Founders Sam Schumacher (L) and Grant Trebilco (R). Photo: Mick Duck
Through surfing and through his experience at the hospital, Grant also learned that while talking about it was hard, communicating to others helped.
“Sadly there’s a stigma around mental health issues,” said Grant. “For years I was too embarrassed to admit how anxious I felt, which is why I didn’t ask for help sooner and why it took being forced to go to a hospital to get help. After I was released from the hospital I didn’t hear from some of my friends because they didn’t know how to approach the subject.” His closest friends did, and talking to them about his depression and anxiety, was crucial to Grant’s recovery and management of the illness.
A few months later, Grant who turned 32, returned to Australia and started thinking of ways to raise awareness for mental health problems. Surfing wearing a shirt and tie, seemed like a natural first step.
Business up top, party on the bottom. Photo: aquabumps
“It got people asking questions and laughing,” said Grant. “I told everyone who asked that I was going for a ‘board meeting’ and then I explained my story.” That was March of 2013.
Every Friday since, more friends have joined in, and the event, which eventually morphed to “Fluro Fridays,” has become a Friday morning tradition, the slogan “Fight the Funk Fluro Fridays,” which is now in over seven cities in Australia and also in places as far as Bali, Malaysia, and New Zealand. People of all surfing abilities can participate, and there’s no need to suffer from a serious mental illness or be an experienced surfer to join the group. Some members swim, others have been known to ride inflatable mattresses or even blow-up swans.
There’s only strict rule: participants are encouraged to wear fluorescent colors. It’s a clever tactic that’s cast a lot of light to a virtually invisible disease.
Before paddling out, a participant briefly shares their story or a few encouraging words about the day, and then everyone takes to the sea. Then, they go surfing. “It’s pretty amazing to hear the reactions in the water,” says Grant. “Most people are stoked we are there. A lot of people have or know someone with a story.”
The OneWave message shows up subtly, yet loudly in the water, but it travels even further on land through social media. The brightly colored pictures of the surfers in costume have percolated across the globe. Through Instagram, the group has garnered over 8,000 followers, and has been covered by the likes of the Sydney Morning Herald and the BBC.
Grant has struggled with the decision to make it an official non-profit. He says right now the power in the organization lies in the fact that it’s open and free of any rules or structure, only that participants dawn Fluro colors on Friday and keep an open mind. That surfer attitude in him will never die, and has also been a saving grace.
“We love wearing fluro and spreading the word, and most of all giving people hope,” he said. A lot of people have asked if they can donate, and we just want to keep encouraging people to use the benefits of the ocean to cope with mental illness and to encourage others to talk more openly about it. I’d like to say we plan to throw mental illness in the Waimea shorebreak, but just like surfing, mental illness is a life long journey.”
Luckily, surfing has made the journey a lot more fun.
All in this together. Photo: Hirsty Photography
To learn more about the cause, check out OneWaveIsAllItTakes.com, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
