Ask any surfer about the magic of surfing, and they’ll tell you. But to non-surfers, it can seem like an exclusive club that you don’t know how to get into. Stoked Surf Therapy is slowly changing that surfing image in Warrnambool, by offering free surf lessons to anyone, including people with disabilities and vulnerable members of the community.

And through this, the magic of surfing is being found by a group of people who see it as more of a ‘social prescription’, to improve and maintain their mental health. There’s scientific research that backs this up, from the ‘flow state’of being immersed in water, to the endorphins from exercise and the serotonin that comes from the feeling of achievement in taking up a new challenge. 

These ‘gnarly’ effects have been seen well beyond the ocean.

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Stoked Surf Therapy began during the depths of Covid lockdowns in 2021, when surfing was one of the few activities still permitted. From this it has grown through community partnerships and support, to become an award-winning organisation.

This podcast is brought to you by the Fletcher Jones Family Foundations and produced by the Rural Podcasting Co.