Olas para Todos, a Rosarito nonprofit led by Carlos Luna, will resume its free adaptive surf therapy program on April 25 at Playa Raul’s. The sessions, held on the last Saturday of each month through November, are open to people of all ages with physical and cognitive disabilities. Each event accommodates roughly 60 participants and costs attendees nothing. For the first time, the organization has secured enough funding to sustain operations for the full season.
Rosarito Surf Therapy Grew From a Single Beach Day Into a Seven-Month Season
Adaptive surf therapy, which pairs people with disabilities with trained water volunteers to ride waves on soft-top boards, has gained traction across Mexico’s Pacific coast over the past decade. Programs in Sayulita, Puerto Escondido, and Ensenada have drawn international attention. But Olas para Todos is one of the few operating on a recurring monthly schedule in Baja California, and its location in Rosarito places it within 30 minutes of the U.S. border crossing at San Ysidro.
Luna, who founded the program, has built the model around community labor rather than large institutional grants. Volunteers receive hands-on first aid training before each season begins, and the organization runs community workshops focused on emergency response techniques specific to assisting people with disabilities in open water. Those workshops are open to anyone, not just registered volunteers.
Playa Raul’s, a stretch of sand south of the Rosarito Hotel zone, offers the kind of conditions the program needs: a gentle break, shallow entry, and enough space to manage dozens of participants and their families at once. Sessions typically run three to four hours, with volunteers rotating in and out of the water in pairs alongside each participant. Luna has said in past interviews that the ratio he targets is roughly two volunteers per participant in the surf zone, with additional support on the beach.
The funding milestone Luna described this year is significant. In previous seasons, Olas para Todos relied on month-to-month fundraising, which occasionally forced cancellations or reduced the number of participants per session. With most of the year’s resources now secured in advance, organizers can plan equipment purchases, volunteer training, and transportation support with more certainty. Luna credited local businesses, individual donors, and community fundraising events for closing the gap.
Sessions Run April Through November at Playa Raul’s
The 2025 season includes eight sessions: April 25, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27, October 25, and November 29. All sessions take place on the last Saturday of each month. Advance registration is required for both participants and volunteers. Registration links are posted on the Olas para Todos social media pages, including Facebook and Instagram, in the weeks before each session.
Participants must be at least six years old. There is no upper age limit. The program accommodates a range of disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism spectrum conditions, cerebral palsy, limb differences, and visual impairment. Organizers ask families to provide basic medical information during registration so volunteers can prepare appropriately.
New volunteers are welcome at any point during the season. Luna has said the program especially needs strong swimmers, bilingual Spanish-English speakers, and people with medical or therapeutic backgrounds. No prior surf experience is required. Volunteer training sessions are scheduled before the first event and repeated as needed throughout the year.
The program does not charge fees to participants or families. Donations can be made through the organization’s social media pages or in person at events. Luna has encouraged supporters who cannot volunteer in the water to help with logistics: setting up shade structures, managing registration check-in, photographing sessions for families, and distributing water and snacks.
Rosarito’s broader push toward accessible tourism has included wheelchair-accessible beach ramps installed at several public beaches in 2023 and 2024. The city’s tourism promotion board has featured Olas para Todos in its marketing materials as an example of inclusive programming along the coast. Playa Raul’s itself does not yet have a permanent accessibility ramp, but organizers set up temporary access paths on event days.
The next session is Saturday, April 25, starting in the morning at Playa Raul’s. Registration links will be posted on the Olas para Todos Facebook and Instagram pages in the coming weeks. This story was first reported by Baja Times.