Warrior Surf Foundation helps veterans heal mentally and physically after military service
by Liv Dennis | Contributing Writer
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, communities across the country are reflecting on the meaning of service, sacrifice, and freedom. While parades, fireworks, and flag ceremonies honor those who have worn the nation’s uniform, organizations on the South Carolina coast are reminding the public that supporting veterans extends well beyond patriotic holidays.
On Folly Beach, that support begins in the water.
Founded in 2015 by combat veterans and surfers, Warrior Surf Foundation has built its mission around an unconventional form of therapy. Through surfing, paired with yoga, wellness coaching, and peer support, the nonprofit helps veterans, active-duty service members, and their families navigate the often difficult transition from military to civilian life.
The organization offers its evidence-based programming at no cost to participants. Since its founding, Warrior Surf Foundation has worked with more than 1,100 veterans and family members and has provided more than 3,000 surf, yoga, and wellness sessions each year. According to the foundation, 80 percent of participants report reduced anxiety and depression after completing the program.
The foundation’s signature 12-week program combines surf instruction with wellness education rooted in resiliency, mindfulness, and positive psychology. Rather than focusing solely on learning to surf, participants develop practical tools designed to support long-term mental health while building relationships with fellow veterans who understand the challenges of life after service.
That emphasis on community is one reason Warrior Surf Foundation has become a trusted partner for organizations that work with veterans throughout South Carolina.
One of those partners is Vantage Point Foundation, a Charleston-based nonprofit that helps veterans and their families navigate the transition to civilian life through coaching, mentorship, and community support.
“Our organization has partnered with [Warrior Surf] both formally and informally for about a decade,” said Mark Holyfield, executive director of Vantage Point Foundation. “I’ve sent plenty of veterans over to them, and they’ve sent folks to us.”
Holyfield said Warrior Surf Foundation succeeds because it combines physical activity with shared experiences among veterans facing similar challenges.
“Warrior Surf, kind of the genius behind it, is that it gets veterans using their bodies again in a way that’s challenging but also safe and gives them a common goal,” he said. “They’re doing it alongside other people.”
For many participants, surfing is unfamiliar territory. Holyfield said that becomes part of the program’s strength.
“Everybody kind of starts from the same place,” he said. “It’s a challenge. They’re starting at the same place, but then they look to their left and their right, and they’re surrounded by people that are with them doing a very similar thing and struggling through it and overcoming obstacles.”
That shared experience helps replace isolation with connection, something both organizations view as essential to a successful transition.
Warrior Surf Foundation approaches that goal through experiential learning. Along with surf therapy and wellness sessions, graduates of the program can return as mentors for future participants, strengthening the network of veterans supporting one another long after the 12-week program ends.
Holyfield believes one of the biggest misconceptions people have is assuming veterans need to be sheltered from challenges.
“I think people feel like they need to coddle veterans,” he said. “I think that’s a problem. That’s why I love Warrior Surf. Right out of the gate, they’re going to challenge them. By challenging them, veterans will step into their potential.”
He also praised the foundation’s deliberate approach to mental health.
“They have mental health professionals working behind the scenes and making sure everything is done deliberately and therapeutically,” Holyfield said. “I think that’s very important as well.”
While surfing provides the setting, Holyfield said the real transformation comes from reminding veterans they are not facing life’s obstacles alone.
“They still have potential,” he said. “They have the means to overcome their obstacles, and they have a tribe around them to do it with them. They don’t have to do it alone.”
That sense of belonging extends beyond the surf sessions themselves. Warrior Surf Foundation hosts community events throughout the year, bringing together veterans, volunteers, families, and supporters while helping participants remain connected after completing the program.
As communities prepare to commemorate America’s 250th birthday, Holyfield hopes people will remember that honoring military service is more than displaying a flag or attending a ceremony each July.
“A great way to do it is by supporting organizations like Warrior Surf and other programmatically oriented organizations,” he said. “With an organization like Warrior Surf, you know exactly what they’re doing, and there’s a program you can see from start to finish.”
Programs that provide consistent opportunities for healing, he said, create lasting change not only for veterans but for the communities that welcome them home.
As Independence Day celebrations unfold across the Lowcountry, Warrior Surf Founda-tion offers another perspective on patriotism. It is measured not only by remembering military service but also by investing in those who continue to carry its weight long after they leave the military. On Folly Beach, that commitment is found one wave, one challenge, and one veteran at a time.
Warrior Surf Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more information about programs or how you can help, email info@warriorsurf.org or visit www.warriorsurf.org.
