Catch a wave and change a life: Apply to be a mentor
“This idea is so radical, it just might work.”
When Hawai‘i-born advertising executive Cynthia Derosier returned home after 12 years at a New York City marketing firm, she rekindled her passion for surfing. What began as a dawn patrol hobby quickly turned into a full-blown love affair. Surfing offered more than just play or exercise—it became a spiritual anchor and a source of deep healing. That connection to the ocean became the spark for her book, The Surfer Spirit, which shared life lessons rooted in surfing and Hawaiian values.
Derosier’s deep love and gratitude for the ocean paralleled her growing involvement with Surfrider Foundation O‘ahu, where she was part of the leadership team, participated in local beach clean-ups, and built relationships through the island’s surf community. In that spirit of stewardship, she donated more than $10,000 in profits from The Surfer Spirit to the O‘ahu Chapter, where she had found surf buddies, camaraderie, and a way to give back to the ocean that had given her so much.
Shortly after the book’s release, Derosier was invited to lead an art therapy workshop for girls in Hawai‘i State Girls Court. A counselor, inspired by The Surfer Spirit, asked if the girls could write their own version. Derosier replied that the lessons in the book couldn’t just be written about—they had to be lived. That exchange sparked the idea: what if the girls could experience those lessons through surfing?
So when the concept of a surf-based youth program began to take shape, Surfrider Foundation was a natural fit. Derosier brought the vision to environmental scientist Marvin Heskitt, then Co-Chair of the O‘ahu Chapter, and to Peter Cole—the late, great big wave surfer, longtime conservationist, and founding Chair of the Surfrider Foundation O‘ahu Chapter. Cole immediately saw the potential and encouraged them to move forward.
“If you want kids to care about the ocean, get them on a surfboard.” -- Peter Cole
A multidisciplinary pilot team came together: Derosier, Heskitt, Cole, social worker and beachboy Sam Rodrigues, child advocate attorney Annabel Murray, Judge Karen Radius, Probation Officer Supervisor Adrienne Abe, and Girls Court therapist Emma Pavich. Together, they built a program that paired surf mentoring with values-based learning drawn from The Surfer Spirit.
When Surfrider Spirit Sessions launched in 2006, nearly all of the volunteer surf mentors came directly from the Surfrider Foundation O‘ahu community. These were people who cared deeply about the ocean and wanted to pass that connection on to the next generation. They believed that by helping teens experience the joy, freedom, and respect that come from time in the water, they could instill a lasting love for nature and stewardship of the environment. That shared vision fueled the program’s early growth and impact. By 2008, after several successful, court-requested pilots, Surfrider Spirit Sessions became its own nonprofit with support from the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation. The name “Surfrider” was proudly retained to honor its roots.
Today, Surfrider Spirit Sessions serves 42 – 75 youth annually, referred by Family Court judges, probation officers, therapists, and youth service providers. The surf mentoring model integrates Hawaiian values, ocean stewardship, and personal growth, helping teens build confidence, resilience, and a meaningful connection to the natural world.
Surfrider Foundation O‘ahu is proud to have Spirit Sessions as part of our legacy—a powerful example of how policy and community-driven programs can work together to support youth, protect the ocean, and create systemic change from the ground up.
Ready to make a difference that ripples outward for years to come? Become a Surfrider Spirit Sessions mentor and help grow the next wave of ocean-minded leaders.
Catch a wave and change a life: Apply to be a mentor
