My name is Rachel Wilson, I am a Recreational Therapist and a Scuba Instructor! I love being in and on the ocean. It’s my safe space and place of healing. If I ever feel like I’m losing sight of myself, all I need is for my feet to reach the water and that energy immediately centers me.
How did you first hear about AccesSurf? When did you start?
I get to run adaptive scuba diving programming on island with my wife. Within my first couple of days on island, she tells me we’re going to drop off scuba materials to a new dive student, Buster. He was at a fundraiser at the mall for AccesSurf. While we were there I got to meet Buster, Cara, Angie, and Mark Marble who is also a recreational therapist. You know when you meet someone and they have that genuine good human energy? The kind that makes you go, “whatever they’re doing, I want to do that too”! That’s what I felt when I met them. After that I just started showing up whenever I could!
What does AccesSurf mean to you?
I believe leisure should be a right that everyone has access to and that is what AccesSurf does! They’ve created a community and welcomed me to be part of it!
What is your favorite AccesSurf memory?
That’s a tough one…there’s this group of women who have been coming to AccesSurf for the last year or so. We’ve all gotten really close, empowering one another, accomplishing goals, cheering each other on, and motivating one another. One day, we paddled out together and when a perfect wave rose, we all caught it! As I looked left and right, I saw big genuine smiles on all our faces! Feeling that surge of connection to each other, to surfing, and to the ocean was pure, empowering magic!
