Gnome Surf is a nonprofit surf therapy organization based out of the New England region. The Gnome Surf crew travels down to Port Aransas every spring to provide surf therapy to children of all abilities. April 5, 2025 marks the 3rd annual 'Little Legends' surf therapy event on the beach in Port Aransas, and the participants for the event doubled this year.
"I started Gnome Surf. I used surfing as my my own form of therapy. I grew up with undiagnosed ADHD and I am a survivor of childhood trauma. I had to encounter depression and anxiety, and every time I went into the water, everything slowed down, calmed down for me, and I felt happier," Gnome Surf Executive Director and founder Christopher Antao said.
The Gnome Surf staff and volunteers travel all over the country, and even internationally, to provide surf therapy and surf lessons to children of all abilities. Many of the Gnome Surf athletes have Down syndrome, autism, anxiety, depression, and/or ADHD. One of those loyal participants is soon-to-be five-year-old Noah Salinas from San Antonio.
“He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and sensory processing disorder when he was about two years old," Noah's father Mark Salinas said. “He’s got to go to a bunch of therapy. He’s got speech therapy. He’s got some language, but for the most part, he’s pretty nonverbal. He speaks with a communication device, an iPad."
Noah's dad Mark said that organizations like Gnome Surf help Noah to come out of his shell and face his fears.
“He has a lot of anxiety during those situations. But it's really cool to see him grow through that, and face his fears. He’ll catch the right wave and then you see that, you see him light up, with a big smile and then he’s got a ton of confidence," Salinas said.
Antao has taken Noah out for surf therapy several times over the past few years. The Salinas family even traveled to Costa Rica with the Gnome Surf organization for one week of surf therapy for Noah.
“He’s not just an athlete for me. He’s like my little surf buddy. And to watch him take that extra step, or want to get that extra wave is something that truly inspires me to want to create more for our athletes," Antao said.
Salinas said The Brighton Center nonprofit organization of San Antonio, where Noah seeks multiple different forms of therapy, is another one of those organizations that help Noah and his family every step of the way. The Brighton Center staff also come down to Port Aransas to volunteer for the Little Legends Gnome Surf therapy event.
“They notice that he’s different, and it’s heartbreaking as a parent to see that. But organizations like Gnome Surf , they give us a lot of hope for the future," Salinas said.
Noah's parents even started their own organization called 'Noah's World', where they try to raise funds for the Brighton Center, and to spread autism awareness and inclusion around the San Antonio community and their own inner circle.
'We're super grateful that these people and the founder Chris Antao have the courage to go all-in for these kids, and all-in for families just like ours," Salinas said.
The 3rd annual Gnome Surf Little Legends surf therapy event will take place on April 5, 2025 the beach in Port Aransas by Horace Caldwell Pier. The event starts at 10 a.m. and wraps up around 4 p.m. Click here for more information about the Gnome Surf nonprofit organization.
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