He was a 24-year-old Cape May lifeguard when Chad was surfing in big waves stirred up by Hurricane Humberto.
He broke his neck when he crashed head first into the sand at Poverty Beach.
"The force of the swell, the hurricane swell, picked me up and basically pile drove me into about 3 inches of water," DeSatnick said.
After 11 hours of surgery and years of physical therapy, Chad has regained full use of his arms and legs and is making it his mission to warn others about the dangers of neck and back injuries while swimming and surfing.
"A lot of the back and neck injuries that are occurring are just to people who are swimming or boogie boarding and they're not when the waves are big," he said.
Last year in Cape May there were 32 spinal cord injuries reported. Because the number has been growing, DeSatnick has convinced the city to print brochures and signs educating vacationers about the dangerous shore break along many beaches.
To drive that message home, lifeguards and fire department personnel will also visit schools to teach kids about beach safety.
"Giving them tips on how to ride the waves in a safe manner instead of just going in head and thinking you know everything," said Lt. Harry Back of the Cape May Beach Patrol.
"If we can educate them now hopefully they won't be injured later."
