MIAMI – Damian Richter lights up in front of a TV camera. He eagerly dives into rough surf, and he seems to conquer the ocean.
"The waves are big," he shouted in between surfing lessons.
From the perspective on the beach, it seems the 9-year-old is a natural at life. It's hard to guess the boy is autistic.
In fact, Local 10's Sasha Andrade caught up with about 25 autistic children who were surfing. There were no tantrums in the crowd, and there was no fear in sight.
"His only tantrum was when they told him to get out of the water," said Damian's mom.
Don Ryan said the ocean seems to swallow the hardships autistic children face.
"There's no eye contact. There's no touching, no smiling. Go out into the ocean (and) come back hugging and high-fiving," Ryan said.
The longtime surfer bet his life on it. He retired early to work on a nonprofit called Surfers for Autism. Each event draws in thousands of people, families that are desperate to unlock their boys or girls.
Damian's mom remembers when her son caught his first wave.
"The smile on his face was from ear to ear," she said.
He spread his arms from side to side like superman.
"Like you're flying," Damian said.
The nickname Superman stuck, and so did the mind set.
"He feels like he can do anything," said his mother.
"This is Damian Richter reporting live from the pier at Surfers for Autism," the boy said into the microphone.
For more information, visit the Surfers for Autism website or its Facebook page.