Michael Foti competes at ISA World Para Surfing Championships

The championships are from December 4 - 11 and the event marks his debut.

"Competing for the first time at the Australian Para Surfing Championships ignited my passion for surfing competitively. Following this I planned to pursue competing at a higher level with the aim of going to world champs next year, so I feel stoked to have been selected as a wild card for Pismo," he said.

"I am looking forward to the experience I will gain from not only the competition but also my teammates, coaches and other competitors. I'm so stoked to be able to represent Australia, I hope to do my team proud."

Michael grew up skateboarding and body boarding on the South Coast of NSW.

He was also a keen snowboarder and became a snowboard instructor until he broke his back.

The incident It happened in Canada in 2014 when Michael fell 25ft from an unmarked drop onto a cat track, resulting in a L1 spinal fracture.

Following spinal surgery and months of rehab he managed to regain some of his quad muscles back in his legs.

He now uses a wheelchair full time and is paralysed from the waist down with a small amount of upper leg movement, which allows him to be able to surf in the Kneeling division.

Initially after his injury Michael moved to Jindabyne where he started learning to sit ski which eventually led to him to competing in the USA and Europe and becoming part of the Australian team.

"Unfortunately, during this time, I began to struggle with mental health issues which led to me taking a break from skiing. It was following this decision and a few difficult years that I decided to get back into the ocean and pursue surfing," he said.

Michael is taking part in the men's PS-Kneel section.

Para surfing has experienced significant growth since the first ISA World Para Surfing Championship in 2015.

134 athletes from 24 countries participated in the 2021 edition of the event in Pismo, breaking records and further building on the amazing global growth of the sport.