Announced on: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
For Morales, surfing is not a simple hobby or a fun way to keep fit. It's a character-defining necessity that has saved his life more than once. First, when he moved to the United States from Chile as a teenager. And then when his world was upended by a near-fatal car accident.
Today, Morales competes on the Association of Adaptive Surfing Professionals tour, a global series with events in Hawaii, Australia, mainland USA, and Costa Rica—where he took his first big win in 2023. Currently rated second in the world for his division, prone-assist, he's looking at a big run in 2025. Read the full story.