Joel Taylor is a two-time World Champion paraplegic surfer, born and bred at Lennox Head on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
A wipeout at Hawaii’s infamous Pipeline in 2001 ended Joel’s past life as a professional surfer and left him confined to a wheelchair, paralysed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury. Resigned to the fact that he would never walk again, let alone surf, Joel didn’t so much as touch the ocean for 20 years, until he rediscovered and fell in love with surfing again in 2022.
Just a few years later Joel is a two-time World Para Surfing Champion, three-time Australian Para Surfing Champion and two-time Australian Para Surfer of the Year. His comeback story has not only inspired but also resonated with mainstream and surf media outlets all around the globe, featuring in, and on the cover of, publications such as The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine. Joel's award winning documentary Beyond The Break is currently screening at film festivals across Australia and around the world.
Focused on progressing the sport of surfing and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for people with disability, Joel continues to balance life as a professional surfer, father, and entrepreneur, sharing his story to champion resilience and perseverance, and to encourage people to step outside their comfort zone, to show anything is possible and inspire others to never give up on their dreams.
