Joel Taylor is a World Champion paraplegic surfer born and bred at Lennox Head on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia; where he still lives today with his wife Lorin and their two young sons, Sunny and Jay.

A wipeout at Hawaii’s infamous Pipeline in 2001 ended Joel’s past life as a professional bodyboarder and left him confined to a wheelchair; paralysed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury. Resigned to the fact that he would never walk again, let alone surf, Joel didn’t so much as touch the ocean for 20 years, until he rediscovered and fell in love with para surfing in 2022.

Just 12 months later, in August of 2023, Joel won the Australian Para Surfing Titles. He was then selected for - and later named captain - of the Australian team, The Irukandjis, to compete at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach, California that November; which he also won - fulfilling his dream of being World Champion he had held since childhood.

Capping off his return perfectly, in January 2024 Joel was announced Ballina Shire Citizen of the Year for 2024 and a month later, in February, he was awarded Para Surfer of the Year at the 2023 Australian Surfing Awards.

Joel’s comeback story has not only inspired but also resonated with mainstream and surf media outlets all around the globe, his World Title coverage culminating in March 2024 when he appeared on the cover of, and was featured in, The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine.

An avid advocate for people with disability, Joel collaborates with Local and State Government to push for increased disabled access at New South Wales beaches. In conjunction, he is an ambassador for Accessible Beaches Australia to help improve accessibility nationwide.

Joel also partners with Red Bull as a Wings For Life ambassador. A cause he is deeply connected with through lived experience, Wings For Life raises awareness and money to support research projects to help find a cure for those affected by spinal cord injury.

Today, he balances life as a professional surfer, father, and entrepreneur, sharing his story to champion resilience and perseverance, and to encourage people to step outside their comfort zones, to show anything is possible and inspire others to never give up on their dreams.