Surfs Up Event in Tofino

This past Saturday marked the 15th annual Surfs Up Event here in Tofino! It was a beautiful day at Cox Bay, filled with sunshine, smiles, and plenty of time in the water.

Surfs Up is a special day for children on the autism spectrum and their siblings, ages 7–17. The event offers supported surf lessons alongside a fun, welcoming family beach day. Each child is paired with a surf instructor and a behavioural interventionist (BI), providing individualized support and helping make the experience enjoyable and accessible for everyone.

The event is 100% volunteer-run and made possible through the incredible support of local businesses and the Tofino community. This year, we were proud to have a bunch of our instructors out at Cox Bay volunteering their time, energy, and expertise.

Kate has been part of our team at Surf Sister for more than ten years and was one of the very first volunteers with Surfs Up. I sat down with her to hear how the event began and what keeps bringing her back year after year.

How did you get involved with Surfs Up?

Kate spent four years working in California with the Paskowitz family, who founded Surfers Healing, an organization that brings surf experiences to children on the autism spectrum.

When Dennis, the founder of Autism Surfs Up, was looking to start a similar event in Tofino, he found Kate working at Long Beach Surf Shop and reached out to pick her brain about how to make it happen.

Her role was to help gather everything needed for the event, including boards, wetsuits, and volunteers. The first event welcomed just 12 families. Fifteen years later, Surfs Up has grown to welcome around 45 families.

What is your favourite part of the event?

“The biggest joy is seeing parents' faces feeling welcome and accepted. Allowing the kids to get a win.”

"It's also about connection: giving families an opportunity to meet others, build community, and simply enjoy a day at the beach together."

A Story That Came Back to Us 

A few weeks ago, we received a wonderful surprise in the mail: a memoir by Wendy Haley titled Not Without My Girl.

A heartfelt memoir about motherhood, autism, resilience, and finding a way forward when life takes an unexpected turn. Set between Hawaii and the West Coast of British Columbia, Wendy shares her journey of advocating for her daughter, navigating the challenges of raising a child with autism, and ultimately finding healing, strength, and a renewed sense of self.

Wendy's daughter, Caia, took a surf lesson with us back in May 2022 with Jess, and Wendy wrote about their experience in her memoir. 

"Before we went to Tofino, I had reached out to the all female surf company, called Surf Sisters. When I went to Tofino the summer before on a solo trip, I took a surf lesson from one of their instructors. All the Surf Sisters have the best energy and I knew if anyone could give Caia a surf lesson, they could. I let them know of Caia’s neurodiversity and asked if they had someone who could give us a lesson. They did not think twice, “Bring her in, we’d love to have her!” the owner replied to me in an email. I was so excited to take my girl surfing. Her dad used to bodysurf with her in Hawaii and she had no fear. Every time she popped out of the wave, she would be grinning from ear to ear."

Wendy and Caia also returned to Tofino and attended Surfs Up in 2024.

Receiving the book was such a lovely reminder of how meaningful these experiences like Surfs UP and surfing can be, not only on the day itself, but long after the experience in the water!