2013 - present

After hiding mental health challenges for years, OneWave founder Grant Trebilco decided enough was enough. It was time to start talking and sharing his experience to try and help others. “Maybe if I share the simple recipe of saltwater therapy, surfing and it’s ok not to be ok, I can prevent people from ever feeling the way I did”. So one Friday morning in March 2013, he decided to dress up in a shirt and tie and surf solo at Bondi to try and spark conversations about mental health. That was OneWave’s first Fluro Friday, which have now taken place at over 200 beaches worldwide, from New Zealand to Norway.

Sam Schumacher was the first person to jump on board and help Grant build the OneWave community into what it is today, and they have been working together on OneWave ever since.

OneWave uses a simple recipe – Saltwater therapy, surfing and Fluro Friday. Fluro Fridays consist of surfing/saltwater therapy and an “anti-bad vibes circle”, allowing people to have conversations about mental health in a safer non-judgemental space.

Participants are asked to dress in bright, fluro colours to attract attention in the hope that others will ask why the colour and be led into a conversation on mental health. Raising awareness of mental health issues, a topic usually avoided, is one of the aims of OneWave. Each Friday, people gather on the beach before sunrise, sit in an ‘anti-vibe’ circle on the sand, talk, and get to know each other, with permission to speak of their mental health challenges if they wish. Some do yoga, and many get into the surf to experience the freedom of riding a wave.

When in Australia for the 2018 Invictus Games, Prince Harry and Megan Markle joined the OneWave community for a Fluro Friday. They sat in the circle, dressed in colourful leis, and listened as people shared their stories.

Another initiative is the OneWave ‘Free the Funk’ School Program, designed to inform young people in primary, secondary schools, and universities that “It’s ok not to be ok” and to provide tools that can help when someone is facing mental health challenges. The OneWave School Program has impacted 30,000 young people in Australia and New Zealand (Grant is a New Zealander by birth and education).

Courtesy One Wave, images courtesy Shannon Glasson, Beau Pilgrim, and aquabumps.