As a teenager in Melbourne, Rachael Parker was doing best to manage a bipolar diagnosis while coping with fellow students thinking she was ‘different’.
"It was a really tough time," Rachael says. "Mental health wasn’t spoken about as openly then as it is now.”
After studying youth work and spending several years on the front lines of disadvantage in Melbourne, Rachael was burnt out. She grabbed a backpack and headed for Europe. A hostel owner in Portugal picked up on her depression and invited her for a surf lesson.
"I can still remember that feeling,” Rachel says. “I got into the water, and something changed. The negative self-talk lifted in a way that didn’t happen if I just went for a swim or a walk. I was learning a new skill and had to pay attention. I had to be present.”
The experience sparked an idea – to offer surfing to help young people who were struggling.
Back in Australia, Rachael started investigating and discovered the Wave Project in the UK. She contacted the founders and agreed to pilot the program in Australia.
Ocean Mind started with a few volunteers and kids on the beach at Torquay, southwest of Melbourne. Ten years later, the organisation delivers therapy programs on the Surf Coast and Mornington Peninsula and has professional facilitators, volunteer mentors, and a rigorous evaluation framework.
The program works with people aged 8 to 18 experiencing multiple issues and disadvantages including social isolation, family breakdown, family violence, disability and mental health challenges. No diagnosis is required to join the free program.
"We accept referrals from anywhere and anyone – we know that challenges are different for everybody,” Rachael says. “We also offer NDIS and school programs.”
Over the decade, Rachael has given careful thought to what makes surfing a therapeutic tool.
"Catching a wave on your belly brings an element of fun, and that word is not often used when we talk about mental health – but the ocean also offers something adaptive,” she says.
"Some young people want to relax, and we can create that in the shallows. Others need energy and turmoil, and we can also create that in the ocean. Once they feel safe, they can then seek what they need."
Eighty per cent of participants move from the introductory six-week program into its ongoing surf club, with most staying engaged for one to two years. Some travel considerable distances because nothing closer offers what Ocean Mind does.
Participants in the six-week program last year completed before and after surveys, with impressive results. All the young people said they had fun, with more than 90 per cent reporting feeling better, happier and fitter, and 86 per cent saying they had made new friends.
Aurora joined the program in early 2025 at age nine. She had low confidence, was experiencing anger issues and struggling to regulate her emotions. Her mum was looking for a safe and supportive program – and found it in Ocean Mind.
“I think the beach, surfing and having a mentor has helped Aurora so much,” her mum says. “The negative behaviours have disappeared a lot. Our family is a little calmer.”
Deakin University has been working with Ocean Mind on a randomised control trial for the past two years. Early findings mirror what all those involved believe: surf therapy produces measurable improvements in young people experiencing internalised mental health challenges including anxiety and depression.
"Surf therapy is such a novel form of therapeutic delivery so there hasn’t been a lot of research around the world,” Rachel says. "It's been so nice to be able to add to that and support the field of surf therapy to be recognised for what it's able to do for young people."
“We simply couldn’t do this work without the support of the trusts and foundations, corporate and charity partners, and industry supporters who stand alongside us,” Rachael says.
“The need for accessible mental health support for young people continues to grow, and we’re always keen to connect with organisations who want to be part of the solution.
“During our 10 years we have helped a lot of young people feel better about themselves, which is fantastic. We want to help many more in the coming years. “
