone-safety-rules#Flyingforfun ↩︎
48. Coxswain Grade 3 Near Coastal ~ Australian Maritime Safety Authority https://www.amsa.gov.au/qualifications-training/domestic-qualifications/coxswain-grade-3-near-coastal ↩︎
49. Remotely piloted aircraft Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) ~ Civil Aviation Safety Authority https://www.casa.gov.au/drones/remotely-piloted-aircraft-operators-certificate/get-your-reoc#Applyusinganindustrydelegate ↩︎
50. Aeronautical Radio Operator Certificate (AROC) ~ Civil Aviation Safety Authority https://www.casa.gov.au/licences-and-certificates/radio-operators#ApplyforanAeronauticalRadioOperatorCertificate ↩︎
51. Long Range Operator Certificate of Proficiency (LROCP) ~ Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) https://www.acma.gov.au/marine-radio-qualifications ↩︎
52. General Purpose Hand Near Coastal ~ Australian Maritime Safety Authority https://www.amsa.gov.au/qualifications-training/domestic-qualifications/general-purpose-hand-near-coastal ↩︎
53. Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO) ~ NSW Office of Sport https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/running-your-club/safe-and-fair-clubs/member-protection ↩︎
54. Saltwater Dreamtime – Art by Zachary Bennett-Brook https://www.saltwaterdreamtime.com/ ↩︎
55. Design your own Rash Vest ~ Kudo Custom https://kudocustom.com.au/pages/design-your-own ↩︎
56. Liveheats ~ https://organiser.liveheats.com/about-us/ ↩︎
57. Flowstate ~ https://flowstate.zone/en/about-us ↩︎
58. URBNSURF https://urbnsurf.com/ ↩︎
59. Shizunami ~ Surf Stadium Japan https://www.surfstadium-japan.co.jp/en/internationalvisitorspage ↩︎
60. The Wave UK ~ https://www.thewave.com/ ↩︎
61. Surflakes ~ https://www.surflakes.com/ ↩︎
62. Wai Kai Wave ~ https://www.waikai.com/ ↩︎
63. Kelly Slater Surf Ranch California ~ https://www.kswaveco.com/ ↩︎
64. Waco Surf ~ https://wacosurf.com/ ↩︎
65. Praia da Grama ~ https://wavegarden.com/pt-br/facilities/so-paulo-br/ ↩︎
66. Boa Vista Village ~ Pacific Surf School https://wavegarden.com/pt-br/facilities/so-paulo-br/ ↩︎
67. The Wave Garden Lab ~ https://wavegarden.com/fr/facilities/wavegarden-lab/ ↩︎
68. Wave Pool Surf Tour ~ https://www.wavepoolsurftour.com/about ↩︎
69. Wave Pool Surf Tour official launch ~ https://www.instagram.com/p/DaCz3PLjpQ1/ ↩︎
70. The new club helping surfers with disabilities take on the swell ~ Channel 9: A Current Affiar https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/a-current-affair/sydney-adaptive-boardriders-club-the-new-club-helping-surfers-with-disabilities-take-on-the-swell-20250228-p5rk0v.html ↩︎
71. Melbourne Adaptive Boardriders Club Inc ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/melb.adaptive.boardriders/ ↩︎
72. Melbourne Adaptive Boardriders Club ~ Event 1 https://www.instagram.com/p/DJtXUxpBPi6/?img_index=6 ↩︎
73. Melbourne Adaptive Boardriders Club Inc ~ Australian Business Register https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?abn=98645066175 ↩︎
74. Adapted Culture ~ https://adaptedculture.com.au/ ↩︎
75. Surf Decals ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/surfdecals/ ↩︎
76. Adaptive Surfers Academy ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adaptive_surfers_academy/ ↩︎
77. Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals (AASP) ~ https://adaptivesurfingprofessionals.com/ ↩︎
78. Riverskate ~ ↩︎
79. Crush Surfing Magazine: Issue 2 https://crushsurfingmagazine.com/products/crush-surfing-magazine-issue-002-digital?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=21da018e0&pr_rec_pid=15994826260815&pr_ref_pid=15994840809807&pr_seq=uniform ↩︎
80. Heavy Weight Rumble 2024 ~ Surfing NSW https://surfingnsw.com.au/heavy-weight-rumble-2024/ ↩︎
81. Adaptive Clubs Punch Their Weight in the Heavyweight Rumble Line-Up ~ Surfing NSW Media 17 September 2025 https://surfingnsw.com.au/adaptive-clubs-punch-their-weight-in-the-heavyweight-rumble-line-up/ ↩︎
82. Surfing NSW 2025 Heavyweight Rumble Teams ~ LiveHeats https://liveheats.com/events/404957/divisions/717397/entries ↩︎
83. SÅBC 2026 International Women’s Day ~ Surfing NSW Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/DWfz5jIgChn/?img_index=1 ↩︎
84. First Nations Lifeguards ~ https://www.instagram.com/firstnationslifeguards/ ↩︎
85. Community rallies around surfer Kai McKenzie after North Shore Beach shark attack near Port Macquarie ~ ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-24/shark-attack-kai-mckenzie/104134678 ↩︎
86. Off-duty doctor recalls efforts to save surfer’s life on Port Macquarie beach ~ ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-08/emergency-doctor-recounts-toby-begg-shark-attack-port-macquarie/102822026 ↩︎
87. Community Shark Bite Kit ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/communitysbk/ ↩︎
88. Toby Begg ~ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tobybegg/ ↩︎
89. Friend describes ‘heroic’ final act of surfer killed in shark attack at Sydney’s Northern Beaches ~ ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-07/dee-why-shark-attack-victim-mercury-psillakis/105744998 ↩︎
90. Channel 9 News Feature: Trauma Training ~ Surfing NSW Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ9h50opPwO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== ↩︎
91. Free 3D Hands https://free3dhands.org/about-us/ ↩︎
92. Wandering Warriors Limited https://wanderingwarriors.org/ ↩︎
93. Bravery & Betrayal ~ Movie https://wanderingwarriors.org/bravery-betrayal-the-documentary/ ↩︎
94. SurFeburary x Chris O’Brien Lifehouse https://www.surfebruary.com/our-story ↩︎
95. Roxferry ~ Blind Eye (2019 song) https://open.spotify.com/track/5UeX0sLTy7sCoOcNk77Krm?si=9c80aaec33b34832 ↩︎
96. ‘The men who were selfless and courageous by getting Merc out of the surf – we are forever grateful and pray that you get the support you need’ – Manly Observer 9 September 2025 https://manlyobserver.com.au/the-men-who-were-selfless-and-courageous-by-getting-merc-out-of-the-surf-we-are-forever-grateful-and-pray-that-you-get-the-support-you-need/ ↩︎