Quinn-celebration 🥳after carving up some @surfcityusa 🌊faces in blasting winds 💨to move up the leaderboard in the @isasurfing World Para Surfing Championship 🏄🏽♀️🇺🇸💥
Meet Quinn!
Quinn Waitley was born with quadrapalegic spastic cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around most places. She was introduced to sports at a young age and grew up playing adaptive basketball, rugby, and soccer. In 2013, Quinn fell in love with adaptive skating and surfing and the people she met along the way. Surrounded by positive, fearless and like-minded individuals, Quinn gained new perspective and confidence in living life with a disability. Quinn’s family embraced her love of surfing and came alongside her as “Team Quinn” to help support her in the water.
Currently, Quinn is on the US Adaptive Surf team and competes in their Assisted Prone division with the help of her father, David, who pushes her into waves. Together they are paving the way for other adaptive athletes to showcase their abilities and it is their goal to see Adaptive Surfing in the Olympics one day. It is Quinn’s mission to empower and advocate for the disabled community, and encourage others to discover and go after their passions in life.
Quinn’s organization; Team Quinn, was inspired by Quinn’s passion and energy for experiencing life to the fullest. The team hosts multiple events a year for other people needing assistance and adaptations in the surf, to help provide and safe and nurturing environment. Check out how to get involved at Teamquinnsurf.org
@teamquinnsurf #saltwaterxmovie #saltwaterx
This past week I stayed in Oahu, Waikiki @themoanasurfrider while I competed at the Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships for Team USA hosted by Access Surf Hawaii. I’ve been coming here for many years and staying at the Moana feels like a home away from home. One of my favorite things about the Moana is that it’s right next-door to the contest. They have fantastic lunches and I love watching the sunset at the pool bar for happy hour. Whenever I get the chance, I grab a sweet treat with my sister. Thank you again for sponsoring me as one of your athletes! I can’t wait to come back to Hawaii for next year! Overall I placed 4th in my division, thank you for supporting my family and I as I compete in my surfing career & Thank you for being a TEAM QUINN supporter.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 🌊
Quinn Waitley @quinn_cess from the U.S.
A true OG of Women’s Prone Assist Division.
• 2025 – Ranked 6th on the AASP World Tour
• 2024 – Finalist in Hawaii (4th) & U.S. Open (4th)
• 2023 -Ranked 3rd in the World
• 2023 - Finalist Hawaiian ASC 3rd
• 2023 - Finalist U.S. Open ASC 3rd
• 2018 - Hawaiian ASC Champion Women’s Prone Assist Division
For years, Quinn has helped shape the standard of this division. Consistent. Competitive. Respected.💪🏼
Legends don’t just win titles… they build the foundation for the next generation.
🎥: @pilot_girl_alex
WITH MY WHOLE 🤎 02•14
SOUND ON 🔊
I may not be in a romantic relationship right now but I know I am loved!
TO LOVE AND TO BEING LOVED. trusting God’s plan.
My 2016 reflection: Just an ORDINARY TOMGIRL 😉
A time of transition and a really, really bad haircut! 😂
If you don’t know, I was a professional Adaptive Skateboarder (WCMX) before I surfed. 2016 was the year I transitioned between sports, and changed my wardrobe for the better. Let’s just call it my emo faze, that lasted way too long. If I’m being honest, my favorite part was being a mentor to young kids with disabilities and opening their eyes about skating and changing their view and mindset of what society called obstacles: things like stairs or curbs, big hills, etc. I was also featured in a documentary called Tin Soldiers that premiered
My sister Sydney also had her first kidney transplant that year: I will always remember that we slept on the couch together of the night before her surgery.
In the early days of adaptive surfing, I was the only woman, but I like to give a spotlight to my family because back then there was no Water Safety and even my mother Heidi suited it up and helped out in the water.
Yes, I did hold my own with the boys: those were the good old days!
2025 was my kind of rodeo 😉🥂
Catching waves + wearing my cowboy boots, putting my focus on Jesus Christ. He’s too good to me.
(still waiting on my Jesus loving Surfing Cowboy)
Don’t Rein Me In 😎🇺🇸
God has blessed me with many things! One talent of mine is being an athlete and I am honored yet again to represent Team USA. I had a lot of favorite moments this past week, but my favorite part was sharing those moments with my friends and family. I could not do it without them! I’m happy to say that I found joy in Surfing again, it never really left; But man My heart is on fire for Jesus and competing again! 💙🤲🏼
2025 ISA World Para Surfing Championships:
USA placed second in team points taking home 🥈
Individually, I am ranked 6th in the world for women’s Prone assist division
