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Carmel Valley News & Del Mar Village Voice Article:  Veteran surfer helps children with special needs learn the thrill of the water  By Catherine Kolonko May 14, 2004       A veteran surfer who wants to spread the joys of the ocean to a group who might otherwise not experience it has started a business that offers what he terms therapeutic surf instruction to children with special needs.      Since last summer, Rick Sutera has taken his work with children to the shores of North County where he instructs them how to use swim noodles, proper paddling and what he learned from years of surfing about how the ocean works, he said.      “The best part of all this is just to let the kids have fun,” Sutera said.  “If we can get them to stand up and ride a wave, that’s a bonus.  We’re here to make this the most rewarding experience for special needs kids.”      Sutera maintains that his method of therapeutic surfing helps children not only develop fine motor skills but also provides them with positive reinforcement.      “They just light up.  They are forever stoked,” he said.       The ocean is like a second home for Sutera, he says, and he wants to bring the comfort he feels in the water to children who might not otherwise have the chance to enjoy it.      “Ever since I was in diapers, I’ve been thrust into the ocean,” he said.  “It’s the only thing that keeps me ticking.”      Sutera said he has worked with special needs children in various jobs, including a stint at a local Boys and Girls Club where he met Alexander Soares, who now works for a Boys and Girls Club in Florida.      “His passion for what he does is very evident,” Soares said.  “Rick was very good not only in the group setting … he was always able to give his attention one on one for those kids.”      Sutera recently began work with a 5-year old Del Mar girl.  The child’s mother, Julie Bonnet, was pleased with the first session.      “I had told her we were going to the beach and to do some exercises,” Bonnet said.  “She was a little apprehensive but it wasn’t too long before she wasn’t scared at all.”      Bonnet said she looks for ways her daughter Katie, who has cerebral palsy, can get exercise because she often doesn’t have the opportunities of other children to run and play or participate in organized activities.  She takes her daughter to the gym for regular workouts with a trainer and when she heard about Sutera’s work she decided to give it a try, she said.      “A lot of things we try to get her involved with, they only take typically developing children,” Bonnett said.  “I think all kids really need exercise, endurance and physical fitness.”      During his work with Julie on the beach at Del Mar, Sutera had her sit on a therapy ball and do forward and backward bends.  He then took her into the shallow waters to practice on a surfboard, Bonnett said.  The session was well paced to keep Julie from getting distracted or bored.       “He does exercises that are really fun,” Bonnett said.  “She really enjoyed it. I was surprised because I didn’t know how she would react.”      Sutera said he can work with children with a variety of special needs, from physical to mentally challenged.  To help him connect with the children, he draws from his life experience growing up with a mildly retarded older brother, he said.      “I’ve been his role model my entire life, in social skills, surfing … what’s right and what’s wrong,” Sutera said.  “I was brought up at a very young age to see the idiosyncrasies of the special needs child.”      Since starting his business last summer, Sutera said he has worked with eight children doing surf therapy.      One autistic child he works with particularly loves the water, he said.  “He has that passion already as a special needs child, he does not want to stop.”      More information about Sutera’s business can be found at his Web site:  www.purevibessurfing.com.

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