About Stand Up Paddle Surfing

A special thanks to our friends over at Starboard and to John Hibbard (www.standuppaddlesurf.co.uk) for their valued contributions on our SUP webpages.

Stand Up Paddle Surfing is an ancient form of surfing. It can be traced back to the very early days of Polynesia. It's most recent history dates back to the 1940's when the beach-boys (surf instructors) on Waikiki beach used to stand up and paddle out to the break using a one bladed paddle. The reasons for this are 2 fold. First it allowed them to have a better visibility over their group of surfing instructors and allowed them to call the sets easier as their upright position meant that they could see the swell long before the prone surfers. Secondly it allowed them to keep their wealthy customers camera dry and allow them to take pictures of them surfing. As time moved on board designs and fashions changed, the paddle was all but lost in the history of surfing. A few surfers in Waikiki continued to use a paddle but they were very much in the minority.

Fast forward to the first part of this century and the paddle made a return to surfing in the hands of some of the world's most famous watermen. They were re discovering stand up paddle surfing to allow them to keep in shape for the bigger days of tow surfing as well as adding a new dimension to their skills. Standing up and paddling out through the waves is a totally new experience, most of us are more used to lying down and ducking under the waves.

Modern technologies have allowed the boards to come down a lot in weight and modern understanding of board design has allowed the large boards to be manoeuvred easily on the waves. Carbon paddles cut weight and increase board speed and suddenly Stand Up Paddle Surfing has been reborn. It isn't going to revolutionise or take over the world, but it does add another angle to surf riding and will mean that your time on the water can be greatly increased.

 

The modern Stand Up Paddle boards allow you to catch waves a lot earlier than even the longboarders. This is great but can lead to congestion problems on the water at crowded breaks. We would like to encourage a culture of respect and sharing. Don't steal all the waves. Ride a few, then let a few pass under your board. Use your elevated position to call the sets for the other surfers. Use your paddle to head off to other peaks on the beach, which maybe you haven't ridden before. In Hawaii they call it "Surfing with Aloha." It isn't difficult to do, but it will mean that the sport grows and is respected by other water users.

If you are taking part in Stand Up Paddle surfing at the moment or are thinking about taking it up then you can see yourself as a pioneer of the sport in the UK. Don't be greedy out there - give respect to gain respect.