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After 14 years of working in adaptive and inclusive surfing, Shelter Surf is taking a new step with the creation of Koaina, and NGO established to expand the project and bring surf therapy to more people. This new chapter will be officially presented on October 2 in Zarautz with the Koaina Surf Challenge.

What began in 2012 with the first adaptive and inclusive surfing activities is now entering a new phase. After 14 years of experience, Koaina has been created as an NGO to ensure the continuity of the surf therapy project, broaden its reach, and put all the knowledge and experience gained over the years at the service of even more people.

The growth of the programme itself has driven this new step forward. After four years with waiting lists closed, registrations have reopened this year and six new surfers have joined the programme. Today, 26 young people are part of the ongoing programme. Koaina was created to respond to this demand and gradually expand the project, with the goal of reaching 100 participants and delivering 800 hours of surf therapy.

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During this new stage, SALTO FOUNDATION will support Koaina as a partner throughout the creation and launch phase of the project. The organisation will also continue its collaboration with UPV/EHU to further develop knowledge and research on the benefits of surfing.

For Aritz Aranburu, founder of Shelter Surf and driving force behind the project, Koaina represents the natural evolution of a programme that has grown steadily over the years:

For the past 14 years, we have seen everything surfing can bring to the people who take part in the programme and to their families as well. Koaina was created because we want this experience to reach many more people and continue into the future, without losing what has been at its heart from the very beginning: sharing our passion for surfing and making it accessible to everyone. The sea sees us all through the same eyes.

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14 Years of using surfing as therapy

Aritz Aranburu’s commitment to surf therapy began in 2012. During the first years, adaptive surfing activities were organised on an occasional basis. In 2016, he founded Shelter Surf and took the initiative a step further by launching an ongoing programme with weekly training sessions on Zarautz beach. Since then, the project has expanded to include summer courses, adapted lessons, events with social organisations, and an adaptive surfing category within the Shelter 4TEENS championship.

Today, Koaina Surf Therapy works with people from a wide range of backgrounds and support needs. Its ongoing programme provides weekly surf sessions for young people aged 8 to 20, adapting groups and support levels according to each participant’s degree of autonomy. Through surfing, participants develop areas such as independence, social relationships, physical abilities, motor skills, and communication.

In addition, during 2025 and 2026, more than 100 people from different associations across Gipuzkoa took part in activity days organised in collaboration with the Sports Department of the Zarautz City Council.

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An initiative supported by research

The impact of the programme has also been studied in collaboration with UPV/EHU. Research conducted in 2022 involving 15 surfers on the autism spectrum found improvements in personal and social development, adaptive skills, motor abilities, and communication after participating in a four-and-a-half-month ongoing surf therapy program. 

This research has been complemented by a study carried out by Markel Miranda, one of the programme’s instructors, which incorporated the perspective of participating families. Their testimonies highlighted benefits such as wellbeing, enjoyment, and greater autonomy among participants, as well as the creation of valuable spaces for connection and mutual support among families.

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Koaina Surf Challenge: everyone is part of the team

This new chapter will be officially launched on Friday, October 2, at Zarautz Beach through the Koaina Surf Challenge, held as part of the Twin Fin Invitational Week.

The competition will follow a Tag Team format, with teams made up of Koaina Surf Therapy participants, professional surfers, and representatives from partner companies. This format allows everyone to share the same team and the same waves while giving businesses the opportunity to engage directly in the experience. The event will begin with team check-in at 4:30 p.m., followed by the competition and prize ceremony. The day will conclude with a live concert at the Shelter Surf Bar.

Beyond the competition itself, the Koaina Surf Challenge aims to highlight surfing as a tool for inclusion and therapy while creating a space where programme participants and the wider community that supports the project can come together.

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