Back to the Water, Back to Life: The SUP Vets Journey

The ocean doesn’t just call — it restores. For the veterans and active-duty servicemembers of the Stand Up Veterans Foundation (SUP Vets), the sea offers more than just waves; it offers a way back. Back to self, to brotherhood, and to a sense of purpose often lost in the aftermath of service. Founded by a team of veterans and visionaries, SUP Vets provides all-expenses-paid paddle surf retreats that reconnect participants with nature, with one another, and with the parts of themselves that military life may have silenced. Here, healing doesn’t happen in a clinic — it happens on the water.

The Calling of the Ocean

The Stand Up Veterans Foundation (the SUP Vets) is more than a retreat — it’s a return. A return to the elements, to brotherhood, and to the forgotten parts of the self that military life often bury. Founded by veterans James “Bart” Bartelloni, Wesley Spence, Richard "Whit" Whittington, William Fenick, and entrepreneur Tim Evnin, the foundation creates all-expenses-paid stand-up paddle surf experiences that bring veterans and active-duty servicemembers together in nature’s most powerful healing space: the ocean. As Bart puts it, “Surfing, to me, is that chance to ride the echoes of the first Big Bang through the medium of a surfboard and water.” These waves carry more than just energy — they carry memory, purpose, and the chance to feel alive again.

Photos courtesy: SUP Vets

Legendary Instructors, Life-Changing Moments

At the helm are world-class surf coaches like Ian “Kanga” Cairns, Sean Poynter, and Daniel Hughes — not just elite athletes, but true mentors who hold space for growth, fear, laughter, and breakthrough. Their presence creates a container where over 70 veterans across 7 powerful retreats have faced the ocean — and themselves — with fresh courage. Whether you’ve never touched a board or spent a lifetime in the water, these instructors meet you exactly where you are. Every ride, every wipeout, every breakthrough is celebrated. It’s not just about performance — it’s about presence. 

Brotherhood and Resonance

What makes these retreats unforgettable isn’t just the surf. It’s the return of a deep, tribal camaraderie — a reconnection with those who speak the unspoken language of service. Men and women from all ranks and rates, standing shoulder to shoulder, find comfort in the shared rhythm of waves and fellowship. And as the sun sets on each day, the integration deepens. Kathy of EvolveHol.com leads evening sound bowl meditations that echo through sand and spirit alike, allowing the day’s experience to settle into the nervous system. Her crystal bowls don’t just soothe — they realign. They help veterans carry the ocean’s frequency with them long after the board is rinsed and the fire’s gone cold.

Photo courtesy: SUP Vets

The Ripple Effect

The SUP Vets experience isn’t just healing — it’s catalytic. Many participants describe a rebirth — a visceral reminder that they are still warriors, still worthy, still alive. They return home changed: calmer, stronger, and deeply reconnected. And perhaps most powerfully, they carry a desire to give back — to pass the healing forward. Because once you’ve felt the vibration of the universe beneath your feet — once you’ve surfed the echoes of the Big Bang — you can’t go back to silence.

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