Thirty-eight-year-old Nicolás Gallegos has been watching professional surfing competitions for the past 20 years. While he does enjoy taking in a good surf contest, he does so with a slight sense of sadness. That’s because 20 years ago, Gallegos, who hoped to become a pro surfer one day, was left wheelchair bound at the age of 18 following an accident. At this year’s Argentine Surf Championship, Gallegos was scoping out this year’s field of surfers when he got the opportunity to live out a dream that seemed impossible.

Five-time champion of Argentina’s national surf contest, Martin Passeri, noticed the paraplegic man sitting in his wheelchair on the sand surrounding the waves. As Passeri got ready for his heat, he tapped Gallegos on the shoulder and asked if he wanted ride his first wave in. He didn’t have to ask twice. With Gallegos on his back, Passeri (and Gallegos) stood up on the next wave as the entire crowd roared.

Although Passeri was disqualified from the competition and denied his sixth surfing title in Argentina, it didn’t seem to bother him all that much. “The truth is that I didn’t lose,” Passeri explained in an interview. “I believe that was the best wave and the biggest triumph of my life.”