Paralysed surfer’s comeback lands film in festival finals

JOEL Taylor was an up-and-coming pro bodyboarder when a life-changing accident at Hawaii’s famous Pipeline surf break left him confined to a wheelchair.

Heartbroken at no longer being able to pursue his greatest passion, the Lennox Head local spent the next 20 years out of the water.

It wasn’t until the birth of his two sons — Jay, 7, and Sunny, 3 — that he found the motivation to return to the ocean. Just a year later, he won the 2023 ISA World Para Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach, California.

Now, a film documenting his incredible journey has been named a finalist for the inaugural David Stratton Best Documentary Award at the Byron Bay International Film Festival.

The award will be judged by the late Stratton’s long-time co-presenter on The Movie Show and At the Movies, Margaret Pomeranz, actor and BBFF ambassador Jack Thompson and festival director J’aimee Skippon-Volke.

Taylor, now 45, said watching a film about his life — and the accident that changed it — was a surreal experience.

“It was a bit to deal with,” he said. “I’d just turned 21 and I’d grown up a block from the beach, so I’d spent my whole life in the ocean.

“I didn’t hate surfing for what had happened and I didn’t hate the ocean. I’d go and spend time at the beach and I’d end up getting frustrated and angry that I couldn’t surf and do what I wanted to do. I dealt with a lot of anxiety and depression because of it.”

Taylor met his partner Lorin Harvey through a mutual friend, and after the couple had their two sons, he knew it was time to get back in the water.

“I just came to the realisation that they want to go to the beach and I wanted to give them the same sort of childhood that I’d had, so I thought alright I’m going to get back into it,” he said. “The whole idea was just to go to the beach, and it sort of snowballed from there. I found my love for the ocean and surfing again.”

Taylor expected returning to the water would be emotional and reflective. But instead, it felt like he was back where he belonged.

“I actually felt like it had been yesterday that I’d been surfing,” he said. “I was more stoked than anything to be back in the water surfing with my friends. But my favourite thing is when my boys run and meet me when I come back in from a surf.”

He now uses an adapted wheelchair for the beach, a custom-made surfboard and relies on the support of friends and Harvey to get into the surf.

“Access to the beach isn’t the best in our area so I had to make it happen and do what I could,” he said.

That’s something he’s now working to improve through his role as an ambassador for Accessible Beaches Australia.

Taylor had previously collaborated with filmmaker Caleb Graham on projects for Unite, the online surf streetwear brand, and Graham expressed interest in creating a short documentary about his story.

“I said, ‘Why don’t you come to the States with us?’, so I had these pictures and memories to show the boys when they’re a bit older,” Taylor said.

What began as a short piece ultimately evolved into a feature-length documentary.

Beyond the Break will premiere at Palace Cinemas Byron Bay on Saturday, October 18, with encore screenings at the same venue on Friday, October 24 and at Brunswick Picture House on Sunday, October 26.

Just days after the final screening, Taylor will return to the US to compete in this year’s world championships in Oceanside, California.

For more information and tickets, visit bbff.com.au