Quote coming soon.
— Charles "Chucka" Webb
Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals
— The story
From standout athlete to being told he would never walk again to becoming a World Champion 12 months later — Kai has certainly been riding a wave that would've broken most.
At 15, Kai Colless was diagnosed with a rare spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM), resulting in swelling of his spinal cord and leaving him classified as a paraplegic. Doctors told him he would likely never walk again.
Prior to this, Kai was a high-performing athlete, winning multiple Queensland and Australian titles in running and Surf Life Saving. He understood discipline, training, and the demands of elite performance.
Following four months in hospital and life-saving surgery, Kai committed to an intensive rehabilitation journey — training five days a week while completing his final years of high school. From the earliest signs of movement, his focus was clear: rebuild, recover, and return to competition.
The ocean became central to that recovery.
Within four months of leaving hospital, Kai entered his first international para surfing competition in Hawaii — and won. He has since gone on to become a three-time Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals (AASP) World Champion, competing across Hawaii, Costa Rica, and California.
Representing Australia at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships, Kai has won an ISA Gold, Silver and Copper medal — scoring a perfect 10-point ride in 2025 that drew global attention to the sport.
Equally important is his ongoing commitment to recovery of his legs. Through consistent rehabilitation, strength work, and disciplined training, Kai has regained the ability to walk with crutches — defying his original prognosis.
Today, Kai continues to train at a high-performance level, including working with the Australian Institute of Sport kayaking program as he pursues a pathway to the Olympic Games.
Read the full story
