Once in the ocean, with the wind at your back and the sun on your face, you can start paddling for the horizon. Stand up paddling (also known as SUP) is a fun and healthy water sport that unites surfer, board, and paddle, to create the closest experience to walking on water available. You do not need to be in top shape to enjoy SUP and after a few hours of paddling you will have gotten a healthy work out while enjoying the ocean.
Trevor Masterson, 23, junior environmental studies major at HPU who has been a surfing instructor at Ty Gurney’s school in Waikiki for five years, said "The best board for a beginner is a 12ft. grip top Laird Hamilton design, the paddle depends on your height," he explained "you want it to at least come above your shoulders when measuring from the ground."
Anyone can do it and there are plenty of surf shops and rental stands along the beaches of Waikiki that offer SUP lessons such as the Waikiki Beach Boys found east of the Police Station on Kalakaua Ave. and Ty Gurney’s Surf School located on the beach connected to the Sheraton Hotel. Rental rates vary but expect to pay about $25 for an hour with a 12 foot SUP board and paddle. Lessons are about $85 for an hour to an hour and a half with an instructor.
Everyone’s learning curve is different so do not expect to be catching and riding waves like a pro on your first go out. Simply paddling around and enjoying the sun and ocean is the reminder one needs of how blessed we are that we live on such a beautiful island.
"With the stand up board you have the perspective to see what is around you. You can make really long distance in short time while exploring the reef. It is like an ambling stroll across the water." said Masterson.
With the right ocean conditions, the right equipment, and the right state of mind, you will be gliding through the water from a perspective that shows you the tropical sea life and the ocean floor without even getting your hair wet.
The history of stand up paddle surfing
SUP surfing’s cohesion with the Hawaiian Islands can be traced back to its Polynesian ancestry through the Hawaiian translation "Ku Hoe He‘e Nalu"; to stand, to paddle, to surf, a wave. In the 1960s SUP surfing was stylized by the beachboys of Waikiki such as Duke Kahanamoku and Brothers Bobby and Leroy Ah Choy. Using big surfboards and outrigger canoe paddles, the beachboys would paddle out to the lineup with camera in hand to take pictures of surfers enjoying the gentle rolling waves of Waikiki.
Once the shortboard craze began in the 1980s SUP surfing was placed on the back burner. Surfers traded in their big, thick boards for shorter, faster boards that allowed tighter turns and deeper tube rides. In the early 2000s, SUP surfing made its popular comeback thanks to Hawaiian surfers such as Dave Kalama, Brian Keaulana, Rick Thomas, Archie Kalepa, and Laird Hamilton who used SUP as a way to train when the surf was down.
Now SUPs can be found all over the world. This sport reborn captured the interest of thousands of surfers across the globe. Today, entire online communities are dedicated to SUP, a vast market exists for SUP merchandise, and a steady stream of SUP competition with a large cache of prize money, celebrates skill and style with board and paddle.
