She is a multiple-time world surfing champion who has never seen the sea. Meet Marta Paço, the Portuguese blind-from-birth surfer with no ocean obstacles.
If you're reading this article in its original format, which uses the Latin script alphabet, you have probably never experienced any time of profound visual impairment.
In modern times, the life of a blind person is not easy - just try some of your daily activities with your eyes closed.
Now, imagine daring to put on a wetsuit, paddling out on a surfboard, and catching and riding waves you can't see.
Congenital blindness makes it even harder because you've never quite got the opportunity to see the shape and behavior of your surroundings, not even once.
How does a wave travel across the sea, and what are the mechanics of its breaking process?
The best a blind person can do to perceive these phenomena is, for instance, by touching the ripples formed in a water container as if simulating a wave pool or a 3D recreation of waves.
Blind people develop spatial awareness, but it's obviously never the same as with non-visually impaired people.
Love Is Blind
Marta Jordão Paço was born on January 7, 2005, in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. She is blind from birth.
At only eight months old, Marta learned to swim. Later, she got into therapeutic horseback riding and goalball, a sport for athletes with a vision impairment.
However, at 12, in 2017, she discovered surfing.
It was at Cabedelo Beach, a well-known surf spot protected by a breakwater and a world-famous venue for windsurfing and kiteboarding events.
"My mother had a cafe next to the beach that was frequented by my coach and other coaches from Surf Clube de Viana who challenged me to try surfing," Paço once revealed.
"I went, loved it, and decided to continue."
Suddenly, she was naturally surfing and training for competitions alongside Tiago Prieto, her longtime coach.
Viana do Castelo is a laid-back coastal city in northern Portugal with a long tradition of surfing and bodyboarding.
It was once home to the Portuguese Surfing Federation, so the essence and spirit of the sport, in all its forms, has always been there.
Adaptive surfing, also known as para surfing, is a huge challenge for athletes with physical disabilities.
But for visually impaired surfers, it's the hardest thing.
The Importance of Coaches
Blind surfers rely on their coaches' real-time instructions to navigate the ocean and the lineup.
The positioning while waiting for a wave, the paddling and take-off timing, and the whole surf line management are extremely difficult.
"We always get into the water together, and from then on, my coach gives me all the instructions so that I can surf as independently as possible," explained Marta Paço.
The Viana-based surfer and her coach developed a set of verbal codes that allow him to explain everything you need to perform well.
It's like a team sport or tandem surfing but without any physical help or touch from the coach. In competition, Marta and her opponents are by themselves in the water.
Blind surfers need a lot of practice and training to develop good wave-reading skills.
Since 2019, Marta has been in the water four to six times a week, mostly in cool-to-cold waters. You've got to love surfing.
When she's not riding waves, Paço likes to read, listen to podcasts, and inspire others with her story.
In 2024, the Portuguese won her fourth gold medal at the ISA World Para Surfing Championship held in the iconic Huntington Beach Surf City USA.
"It sounds crazy to me, but I'm so happy. I did my surfing, and it worked out. As long as it gives me joy, that's what I want to do. I want to be here," Marta expressed.
"My goal is not just to get the medal, but also to surf better, surf better waves, show people what I can do."
"I Can't Imagine My Life Without Surfing"
Marta Paço admitted that initially, she got nervous during heats, but those tense feelings have been fading with time.
Surf contests have taken her around the world, and she ended up meeting people in various organizations and contexts associated with international relations.
As a result, she enrolled in a degree in political science and international relations in Lisbon to work in a non-governmental organization one day.
The northerner is also the ambassador for a Portuguese bank and several organizations and events.
Whatever professional career leads her, the surfing's stoke is forever in Marta Paço's soul. More than knowing it, she feels it.
"Since that day in 2017, the sport has improved my life in many ways: physically, mentally, and socially. I can't imagine my life without surfing."
This is the power of surfing, and sharing it is never too much.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com
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