You know that feeling of sand between your toes? Simone Stevens never felt that.
Or the simple pleasure of a day at the beach? She never felt that, either.
Or the exhilaration of catching a wave? That was simply out of the question.
Simone has had cerebral palsy since she was a baby and despite living near the coast, she had never been to the beach in her 40 years on Earth.
It is one of those things that most people take for granted, but can be incredibly difficult — or even impossible — for people with a disability.
Thanks to a program by the Disabled Surfers Association of Australia (DSAA), the impossible dream has become a reality.
"I didn't know what to expect and I was nervous," Ms Stevens said.
"Once I got out onto the beach, I was like, 'I don't know about this' and when I got my first wave it was like, 'Oh my goodness.'
"The wave really got me and I just couldn't believe it, it was just so exhilarating."
"I've never experienced anything like that in my life."
With the help of volunteers, Simone got her first taste of the beach at Ocean Grove on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula.
She was helped from a special beach wheelchair onto a surfboard and carried into the surf, where she caught three waves.
And she loved it.
"I love to be challenged and I don't like it when anyone tells me that I can't do it, because that makes me more determined to do it," she said.
"I think it'll be a yearly thing [for me].
"You've created a monster!"
The association has run surfing days for people of all levels of ability for more than three decades and the number of participants has grown substantially over the past few years, with more people experiencing surfing for the first time.
"The therapeutic value of the ocean cannot be underestimated and I've had first-hand experience of bodies changing right in front of me," DSAA founder Gary Blaschke said.
There are now 18 DSAA branches around the country, with three new branches starting up in the past 12 months as participant numbers keep growing.
The organisation receives no government funding, but recruits legions of local volunteers to help make the surfing days a reality.
Up to 25 volunteers are required to safely take each individual, in some cases with profound disabilities, into the ocean.
"If every single person with a disability wanted to go surfing, we'd be in trouble," Mr Blaschke said.
"We're changing people's lives and that, to me, is the reason why every one of our volunteers do what they do."
