Derek Rabelo

Blind surfer Derek Rabelo speaking at our 2019 Stand Tall Event to 6,000 attendees. Credit: Idle Wild Creative Co

Born with glaucoma, Rabelo grew up in Brazil's coastal city of Guarapari with a surf-mad father and two uncles who were professional surfers. His blindness, he said, was never considered a barrier to the ocean. But it wasn't until a present of a surfboard from his father on his 17th birthday that Derek tried riding his first waves. Just five years later, he became a professional surfer travelling the world's most famous surf breaks, often with his coach Magno Passos. Today, Derek inspires young people to push through their adversities to reach their dreams.