Sean Fitzgibbon

The yang of Florida O.A.T.S.

Sean Fitzgibbon is a founding partner of Liquid Rhythm Kayaking and the founder of Solid Ground Survival and Bushcraft.

Sean’s outdoor background includes competitive surfing, expedition kayaking, adaptive outdoor instruction, and campcraft. His experience as a paddler with a prosthetic limb informs his approach to equipment fit and adapting instruction.

His aquatic way of life began with his father.  They fished, boated, and canoed all around the state of Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina. It was this time spent on the water as a child that imbedded a love for all things connected to the water. That coupled with the fact that Sean was born with a birth defect that eventually led to the amputation of his Rt. lower leg when he was 3 years old to allow him to function more normally. It was in the water that Sean found a certain freedom he did not have on land. In many ways the Florida waters helped him to be born again.

So began Sean’s journey in life that would eventually find him sailing and surfing, at first for fun, then in competitions. Sean excelled in surfing, eventually turning pro & taking many East Coast and National Championships and surfing both the east & west coasts of the U.S & in Hawaii in his 9 years of professional surfing. In sailing he took pride in his knowledge of the environment, and boating safety- taking all 3 levels of Survival Tech training in the late 80’s. Sean really liked to sail and the mariners way of life, but wanted to connect with the liquid world a bit more intimately- that led him to surfing and eventually to kayaking for training when the waves were flat. Sean began paddling in 1999 and by 2001 was leading trips and teaching all over Florida for a local paddling outfitter. In April 2001, Sean met Jeff Fabiszewski when they began working together at Osprey Bay Outdoors in Clearwater, Florida, as kayak instructors and monthly guided day trip leaders. They continued leading guided trips for the outfitter’s owners, Kim and Tom, through 2014, and maintained the relationship through guest lectures and expedition promotion afterward. In 2007, Jeff created the Liquid Rhythm Kayaking website, and Jeff and Sean began using the name Liquid Rhythm Kayaking for their shared work.

Sean’s professional background includes park ranger work beginning August 13, 2023, and former work in orthotics and prosthetics at St. Petersburg Limb and Brace. His professional profile lists L.O.F. and C.P.O.A. credentials. He is a founding partner of Liquid Rhythm Kayaking and the founder of Solid Ground Survival and Bushcraft.

Sean’s paddling accomplishments include crossing the Molokai Channel (Hawaii) in 2000. In May 2007, Sean and Jeff, together with their teammates, completed a 100-mile circumnavigation of Pinellas County, Florida, over four days, May 3 through 6, to raise funds for the Extremity Games. In 2008-2009 Sean paddled over 90 miles in the Florida Keys and then in December ’09 did over 100 miles on the Suwannee River, Fl.  Other paddling includes Atlantic coastal paddling off Charleston South Carolina and the coast of Georgia. Sean has also taught at the Sweetwater Kayak Symposium and worked at the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival in Charleston, S.C. providing support for Russel Farrow behind the scenes. Sean has been taught and mentored by many well respected coaches/instructors in the U.S. and is continually striving to become a better paddler and to spread his love of the paddling lifestyle and all things in nature.

Florida Master Naturalist Program: Environmental Interpretation

Sean Fitzgibbon completed the UF/IFAS Florida Master Naturalist Program course in Environmental Interpretation, earning a Certificate of Completion for 24 contact hours dated November 4, 2026.

The Environmental Interpretation course develops skills for helping people understand Florida’s natural history and conservation through presentations, guided programs, and interpretive displays. It adds to Sean’s background in outdoor education, park ranger work, and practical field skills.

Continuing education update, November 2026: Sean’s next session is expected to begin after the New Year in 2027. Further session details will be added when confirmed.

In the news

These historical reports are available through the Internet Archive. The links below open preserved copies of the original pages. Some photographs, embedded video, and other features may no longer function.

• St. Petersburg man says flesh eating disease almost killed him, but he survived to guide others (archived article). Linda Hurtado, ABC Action News, October 31, 2012. The story centers on Alvin Lewis; Sean appears as the limb and brace professional who encouraged him after amputation. The original report spells Sean’s surname “Fitzgibbons.”
• Disability Doesn’t Faze Kayak King (archived article). Stephen Thompson, The Tampa Tribune, May 12, 2008. Coverage of Sean, Team Topahonu, and a planned Florida Keys expedition.
• Kayak Journey Around Keys Is to Turn Tide for Disabled (archived article). Stephen Thompson, The Tampa Tribune, May 6, 2008. An earlier version of the reporting on the planned expedition, rather than evidence of a completed circumnavigation.
• Ripple Effect (archived article). Credited to Brian Kelly on the St. Petersburg Limb & Brace page. A profile connecting Sean’s surfing, kayak instruction, and participation in the O&P Extremity Games.
• Amputee Kayakers Raise Funds for Extremity Games (archived article). The O&P EDGE, May 17, 2007. A contemporary report naming Sean Fitzgibbon, Jeff Fabiszewski, and Todd Salley in the Pinellas County paddle.

Outdoor experience

Backpacking

Canoeing

Hiking

Medical

• _{^{Licensed Orthotic Fitter}}
• _{^{Prosthetic Assistant}}
• _^Pedorthist
• _{^{Cervical/ Spinal Stabilization}}
• _{^{Orthotic Intervention}}
• _{^{Certified Wound Care Training}}
• _{^{HIV/Infectious disease prevention}}
• _{^{Preventing Medical Errors}}
• _{^{Muscle Contracture Mgt.}}
• _{^{First Aid}}
• _{^{CPR (adult, child, infant)}}
• _{^{Advanced Life Support/AED}}

Survival

Camping

Cooking

Kayaking

Mountain Bike

Surfing Champ.

• ^{_{4 time East Coast Surfing Champion}}
• ^{_{4 time consecutive U.S.S.F. National}}
• ^{_{Buddy Pelletier Surfer of the Year ’04}}
• ^{_{Buddy Pelletier Surfer of the Year ’05}}

S.U.P.

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