Joanie Melady, an 8-year-old from the UK, was one of the first in the world to trial a new innovative prosthetic arm, which helped her pop-up and surf. This prosthetic arm is specifically designed for surfing.

This special arm was designed in partnership with disabled surfers by a startup called ‘Koalaa’. The prosthetic is named ‘Nicole’, to pay homage to disabled surfer and founder of the The IAMPOSSIBLE Foundation, Nicole Brennan. Nicole has a below-elbow limb difference, and was also seen out surfing at The Wave the same day.

8-year-old Joanie, who was born with a congenital limb difference and is described as being a “natural” in the water, tried out the new support mechanism which was designed to help disabled surfers.

Joanie went surfing with the prosthetic arm at the UK’s largest inland surfing venue, called The Wave, located in Bristol.

Joanie’s father, said: “Joanie had never tried anything like this before but she’s really sporty and was super excited to get out there and give it a go. Turns out, she’s a natural! She smiled the whole time and as soon as she had ridden one wave in, she was straight back out there to catch the next one. The prosthetic gave her the confidence and support she needed to push up from the board to standing. I’ve surfed a few times before but she was way better than me! We’re so proud of her.”

Nicole Brennan, who was the inspiration behind the new prosthetic, said: “Being able to push up from the board to a standing position was always a barrier and it’s been amazing to work with the team at Koalaa to create a prosthetic that can make surfing accessible for those with limb differences like mine. Projects like this, which give people the confidence and tools they need to go out there and try new things, show that anything is possible, and that’s huge.”

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