Blind professor teaches young people how to surf in northern Spain
Aitor Francesena, 47, is a legend in the Basque Country surfing scene in northern Spain where he runs the first surf school in the country and trains some of the best elite surfers.
Born with a degenerative eye disease, Francesena lost the vision in his right eye at the age of fourteen. In 2011, after a corneal transplant, he suffered an accident surfing that left him completely blind.
Since then, Francesena hasn't skipped a beat. He is still surfing and still coaching the country's youth as they climb the ranks of the national circuit and beyond.
''The method of teaching being blind is different than when I saw it, when I saw it, I took them out of the water with every failure they made and gave them a feedback. Now I try to teach everything so that tomorrow they can be coaches and they do their own self-analysis,'' explains Francesena in the video.
''It is clear that apart from surfing being with a blind person gives them greatness. Being with a blind person, moving it, placing it and explaining everything they do in the water so that I can understand them and help them, I think that brings them a lot.''
In 2016, Francesena represented Spain in the Adapted Surfing World Championship and won the gold medal against seven other competitors from around the world.
Born with a degenerative eye disease, Francesena lost the vision in his right eye at the age of fourteen. In 2011, after a corneal transplant, he suffered an accident surfing that left him completely blind.
Since then, Francesena hasn't skipped a beat. He is still surfing and still coaching the country's youth as they climb the ranks of the national circuit and beyond.
''The method of teaching being blind is different than when I saw it, when I saw it, I took them out of the water with every failure they made and gave them a feedback. Now I try to teach everything so that tomorrow they can be coaches and they do their own self-analysis,'' explains Francesena in the video.
''It is clear that apart from surfing being with a blind person gives them greatness. Being with a blind person, moving it, placing it and explaining everything they do in the water so that I can understand them and help them, I think that brings them a lot.''
In 2016, Francesena represented Spain in the Adapted Surfing World Championship and won the gold medal against seven other competitors from around the world.
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