SURF CITY, N.C. — The ocean represents power, but it also holds a source of peace. Because of this, the water can be very therapeutic for many people.
The nonprofit One More Wave recognizes this ability and uses it to establish a global community through surf therapy for veterans.
One More Wave is based out of California, but they have chapters all over the United States. Valerie Bennett leads the group in Surf City, North Carolina.
“Whether you're surfing, whether you're body surfing, or even if you're just sitting in the water, that in itself can be really therapeutic,” Bennett said. “So we want to make sure we provide this platform, this environment, this community for those that want to be able to feel a little bit of peace.”
This chapter of One More Wave got started right before COVID-19 hit, but now they meet every month. Each meeting begins with a beach clean-up. Bennett often brings her 7-year-old daughter, Savannah Skipper, to help out. She is her mom's biggest supporter.
“I like to see my mom happy at the beach,” Skipper said. “She says this is her favorite place to be when she gets a little anxious.... Her favorite wave probably is the biggest ones. So her dream is to go in a big wave through it and come out, and I'm really hoping she can do that.”
Bennett started surfing when she was in high school, and she says it's true; the ocean is her happy place.
“When I get to come out and surf, it's fun,” Bennett said. “You get to just be present. Whether it's spiritual, for some people, like for me, it's like my church. When COVID happened, churches all shut down. So this is my place where I got to have a one-on-one conversation with God every time.”
Bennett served in the Marine Corps for 11 years. After her transition out of the military, she started surfing on her own. However, she never found a surfing community she connected with until One More Wave.
Now that they're all friends, Bennett and the other veterans often surf together in between meetings. Even when the waves or the weather don’t hold much promise for good surfing, they get together for coffee and community.
“I'm doing this with the hope that this opportunity, this message, this place of peace, they can have it,” Bennett said.
James Pelli served in the Marine Corps starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He traveled all over the world during his time in the military.
Now he's an executive chef who does scuba diving therapy with disabled veterans in Raleigh. Four months ago, he started volunteering with One More Wave. Pelli drives all the way to Surf City from his home in Raleigh to spend this time at the beach, but he says it's worth it to feel the cleansing power of the ocean.
“Any opportunity to help support veterans and come out and provide assistance to them to better their lives and help them out in tight situations, I'm all for that,” Pelli said.
He said the veterans really bond over their military background because many civilians do not understand their experiences.
“Once you get out of the military, a lot of times when you transition out, there's not really a community that you immediately roll in to,” Bennett said. “And so this is kind of that bridge for some people.”
One More Wave meets at 7 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month at the Surf City Ocean Pier.