HONOLULU - The days of storing equipment in Kapolei or in volunteers’ garages for an ocean sports program, are coming to an end, thanks to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR).

The board today approved a Revocable Permit (RP) for the nonprofit AccesSurf, well known for adaptive surfing, swimming, and paddling programs for people with disabilities. The RP allows AccesSurf to utilize 1,200 square feet of land at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor for parking and storage.

Ann Yoshida, a trainer, and innovation specialist for the organization told the board, “As a person in a wheelchair, understanding the challenges that we have in accessing natural environments, such as the ocean, gives people choices.” Each year AccesSurf hosts what it calls 5,000 experiences, reaching thousands of disabled people.

Eric Walton, who has a prosthetic leg, said he’s been with the group for 16 years, starting as a volunteer, then a participant, as a competitive adaptive athlete and as a board member. “The impact that AccesSurf has had on my life has been monumental,” he said.

Now, the large and expensive equipment and devices needed for adaptive programs are spread across numerous locations, none of them close to Waik?k?, where much of the training and experiences are conducted. “That’s the big thing,” said AccesSurf Executive Director Cara Short. “We have all this equipment that is quite literally stored in a ton of different places, different vehicles, different homes, and storage containers far away from Waik?k?,” she said. Short told the BLNR that the organization explored numerous storage places that could accommodate its large, heavy equipment, but the cost was prohibitive. Her nonprofit will pay the DLNR $40 a month and the area will have several shipping containers donated by Pasha Hawaii, along with room to park vehicles.

From the outset, board members were clearly in support of approving the RP and asked if AccesSurf is going to expand its programs beyond O‘ahu. Short said it has just expanded to Maui, has had programs on Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island, and hopes to replicate its offerings statewide. All programs are free to participants and dozens of volunteers donate their time and talents to the cause.

After the unanimous decision to approve the permit, board members and AccesSurf staff and volunteers shook hands and hugged. BLNR Chair Dawn Chang said it felt good to have something positive come out of a board meeting and it’s a positive for the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor and the greater Waik?k? area. She and AccesSurf thanked the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) for facilitating and being so supportive of the plan.