PISMO BEACH, CALIFORNIA — On December 6, the 2021 Pismo Beach ISA World Para Surfing Championship Hosted by AmpSurf officially opened with record participation. AmpSurf, a non-profit organization for adaptive surf training and certification, was founded by Livermore Falls native Dana Cummings.

It is the largest edition of the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Para Surfing Championship to be held in the past six years. In attendance were 134 athletes representing 24 nations and nine different Para Surfing Sport Classes that descended on the beautiful stretch of California’s Central Coast with one goal in mind: to bring home gold for themselves, their teams, and their countries.

Standing in front of his home beach, President and Founder of AmpSurf Dana Cummings shared an emotional welcome announcing, “I’ve already won a gold medal today to have you all here! I’m so blessed.” In attendance were athletes that came from all corners of the globe with a variety of physical abilities providing the platform for an incredible display of surfing as much more than just a sport.

Dana Cummings is from a long lineage of Maine natives. His family immigrated from Scotland in the early 1700s to Newfoundland, Canada, before settling in Maine, which at the time was part of Great Britain.  Dana was raised on a farm in Livermore Falls by his mother from Wilton and his father from Livermore Falls. Dana says he left Maine to join the Marine Corps to become “one of the Few and the Proud, and to keep out of trouble.” He went on to serve in both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

In 2002, Cummings lost his lower left leg in a car accident. By 2003, he created the AmpSurf Learn to Surf Program to help rehabilitate the disabled through the healing power of adaptive surfing and the ocean. Since that time, as the Founder and Executive Director of AmpSurf, he has championed the benefits of adaptive surfing certification programs. These programs offer valuable therapy to people with perceived physical limitations around the globe, many of whom would never have been given an opportunity to realize their abilities and compete in a Paralympic-style World Championship competition supported by the International Surfing Association (ISA).

Cummings lobbied for the 2021 Pismo Beach ISA World Championship Para Surfing Competition to be held in Pismo Beach, California, from Dec. 6-11.  He wanted to spread the word about the impact adaptive surfing has had on the lives of people around the world.

Cummings has family in Livermore Falls, Oakland, Portland, and Franklin. He credits his Maine upbringing for making him the man he is today. “Growing up on a farm in Maine taught me the importance of doing things right the first time and gave me a solid work ethic.”

He returns to Maine often and still owns several properties in Maine. He lives primarily on the California Central Coast in Atascadero, and has a home on the coast of Maine in Franklin. What Cummings loves and appreciates most about Maine are “the seasons and the people, as it will always be my home.”  He leads adaptive surf clinics in Maine and the New England region through AmpSurf’s New England chapter and has clinics every year in York Beach.

His leadership and championing of the global adaptive surf movement is why the 2021 Pismo Beach ISA World Para Surfing Championship hosted by AmpSurf is being held in Pismo Beach, California, and is a historic and inspirational event.  For people who love the sport of surfing, this event is a beautiful testament to the enormous abilities of both the human body and spirit.

Cummings believes that surfing makes the world better. Additionally, he educates the world on the significance of para surfing and the help it provides athletes by focusing on their abilities and overcoming perceived physical limitations.

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