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ABC News
ABC News
Health

New sit paddleboards let people with a disability like Shane Hyrhorec enjoy water sports

When Shane Hryhorec saw accessible paddleboards overseas he wanted to make sure people in Australia could give them a go too. 

The paddleboards, designed by a company in the Czech Republic, have customised seats fixed on a traditional board.

Mr Hryhorec, who runs disability equipment provider Push Mobility, first saw the boards on a visit to Europe and brought them back to Adelaide for a trial.

He told ABC Radio Adelaide that he was nervous getting on the board at first.

"I had my bathers on and I was prepared to fall in, but I'm happy to say I didn't fall in," he said.

"It is a traditional stand-up paddleboard … however they've got a custom frame that is exactly the same frame as a manual wheelchair, but what they do is they take wheels off it, then they implant it on top of the ... paddleboard.

"It was one of the best experience I've had."

Mr Hryhorec said the paddleboards had different seating dimensions, making the activity more accessible to people with a disability.

"There are also these blow-up things you put on the side, they're called stabilisers, and that helps to keep them more stable for instance if you're a quadriplegic or someone with a bit of limited trunk support, it's better to have something like that on there," he said.

"The idea is that it will be a great group activity for people with disabilities so they can head out and do a nice group activity together."

He said with the right supports, people who were not active swimmers to give the activity a go. 

"If they do fall in, as long as there is a life jacket, they've got people to support them, I think that's still an activity people can participate in," Mr Hryhorec said.

"I think really active people that can swim well with disability will absolutely lap up this activity and get behind it."

Push Mobility will have sit paddleboards at Port Adelaide's Dockside Festival on Sunday to give people a try. 

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