At the peak of summer tourism season in Depoe Bay, Oregon, you don’t need to search far to find Capt. Tyler Turner. Long before the sun’s first rays reach the small inlet that US Harbors magazine named the “Best Harbor in the U.S.,” Turner stations himself on the Surfrider, his 50-foot boat, to prepare for another day helming one of the region’s most popular charter services.

Turner, 35, grew up on the bay and learned the ropes from his father, Capt. Jeurgen “J.T.” Turner. His road to captaining his own boat took a detour in 2008 when he broke his sternum in a motorcycle accident, sustaining a T4 spinal cord injury. He dedicated the next five years to rehab, mastering his knee-ankle-foot orthotic braces and, as a paraplegic, figuring out how to do all the tasks required of a captain. It took over two years of appeals to convince the Coast Guard, but in 2013 he satisfied their demands and went on to earn his merchant mariner master license.

Today, Turner spends 200-225 days a year on the water, with most excursions clocking in at 6-12 hours. When he’s not on the water, he’s helping his wife manage the charter booking service and the candy shop they own, and spending time with his two young daughters. Here’s how Turner describes a typical day leading his most popular outing, a five-hour bottom-fishing expedition.

3:30 a.m. I have to be down at the boat by 5:30. Everything takes a little longer as a para, so I make sure to leave myself enough time to drink some coffee, go to the bathroom and stretch. After I’m done stretching, I put on my KAFO [braces]. Mine are all carbon fiber and stainless steel because everything else corrodes when you’re out on the water as much as I am. Once I’m all set, I’ll throw my wheelchair in my Dodge Charger and head for the dock.

5:30 a.m. To get my license as a wheelchair user, the Coast Guard stipulated that I work with a two-man crew. By the time I arrive, [the crew has] already prepped the boat and is ready to help me down the gangway. With the tide constantly changing, the ramp can be flat or super steep. I learned it’s better to back [my way] down early on, when my foot plate got caught going down forwards and threw me out of my chair.

After my injury my dad cut doors on the side of his boat’s hull to make it easier to board in a wheelchair, and I’ve done the same. Most of the local captains have followed suit, which is really cool. Once I get to the cabin, I stand up with my braces and pull myself up to the bridge. My crew stashes my chair below and boards that day’s passengers.

6 a.m. We’ll drop crab pots on the way to wherever we’re going fishing, and then hit the open seas looking for whatever is on that day’s agenda: rockfish, lingcod, cabezon, albacore tuna, halibut … you name it. While we’re out there I’m standing in the bridge, watching the sonar fish-finder and communicating with the passengers and crew. I used to stand the whole time, for 6-12 hours, but after getting a wound on my foot last year, I put in a seat. I’m trying to sit more. When time’s up, or when we catch our limit, we’ll pick up the crab pots and head home.

12 p.m. After cleaning the boat and taking notes on the excursion, I usually make a pit stop at our charter service office just to see what’s going on and say hi to my wife. She’s the brains behind the business and the candy shop, but I try to help out with behind-the-scenes stuff.

1 p.m. The first thing I do when I get home is take off my braces. During peak season, I know I’m going to be spending too much time standing in them already. In the comfort of my chair in my home, I can tend to business chores. I might be talking to distributors for the candy store, setting up an appointment to get ice, or ordering supplies for the boat, depending on the day. I wear a lot of different hats.

4 p.m. Any time my two daughters are around, I try to spend with them. The toughest part of this job is that the busiest season coincides with when our kids are out of school.

5:30 p.m. We have two freezers full of fish at the house, and as you might guess, we eat a lot of seafood. My wife and I alternate cooking, but we all love a good egg-panko-breaded white fish, panfried all crispy. After dinner, we’ll all get out and roll around the neighborhood before maybe settling in for a movie or game.

9:30 p.m. I get zombie status where I literally almost fall asleep just sitting in my chair. It’s a grind, and I try to rest as much as I can and take care of my body. It’s important to have fun though, so we’ll try to do little minivacations or a vacation in the wintertime. Otherwise why work so hard, right?

Equipment I can’t live without:
My custom carbon fiber KAFOs.

Favorite spots on the Oregon coast for fishing:
Depoe Bay and Pacific City.

Why I enjoy taking wheelchair users out on the water:
I love to share the experience of being out there for a few hours and leaving your worries behind.