“Operation Surf has literally helped change my outlook on life. It has given me the tools to live better. To truly feel again and live my life.”
— Chris E., Operation Surf participant
During National Military Appreciation Month, it’s important to recognize the many ways veterans find healing, connection, and renewed purpose after service, especially within the amputee and limb difference community. Across the country, organizations are helping injured veterans and military members rediscover confidence and community through adaptive surfing and ocean-based therapy programs.
For many veterans living with limb loss, traumatic injuries, or post-traumatic stress, the ocean has become more than recreation. It’s a pathway back to themselves.
One organization leading that work is One More Wave, a nonprofit dedicated to providing wounded and disabled veterans with customized surfing equipment and a supportive surf community. Founded in 2015, the organization works with veterans coast to coast, pairing them with adaptive boards designed specifically for their individual needs.
The process is deeply personal. Veterans first complete an application and meet virtually with the team to determine what type of equipment will best support them in the water. From there, shapers, artists, and fiberglass specialists collaborate through an extensive custom design process to create one-of-a-kind surf crafts tailored to each rider.
But the mission goes far beyond the board itself.
“It all comes down to finding peace, health, and wellness in the surf zone,” One More Wave shares on its website. The boards they create are meant to be ridden — and the organization’s network of volunteers and local surf chapters helps veterans build community while doing exactly that.
Another organization creating profound impact through adaptive surfing is Operation Surf, whose mission is “to channel the healing powers of the ocean to restore hope, renew purpose, and revitalize community.”
Through curriculum-based surf therapy programs, Operation Surf serves injured military members and veterans by combining adaptive surfing with peer support, mindfulness practices, yoga, and community connection. The organization’s work is rooted in the belief that healing happens not only physically, but emotionally and socially as well.
Research supports that idea. In his book, The Impact of Ocean Therapy on Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Dr. Russell Crawford explored the effects of Operation Surf’s programming and found surf therapy may offer an effective form of nature-based treatment for veterans experiencing PTSD.
For many participants, the impact is life-changing.
“Most guys consider their ‘Alive Day’ the day they were blown up,” Operation Surf participant Martin P. shared. “For me, my Alive Day was when I came to Operation Surf. I found out who I was there. I realized I am not disabled, just differently able.”
Operation Surf’s signature week-long program brings veterans together in supportive coastal communities for four days of adaptive surfing and wellness-focused activities. Alongside surf instruction, participants engage in yoga, mindfulness, peer-to-peer support, group meals, nightly reflections, and healing paddle-outs honoring fallen service members. Travel, lodging, equipment, and meals are all provided at no cost to participants thanks to donor and sponsor support.
The organization also offers OS3, a three-month local mentorship and surf program focused on building long-term community and accountability. Veterans commit to surfing together multiple times a week while learning ocean safety, surf skills, and wellness tools designed to extend beyond the beach. Participants who complete the program graduate with their own wetsuit and surfboard — and often, a renewed sense of belonging.
During National Military Appreciation Month, organizations like One More Wave and Operation Surf remind us that honoring veterans can look like more than ceremonies and speeches. Sometimes, it looks like helping someone find healing in the rhythm of a wave, strength in community, and freedom in the ocean.
