Joe Surf: From Harvard Law School to Swami’s

Haben Girma, a 27-year-old from Berkeley, became the first deaf and blind person ever to graduate from Harvard Law School in 2013. Now a disability rights attorney, Girma needed to find another challenge to conquer.

And, of course, she chose surfing. And last week at Swami’s in San Diego, Girma surfed.

“One of the biggest barriers facing people with disabilities are negative attitudes — people assuming that someone who’s blind can’t do something, or assuming that someone that uses a wheelchair can’t do something, but anything’s possible,” Girma told CBS 8 in San Diego.

Girma worked with Matt Allen, a surf instructor with Maui Surf Academy. Allen and Girma tandem-surfed after figuring out a way to communicate using physical queues.

“I’ve been preparing for surf lessons by thinking about all the different ways people can communicate without using their voices or using hearing or vision,” Girma told NBC 7 in San Diego. “So [I’ve been] thinking about tactile ways to communicate different surfing positions, getting familiar with surfboards and getting familiar with the surf.”

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Surfs like a girl

Since we’re on the topic of inspirational women, Bethany Hamilton is at it again. Hamilton, who lost her arm to a shark attack in Kauai in 2003, began the New Year by tow-surfing Pe’ahi — also known as Jaws — off the north shore of Maui, just six months after giving birth to her son Tobias.

Hamilton also has been working with surf filmmaker Aaron Lieber on a documentary of Hamilton’s life, called “Surfs Like a Girl.” Their plan is to release the film in two parts later this year.

Part one focuses on Hamilton’s skill and passion for surfing some of the best reef breaks and big waves in the world, before and after the shark attack. Part two showcases Hamilton’s personal, emotional and spiritual journey from shark-attack victim to professional surfer and motivational speaker.

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Ready for Round 2

Three Californians currently are competing in the men’s Ericiera World Junior Championships in Ericiera, Portugal.

Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi, San Clemente’s Griffin Colapinto and Santa Barbara’s Parker Coffin finished Round 1 on Monday before event organizers called a lay day Tuesday because of poor conditions.

Igarashi, who has qualified for the upcoming World Championship Tour (WCT) in the World Surf League, was the only one of the three to win his Round 1 heat. Up against Bevan Willis of South Africa and Mihimana Braye of France, Igarashi, 18, put up a 7.33 on his first wave and a 6.83 on his second for a two-wave score of 14.16, edging out Willis, who scored 13.70, and Braye’s 9.53.

The win allows Igarashi to skip the elimination Round 2 and go directly to Round 3.

Both Colapinto and Coffin, however, will have to surf in the elimination Round 2 after failing to win their respective heats.

Colapinto scored a 5.60 on his first scoring wave, then pulled off a 6.70 late in the heat for a two-wave total of 12.30, good enough for second place but behind heat winner Soli Bailey of Australia, who scored 16.10.

Coffin, whose older brother Conner will be a rookie on the WCT this season, had a rough go of it in his Round 1. Coffin found himself pitted against Japan’s Hiroto Ohhara, winner of last year’s U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington.

Coffin, 20, had a two-wave score of 5.40 for third place, forcing him into the elimination Round 2. Ohhara won the heat with a 14.17.

JOE HAAKENSON is a Huntington Beach-based sports writer and editor. He may be reached at joe@juvecreative.com.