Quadriplegic James Bedding may have felt his surfing sensations would be nullified after he suffered a serious spinal injury that left him completely paralysed as a 15-year-old. But 22 years on, he’s discovered drones have revitalised his loved for the water sport.
Bedding, 37, now lives in Le Marais, St Clement, Jersey, and he told the Jersey Evening Post of the glee he feels being able to establish some sort of connection with the surf once more:
“It’s massive for me. One thing I really miss is surfing; I used to love surfing when I was young.
“Now I can fly the drone out there and see people waiting for a wave like I used to. It sounds silly but I can sort of wait with them, I get that same sensation, that same buzz. It’s really bizarre but it’s so cool. The drone lets me get out and about and see different places. Even if it’s rough terrain I can get there and I can fly up to it.”
Bedding has special grooves fitted to a regular drone controller that he can move using his mouth with the aid of a pointer.
As a result of his drone experience, Bedding aced his pilot licensing tests at Bath and Oxford, and his website—Quad Photography, a double-sided pun—will sell photos he takes from afar.
