By Danielle Davey
Operation Soul Surf is an internationally recognised surf therapy program created for first responders by a Mornington police officer after his own transformative experience of the ocean’s healing powers.
It’s not just the boys in blue benefiting from ‘blue therapy’ though; Operation Soul Surf is also open to members of the ambulance, fire, SES and paramedic services as well as military veterans facing mental health challenges.
On designated weekends between October and April at Point Leo Beach, the free four-week program – the first of its kind in Australia – draws emergency service workers from everywhere for therapeutic learn-to-surf sessions. Two hundred have taken part since its inception, and they say it has changed – and in some cases saved – their lives.
Sergeant Barry Randall founded Operation Soul Surf in 2021 with the aim of realising the program’s motto: Healing minds one wave at a time. With 31 years’ experience in Victoria Police, he knows firsthand the impact of PTSD.
Stationed at Wodonga during his first year in 1995, Barry and his partner were attacked by a woman brandishing two carving knives. The confrontation resulted in the woman being shot and killed by police. For the 22-year-old rookie, the incident was devastating.
Returning to his family home on the NSW Central Coast for a mental health break, he rediscovered his love of surfing – he’d been a junior lifesaver in his youth – and found the ocean a source of solace. His vow to never venture far from the sea again compelled him to accept a post on the Peninsula.
Regularly hitting the surf outside work, Barry’s belief in the therapeutic power of the ocean was further validated after watching Resurface, a short documentary depicting “a suicidal war veteran who finds like-minded souls in a surf therapy program that helps traumatised soldiers heal while riding the waves”. Passionate about sharing surf therapy with first responders and military veterans, he researched programs in the US and the Netherlands, contacting their founders and recalling their generosity of expertise and willingness to share their trials and errors.
Now Barry is acknowledged as a leader in surf therapy in his own right. Last year he received the 2025 Local Australia Day Award for Community Inspiration and the Victorian Rotary Emergency Services Community Award for his work with Operation Soul Surf, later winning the national award.
Despite the personal accolades, he insists the program’s success is a team effort. Four other surf coaches – one a qualified psychologist – help each cohort on its learn-to-surf journey. Capping participant numbers at 10 allows for focused training and emotional support when conversation becomes deep. The close-knit group celebrates individual successes, whooping with joy whenever someone masters the challenge of balancing on a surfboard. All surfing equipment is provided by East Coast Surf School and modest funding from sponsors contributes to promoting the program and providing lunches at every session.
For anyone interested in taking part in Operation Soul Surf as a supporter or attendee, there’s more information at operationsoulsurf.com or @operationsoulsurf on Instagram.
