Derek Rebello is a name that you may not have heard yet, but if you ask any of the professionals at this years Pipe Masters competition, they’ll know exactly who he is.

If a blind kid told you they were a surfer, you’d probably ask them if they were sure… That’s what professional surfers like Kelly Slater and Rob Machado did anyway, but upon a promise from Derek Rebello, now the world can see it for their own eyes. This kid can surf, and he took on pipeline.

Liard Hamilton summed Pipeline up pretty well, by saying. “When you know what you’re doing, and you’ve been surfing for thirty years, and you can see perfectly well. You can still die.”

Warning like that didn’t phase him though, and this year his dream became a reality, all documented by the guys from Walking on Water films, who are about to release an incredible documentary on the project.

“I was born blind, so being blind is normal for me.” Says Derek. “But I still had to get used to it — I had to find ways to adapt, I had to make my own way, to learn things, and to live. The biggest thing for me has been to learn how to surf, and how to deal with my negative thoughts, like: “no way I can learn this,” or, “I should give up.” But my God is powerful and I have faith in Him and he helped me overcome. I never imagined I could surf or do things like this. But it was always in my mind. It was my dream.”

Growing up in Guarapari, Brazil, as a child Derek could hear the waves from his home near the beach. He learned to surf with his father (also a surfer) at age 17, where he met friends and joined the rest of his family as a surfer himself. Now, he’s mixing it up with the worlds elite, making them wonder, and look on in amazement as he paddles in, stands up and rides waves like a pro.

Check out the video below to be inspired by Dereks story.

#News #Surfing