Riding the waves became a reality for people with disabilities in North Myrtle Beach on Saturday.

Wheel to Surf held its fourth event in 3 years after being created by Brock Johnson.

Johnson grew up surfing and his passion for the ocean didn’t wane after suffering a spinal cord injury in a diving accident four years ago.

“You lose a lot of things when you’re paralyzed, but one of the main things i didn’t want to lose was surfing,” says Johnson.

So he teamed up with Coastal Carolina Adaptive Sports and Recreation to create Wheel to Surf, so he and other people with disabilities have the chance to hang ten and catch some waves.

“It’s a dream that i had to bring something like this to Myrtle Beach and with the help of a lot of others, I’ve been able to do that,” said Hollo.

It takes a team of volunteers to keep participants safe out on the water, most who are surfing for the first time in their lives.

Of the 45 participants on Saturday, Johnson says only 3 or 4 had surfed before these events started taking place.

George Medina was born with spina bifida in Nevada, so he never thought he’d go surfing, but since getting the chance, he loves getting out in the water.

“It’s awesome, its fun and pretty good exercise. Plus you have kids, and older people who have never even been in the water, its so cool to see stuff like that,” says Medina.

Medina says the real hero’s are the volunteers who came out to lend a hand and their time to the event, “oh man they’re awesome, they’re amazing. It’s really all about the volunteers. If they weren’t out here, none of this would be possible.”

One of the youngest of 90 volunteers was 6 year old Decatur Hollo, who is on the autism spectrum and split his time between riding himself and assisting others.

“I help the people when they’re coming back on their boards and i slow their board down if they’re going to fast. And i cheer if they’re doing a good job,” said Hollo.

It’s exactly what Johnson envisioned when he created the event, “get a little joy in peoples lives and overall just have a fun day.”

The event continues to grow, it had 17 participants at the first event, 30 at the previous and 45 on Saturday.  

 Wheel to Surf helps raise money for Coastal Carolina Adaptive Sports and Recreation.