New beach wheelchair and Mobi-Mat improves access on Pawleys
Providing handicap access to the beach so every person, no matter their abilities, can experience a day at the beach is a high priority for the Town of Pawleys Island.
That is why, once again, the town is working with Adaptive Surf Project to offer more handicap-accessible beach matting and an additional beach wheelchair.
“The Town has had an ongoing partnership with Adaptive Surf Project over the past few years,” Pawleys Island Town Administrator Daniel Newquist said. “Most notably, they donated a beach wheelchair to replace one that was severely damaged during Hurricane Ian and a mobi-mat that replaced a wooden walkway at the First Street beach access in 2022.”
The group also provided a mat on the south end of the island, but those were replaced with a wooden walkway. Earlier in 2026, Adaptive Surf Project once again received a grant to provide beach access mats, called Mobi-Mats, to communities that could use them.
“As the town was working on reconfiguring the beach-access point at Pearce Street to allow for emergency vehicle access, a Mobi-Mat was identified as a great solution for this location,” Newquist said. “Adaptive Surf Project immediately supported the concept and made the donation.”
The donated Mobi-Mat is technically two sections of 5-feet-by-50-feet matting, which is placed side by side to achieve a 10-feet-by-50 feet beach access mat surface. This matches the configuration at First Street and is wide enough to accommodate an emergency vehicle.
The grade at Pearce Street is not as steep as First Street, enabling a vehicle to cross onto the beach easily.
“In addition, since there is no vehicle parking at Pearce Street, there are less obstacles for an emergency vehicle to maneuver around as they navigate onto the beach,” Newquist said. “Finally, the Mobi-Mat enhances pedestrian and wheelchair access onto the beach and has already been a popular amenity at First Street.”
Newquist said that the Mobi-Mat also has several other benefits: it improves emergency beach access for Pawleys Island Police and Midway Fire and Rescue, it provides less debris hazards in storms and hurricanes, and the cost for the mat is much less than replacing a wooden walkway.
(Photo by Clayton Stairs/Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce)
He said having two beach wheelchairs available for visitors who need them will be ideal this summer and for years to come.
“This is a great donation that will enable us to assist more visitors who wish to enjoy the beach but have access or mobility issues,” Newquist said. “We are optimistic that we will have a great working relationship moving forward.”
Luke Sharp with Adaptive Surf Project agreed, saying that it has been a pleasure to help visitors to Pawleys Island.
“Access mats work great with both powered wheelchairs and manual wheelchairs,” Sharp said. “On top of that, folks that push baby strollers and buggies with beach gear love to use these mats.”
He also said that it’s important for the town to have two beach wheelchairs to accommodate visitors.
“The access mats get folks to the end of the dunes, but the beach wheelchair is needed to roll on the sand,” Sharp said. “Without a beach wheelchair, an individual with a regular wheelchair can only get to the end of the mat and then he or she would be stuck in the soft sand.”
Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, said this new donation of a beach wheelchair and Mobi-Mat will make the beach that much more welcoming for everyone.
“We are excited that Pawleys Island has received these donations from Adaptive Surf Project just in time for summer,” he said. “Now, people of all abilities can come to Pawleys Island and enjoy our beautiful beach.”
(Photo courtesy of the Town of Pawleys Island)
About Adaptive Surf Project
Sharp says that Adaptive Surf Project is a volunteer organization whose goal is to spread joy and love.
“Our first goal was to make waves accessible so that individuals who happen to have disabilities can share in the magic of surfing,” he said. “However, we discovered that people can’t surf if they can’t get to the water. Hence, we’ve been involved in accessibility because no one should be left out and beaches are for everyone.”
The group has worked with every town and municipality from Cherry Grove to Pawleys Island, Sharp said, and the group has another chapter in North Carolina, too, and also do Adaptive Biking.
“Besides that, we’ve helped start projects and events in Costa Rica, Colombia, California, and Puerto Rico,” he said. “In August, we are traveling to the Canary Islands to take individuals with disabilities surfing.”
By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce