They were taking part in the SURFable sessions at Christchurch's Scarborough Beach to help teach 48 disabled swimmers to surf the waves.
Despite wet and cold weather, the novice surfers relished the opportunity. They quickly got to grips with the new skills with their tutors, while working around their disabilities, which ranged from blindness to Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Event co-ordinator Pete Mannix said the annual SURFable sessions wouldn't happen without help from an army of volunteers who give up their day to make it a special event for the surfers and their families.
"It's probably the one opportunity a year that some of these guys get the opportunity to get into the surf experience getting onto a surfboard.
"Whether it's standing up, sitting down, lying down, doesn't really matter."
Over that time, the members introduced around 400 disabled surfers to the sport.
"(There's) a lot involved in the setting up and the planning and the organisation and it all comes together and then the first session of the day, we're standing up here on the shore and you hear the hoots in the hollers and the laughter and the yahoos and you think: 'Oh, all right, we're under way'.
"And everyone gets a big grin on their face and that lasts all day."
"We're doing a big review after this to look at sustainability and how do we expand it.
"It's a bit tricky in Christchurch, the surf season. The warm weather and the warm water doesn't last very long, so that's why we try and put all the effort into the one big event."
- By Geoff Sloan, made with the support of NZ On Air
