Thirteen of Australia’s best adaptive surfers will pull on the green and gold once more, with Surfing Australia officially naming the 2026 Para Irukandjis team ahead of the ISA World Para Surfing Championship in Palm Desert, California, from November 19–22.
It’s a squad shaping up as one of the strongest yet — a blend of world champions, returning medallists and first-time representatives, all chasing redemption after Australia’s Team Copper finish in 2025.
A First for the Sport: Para Surfing Heads to the Wave Pool
This year’s Championship marks a genuine milestone for adaptive surfing: it’s the first time an ISA World Para Surfing Championship has been held in a wave pool. The event moves to DSRT Surf, a Wavegarden Cove-powered lagoon in Palm Desert, giving athletes a consistent, high-performance playing field to battle for world titles — a first for a discipline that has always been at the mercy of ocean conditions.
For a sport working hard to build its case for Paralympic inclusion, a level, repeatable surf could be a genuine game-changer — every athlete gets the same wave, the same opportunity, and the same shot at gold.
Leading the Charge
The 2026 team is led by some of the country’s most decorated para surfers, with multiple World Champions in the line-up alongside athletes stepping onto the world stage for the very first time. It’s exactly the kind of depth Australia will need if they’re going to go one better than last year’s Copper finish and reclaim the top of the podium.
The 2026 Para Irukandjis:
- Joel Taylor
- Em Dieters
- Finn Banks
- Kai Colless
- Lachlan James
- Mark Stewart
- Grace Kennedy
- Cliffo Gralton
- Annie Goldsmith
- Craig McFadden
- Steve Fox
- Tezza McGrath
- Jocelyn Neumeller
Leading the charge is Byron Bay local Mark “Mono” Stewart, a six-time World Adaptive Surfing Champion who has been instrumental in shaping the sport in Australia both as a competitor and an event visionary. He’ll be pushed hard by reigning national champion Joel Taylor, a two-time World Champion coming off a perfect 10-point ride at the 2025 ISA World Championships, and four-time World Champion Kai Colless, whose own viral 10-point ride from that same event turned heads well beyond the surfing world.
Help Get the Team to Palm Desert
Like most Australian adaptive campaigns, this one is largely self-funded — meaning the athletes and their families are shouldering much of the cost of flights, accommodation and competition fees to represent the country on the world stage.
Surfing Australia has launched a fundraiser to help close that gap, and every contribution goes directly toward getting the team to California and giving them the best possible shot at gold.
Support the Para Irukandjis’ campaign here → https://asf.org.au/campaigns/surfing-australia/2026-isa-irukandjis-para-team
