July 24, 2025

Summer Replay! The Surfer Who Feels Everything

36 minutes

This is a replay episode from Season 4 featuring Ryan Knighton's journey to Kaua'i.

Ryan Knighton, AFAR contributing writer, TV writer for Billions, and author of Cockeyed: A Memoir, takes us on an extraordinary adventure to surf Hawaii's legendary Hanalei Bay. Despite being blind since his early twenties, Ryan has never let that stop him from exploring the world—and surfing has become his unique form of freedom.

The episode opens with host Aislyn Greene interviewing Ryan about his surfing background and travel philosophy, then transitions into Ryan's captivating first-person story (read by actor Andrew Galteland). After 13 years of mastering the waves near his Vancouver Island home, Ryan decided to challenge himself by surfing completely unfamiliar waters in Hawaii. What unfolds is a story about trust, collaboration, and finding liberation in the most unexpected places.

In this episode, you'll discover

How a deaf friend taught a blind man to surf in a comedy of miscommunication

Why Ryan describes surfing as "dancing with a wave" and his escape from the "boredom of being safe"

The art of guidance—what makes a great travel guide versus one who just shows you around

How Ryan navigates ocean dangers by feeling water currents and listening to wave patterns

Don't miss these powerful moments

Ryan's first taste of freedom on an 11-foot surfboard that felt like "riding a sidewalk"

The ingenious toe-hook technique that got Ryan safely through dangerous rip currents

Using a clock face system to communicate wave direction when words barely carry over ocean noise

The profound realization that surfing takes him "deeper inside" while sighted surfers look outward

How Ryan's wife Tracy demonstrates ultimate trust by dropping him at the beach and returning hours later

Resources

Read more of Ryan's travel stories on afar.com

Follow Ryan Knighton on X

Listen to Andrew and producer Nikki's podcast Looters

Previous episode: Ryan's Zimbabwe safari adventure

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Behind the Mic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our other podcasts,⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Unpacked⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week, and ⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and the ideas shaping the future of travel.

Travel Tales by Afar is part of Airwave Media's podcast network. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

...more