Ginaia Kelley, executive director of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, lives locally and has volunteered with Operation Surf intermittently for the past decade. As a surfer, she understood early on how meaningful and unique it is to be part of a program that understands and centers the transformative opportunities the ocean provides. Kelley shared a story about a previous participant with me. After the end of his military career, “Tony” (a pseudonym) had gained a significant amount of weight and experienced some intense depression in his daily life. During the first few days of the Operation Surf experience, he frequently felt frustrated and discouraged.

Each day, he received encouragement from the team of volunteers, mentors and surfers to persevere and not give up. On the third day of the program, “Tony” arrived discouraged. That morning, as he was pushed into the wave, he wobbled, getting one leg up and then the second, while every coach, participant and family member cheered as he raised his arms in success. Feelings of joy, hope and triumph carried him through the remainder of the week as he caught wave after wave. “Tony” is just one of the many veterans who participated in Operation Surf and had their emotional well-being and health improve. Everyone participating in the program experienced tears of joy that day. “Tony” continues to surf and returns year after year as an Operation Surf volunteer, helping to carry forward the hope and transformation to others that he found in the waves.

You may have seen a new group surfing the waves down at Cowell’s Beach this week. Some surfers received assistance, and others with visible disabilities used adaptive equipment. Whether beginners, experts or part of the support team, each demonstrated an extraordinary camaraderie — one that goes beyond the usual joy and connection found among our local surfers. There is power and healing in an ocean experience. The team from Operation Surf understood this first hand as they gathered on the shores of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to support U.S. military veterans with opportunities to experience the healing and comfort available in ocean waves. Tracey Weiss is the executive director of the O’Neill Sea Odyssey. She is working to support the residents of Santa Cruz County with the information that allows them to connect, impact and understand the ocean ecosystem and the regional environment we call home. She can be reached at osoexecdirector@oneillseaodyssey.org.

In an NBC interview, clinical psychologist Dr. Richard Shuster noted, “Staring at the ocean actually changes our brain wave frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state. It kind of de-stimulates our brains.” Organizations like Operation Surf provide camaraderie, community and support for veterans as a tool for fostering mental health and physical well-being. They are an excellent example of how the ocean offers more than food, recreation, transportation, beauty and carbon sequestration — it can potentially help us heal.

In his book “Blue Mind,” the late local author, researcher and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Ambassador Dr. Wallace J. Nichols wrote about witnessing the transformative Operation Surf program. “Watching these vets in the water is something else,” Nichols wrote. “There’s a sense of achievement that destroys their perceived limitations, lifts their self-esteem, brings them together with others like themselves, and rebuilds their psychological strength.”

In his book “Blue Mind,” Nichols also described recovery from trauma and PTSD experienced by veterans participating in Operation Surf. From an interview in 2023, he said, “I’m not suggesting drop all your treatment and jump in the ocean and grab a surfboard. But if you do, it will help and it will be a powerful supplement to the other things that may also be working for you. We see it working clinically. Research is has been unfolding and being published. Float therapy, surf therapy, aquatic therapy of all kinds. Free diving, Scuba diving. Walking by the water, paddling, sailing. All these different modalities are being used therapeutically.”

What is it about salt water, wind and waves that speaks so profoundly to humans?

Operation Surf’s program is described as an all-inclusive rehabilitative program. Throughout the weeklong activities, U.S. military veterans took large and small steps toward healing from their combat experiences, which included providing support, addressing deep grief by honoring fallen brothers and sisters, learning to build trust with new people and accomplishing goals.

Living with access to Monterey Bay offers many benefits for our health and well-being. This week, it inspired and helped heal the veterans of Operation Surf. Fortunately, the sea is available to us all. It feels great knowing that programs supporting ocean connections for our nation’s service members are happening here in our ocean backyard.