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Screw stand up paddle boarding

Miles Masterson vents his frustration as the 'Stand Up Paddleboard Apocalypse' sweeps his homebreak.

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Posted 10:42 GMT on November 12, 2008 Comments (81)
Screw stand up paddle boarding

"SUPS... The Next Big Thing in Surfing... You gotta get one!" Bet you've heard that recently, right? Call me shallow, but as a devoted shortboarder I reckon screw 'em. Us poor regular surf folk already have to deal with ignorant kooks, wave hog longboarders, gormless bodyboarders, the odd useless goat boat and crippled kneelo... now we have to compete with these stand-up paddle goons too?

These hodads, for whom the only requirements are general fitness and basic pedestrian balance, seem poised to take over the world’s line-ups. Can you think of anything worse? I call it the 'Stand Up Paddleboard Apocalypse', or 'Armaggedon of the One Armed Paddlers'. Either way, it could end the world of surfing as we know it. After all, this is a surfboard (term used loosely here) you can literally ride on a ripple. Turncoat surfers who buy paddleboards aside, the doomsday scenario is if the greater public discover the stand up paddling “work out” en mass, which is already happening. Most popular urban beaches are a nightmare as it is. No room to swing a rashvest. If the SUP elbows its way into the remaining gap, we could conceivably be overwhelmed by these graceless, throwback buffoons with their oversized spoons.

Anyone selling SUPs will be stoked of course, but not the rest of us normal surfers trying to avoid these potential super wave hogs. Even the longboarders are getting bummed. And unlike mal riders, who still require a basic understanding of line up dynamics and surf etiquette (even if these are mostly ignored), as well as rudimentary paddle out and take off skills, SUPs arguably require none, bar said ability to stand upright and dig, which any monkey can do. At most breaks with a decent channel, it's therefore a cinch for Wilbur SUP pilot to wobble about, even if it's pitching thick out the back. Just heave ho and you are out there. Before long SUPs could easily become a factor at most average surfbreaks, where surfers won’t even have to ever duckdive, or learn to respect the better surfers in the water, in order to get waves.

Predictably, stand up supporters have protested that the SUP is a good workout and a functional wave-riding machine, and promise that they will not be pigs in the water. But isn’t that what the post-revival longboarders all said, and now look at them on a mellow four foot day at your local. And whilst Robbie Naish can indeed ride an SUP at Pipe or Laird or Teehaupo, not everyone has those skill levels, let alone jock suburbanites with more money than sense.

Indeed, throw a couple of clueless or selfish iron man SUP riders - eggbeating into waves from far out the back - into the organised chaos of a good rush hour session and watch the tension mount. It wouldn’t take many, maybe three or four SUPs, calling everyone from sets, to completely transform the mellowest rotation and irk even the most chilled locals. What’s more, as these SUP scum will conveniently bypass any rites of passage to the ocean, they will of course have to be heckled by indignant regular surfers. As a result there will probably be fights - although maybe only for the most aggressive and surf rage afflicted. Think about it: would you really hurl abuse at some buff gym pratt looming above you in the water holding a massive  carbon fibre paddle above your head?

Before long, in a far worse rendition of the longboard revival, SUPs could start to dominate sessions and it will be a case of beat 'em or join 'em - or drive somewhere else, where there will probably be more SUPS anyway, multiplying along the coast like foot rot in a shower. It’s a future too bleak to contemplate, although for places like Hawaii, it’s apparently already too late. In fact, if these SUP boards and their inept riders take over, it will do nothing but drag our sport back into prehistory. In my opinion, in terms of progressing surfing, the SUP arguably lies somewhere beneath your granny riding a lilo at Newquay. For that reason alone, I will never get a SUP.

Well, that and the fact that I can’t afford one.

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Comments (81)

  • Click here to see what it could be like at your break in, say, 2015 when SUPs take over the world:
    http://moodsofthebay.blogspot......ip.html

    Niegà

    P.S.: Regards to Vince M.

    Niegà - November 14, 2008, 22:25 / Report abuse
  • I have to laugh as I just got back from 11 days in Maui and there we SUP's scattered all over the south side. I have to tell you, I switched up my long board with Sup'er in the line up in 1-2 foot surf and out paddled almost everyone by starting on the out side. (I took about 10 waves before trading back).

    Work out or not, things have changed on the small wave days when the Sup'ers are out in force. If you have an ounce of balance then you can catch some waves without too much trouble.

    Anthony Crute
    http://www.pro-ride.com
    Pro Ride Snowboard Camps

    Anthony Crute - November 14, 2008, 23:55 / Report abuse
  • As one who lives and surfs on the North Shore of Oahu you have no idea how the sport has been embraced over here and the kind of performance stand up paddle surfing that is taking place. To generalize all of Hawaii with your opinion about stand up paddling at your local break in England and then to comment on the skill required to one having never tried it yourself is pure ignorance in my book.

    If a stand up paddler or any surfer is grabbing waves out of line, with respect to the local lineup and pecking order, you have two choices, let him know or complain about it to everyone else. Only one will solve the problem. It's articles like this that plant the seeds of rage that have no foundation. The tone of your article seems that even if everyone were riding the same board size and shape as you and if everyone was giving you all the sets, you'd still sit disgruntled in the lineup complaining about the waves.

    Stand up paddling is helping so many people discover a love of the ocean that they have never before experienced. . . and rediscover a love they lost when they forgot that surfing isn't only about the waves. Try it my friend. Aloha.

    Nate - November 17, 2008, 22:18 / Report abuse
  • Hey Nate, thanks for the comments. But IMHO stand ups will never look as good or as stylish as shortboarders (or even decent longboarders for that matter) or there's no way they will ever take the sport forward in terms of performance progression and you don't have to be in Hawaii to realise that!

    I never complain about waves though, only wave hogs of any kind! But as I said, I'd love to try Stand Up but I can't afford one ha ha and that's why the article was written with my tongue firmly in my cheek so chill a bit there dude.

    BTW I'm in Cape Town, South Africa.

    Aloha

    Miles

    Miles Masterson - November 18, 2008, 08:00 / Report abuse
  • Contact the boys at Coreban (http://www.coreban.com). I'm sure they'd be stoked to hook up with you for a demo in Cape Town. They're great people. Have fun! Peace.

    Nate - November 18, 2008, 12:37 / Report abuse
  • It's nice that everyone is getting along - I dropped my first comment after having a laugh at Mile's piece. What I forgot to mention in my last post is that SUP was kinda fun (for the short time I did it) and a great way to get an even all body tan - haha

    Anthony

    http://www.pro-ride.com
    Pro Ride Snowboard Camps

    Anthony Crute - November 18, 2008, 19:38 / Report abuse
  • i'm a so -called goat boater, and i'm still against paddle boarding.

    if you're gonna catch a wave you gotta work for it, and paddle surfers are taking the easy way out in my eyes. paddle surfers sould be out in the big wide ocean, not in the surf hoggin the swell. x

    natty boy - November 26, 2008, 23:54 / Report abuse
  • Natty Boy, Have you tried stand up paddling? It's not the easy way out by any means. When you're learning to prone paddle surf, you can just lie there and let someone push you into the waves. Stand up paddlers have to learn on their own. They pay their dues and there's a definite learning curve for everyone. The grace and finesse of the sport make it appear almost effortless.

    About wave grabbing. I agree that a big stick is not license to hog the swell. If someone is actually grabbing all the waves, let them know in a civilized manner. I've told other stand up paddlers that their grabbing too many waves, and they respect that and ease up. Watch carefully before you speak though. Yesterday, I was out surfing the inside waves that all the longboarders and shortboarders didn't want. I had a killer session with tons of waves. I didn't steal anyone's swell. I was only surfing the leftovers and there were tons more leftovers than set waves coming through.

    Nate - November 27, 2008, 00:21 / Report abuse
  • I'm a shortboarder when the waves are good. Been paddlesurfing three years now. Incredible fun (remember that's what it's about, right?) in cold, less than perfect surf. I 'm more fit than ever and my time spent actually surfing has quadrupled at least. I don't think I have ever taken a wave from a lay-down surfer; and believe me they will go out of their way to drop in on you- you must expect this. Paddleboarders can learn etiquette; you'll find at least as many jerks on shortboards.
    When you get good you can rip and get barrelled on a shorter SUP. You can access sharky and inaccessable breaks with little worry. Let the shortboarders go on cursing and hating when they see some one having too much fun doing something they can't do and their ego won't let them try.

    Foamranger - December 7, 2008, 22:46 / Report abuse
  • best article I've read in a long time.
    Well said Miles !

    shrt-brd-grl - December 8, 2008, 11:34 / Report abuse
  • I can't help thinking that you have this wrong - There is a God and he Stand Up Paddle Surfed into our lives. Jesus was a paddle surfer. Check it out at http://www.surfingivan.wordpre.....ss.com

    Ivan - December 11, 2008, 21:25 / Report abuse
  • hey been surfing the net and seen some pretty angry responses to my blog about SUP on a bunch of SUP websites and blogs; so funny how some people take themselves so seriously and don't actually read things properly and what's more don't realise the whole article is a pisstake and that whilst it has merit as doomsday scenario, was really just social commentary and a poke at how SUP is pretty unaffordable for the average surfer. what is with some people? BTW a lot of people have said they really dug the blog too and agree with it, so I guess we'll all have to agree to disagree eh? Oh and my homebreak is a dredging beach break where SUPs are welcome, the locals need a good laugh... only one taker so far, and he's a charger who'll only take that thing out in one foot anyway

    Miles Masterson - December 19, 2008, 09:42 / Report abuse
  • Ivan, how do you get from my blog on SUP to disputing that there isn't a God? Just interested, Anyone else know? Miles

    Miles Masterson - December 19, 2008, 09:45 / Report abuse
  • Whooa gotta fishhy on the line

    'so funny how some people take themselves so seriously and don't actually read things properly and what's more don't realise the whole article is a pisstake'

    That's the point suggest you check

    http://www.surfingivan.wordpre.....ss.com

    properly - in particular Entry for December 17, 2007 ref overcrowding. Or are real surfers the only ones allowed to take the p1$$ - You started the biblical analagies baby - Peace

    surfingivan - December 22, 2008, 08:16 / Report abuse
  • You sound like a whining pom with more of an ego problem rather than a SUP problem. 'piss take' you say... where there's smoke there's fire bro. get over yourself.

    albert - December 22, 2008, 21:52 / Report abuse
  • Wow just found this post had to comment - I surf have done for years recently amongst Stand Uppers. Can't see the point myself but have never had a problem and the only hassle i have heard is from regular surfers have to say though i think on this one you plain wrong and bang out of order Miles even your argument is poor you spew out a tirade of abuse against people you do not know for clogging up the breaks and call them hodads! Which is it _ if you are not sure look it up they are either out there or they are on the beach _ then when challenged you just claim to be "taking the piss" poorly i reckon _ if you want to see how it should be done you should take some lessons surfing ivan seems capable of teaching you judging from his last post _ poor journalism stinks _ poor pisstaking is unforgiveable _ grow up

    Todd Storm - December 22, 2008, 21:56 / Report abuse
  • Hi Miles,

    The picture you paint here I really don't recognise. Having been a short boarder for over 20 years myself I am aware of the attitude that short boarder have towards anyone else in the line up, but since actually trying SUP and realising what an amazing sport it is, and the ability it gives you to surf new breaks I have been converted.

    Its all about repect. I can name and I see countless surfers, dropping in on each other, giving the stink eye and having a bad attitude, SUPers are just an easy target for wave rage.

    You need to move beyond your prejudice, open your mind and expand your water skills.

    Matt
    http://www.supglobal.com

    Matt - January 2, 2009, 11:00 / Report abuse
  • Hey Miles - were you pissed when you wrote this? It does sound like beer talk. I'm not being funny but it seems to be the ramblings of an alcohol fueled bigot.

    I think that you are wrong, the responses that you have had here suggest you are wrong and my experience of surfers in the lineup from the point of view of a 'turncoat' surfer and now paddle boarder says that you are wrong. Yes there is banter between spongers, goat boaters,short boarders, loggers, and now sweepers - there always will be that's life but the majority know that IT'S JUST BANTER. Can't you see that? You cant then just dismiss your rant as a piss take - as a writer you have a responsibility to your audience some of whom will take on board your words. You are not only fuelling a fire that may not there - you could responsible for lighting it.

    Calling anyone 'Goons' 'Scum' 'Crippled' 'Pratts' just because you don't agree with them or understand them says more about you, your issues and background than anything else. Where did you say that you are from?

    Steve - January 3, 2009, 00:10 / Report abuse
  • ;) good to see some more emotional responses here! One: Ivan, how do you get from my biblical references to talking about whether there is a God or not? You still haven't answered my question? Two: Albert, I'm not from the UK and I don't have an ego problem but I know far too many wave riders that do. Three: Todd the article is not just my point of view, I know scores of surfers who feel the same way, including some who have posted in this forum, so remember that I'm not alone before you single me out. Five Matt: read the article again, especially the last line, which was the whole point. Sorry if you feel it is poorly written that's your opinion but I've been in this game for far too long to worry about that. Besides it's just a blog dude! I think you all need to relax a bit and not take everything so seriously? Here's to a Happy new year and heaps of waves for everybody no matter what they ride!

    Miles Masterson - January 4, 2009, 08:51 / Report abuse
  • Hey Miles - What did I say that you felt you had to censor? Bit too close to home perhaps.

    steve - January 4, 2009, 22:15 / Report abuse
  • Just found this, Miles, it sounds like you are on the verge of trying this out. I been surfin East Coast USA since the 60s and still chargin now on a SUP. I agree with you ..lots of new kooks in this sport but if you can surf with authority, you'll get and give respect. I've delt with a few haters in the water and I thought you were one but readin between the lines, you don't seem to take yourself too seriously and neither should some of your readers. We are all on this planet for an instant...better make it a good one.

    Rick Romano - January 6, 2009, 01:50 / Report abuse
  • Sorry Miles - I have re-read your post and am ashamed to say that I have totally misunderstood you. Its obvious that you are a truly decent bloke, an ambassador for the oceans and a very funny guy - I want your children - please don't think that this is just a cheap plug for http://www.surfingivan.wordpre.....ss.com.

    surfingivan - January 6, 2009, 15:31 / Report abuse
  • Very funny stuff. And some well-stated comments too. You have interesting readers, that's always a good sign. If you manage to make your way to Maui sometime, Miles, I'll gladly lend you any of my SUPs you like.

    You're not the first person to take issue with the skill part, which always seems a bit odd to me. I find it harder to surf a SUP than a longboard and I've been doing SUP for two years. Yes, paddling a longboard back out to the lineup is tough work sometimes, and you need to learn to pop up. Other than that the skills are identical except the sup boards' width and sometimes length make them a little harder to toss around. And then you need to learn a whole bandoleer worth of paddle techniques. Admittedly for a geezer like me, not having to totter to my feet in a wave is a plus. But I'm one of those turncoat longboarders--already knew how to do that.

    I guess the point might be that paddling with your arms and popping up are the most difficult elements of surfing, which is probably why contests score them so highly.

    Seriously though, nice blog. I'm going to dig through all your posts and find some inspiration for my e-magazine. For that matter, if you like to contribute an article or two, it would be most welcome. it's at http://www.kenalu.com

    PonoBill - January 7, 2009, 00:21 / Report abuse
  • the ocean is for so much more than just riding a short board your whole life....can't afford one ? bullshit!! you'll find a way if you really want too and if you don't then too bad for you i guess.

    sandyVagina - January 7, 2009, 00:29 / Report abuse
  • I had a friend once, when I was single and so was he, who had a specific profile of girl he liked. Blond, 5'8", C cups, dolled up. Nothing else. Thats it. We'd go to the bar. Sometimes it was perfect hunting, and he got what he wanted. But sometimes the bar simply wasn't up to its usual standards, and I'd go home with someone, and he wouldn't because he was "stuck" on "one thing". Its kinda like riding waves. Sometimes, its perfect for a thruster shortboard. Sometimes, a longboard or a fish is needed. Sometimes... well, it sucks for both, so take a kiteboard, or windsurfer out. Or hell, a surf kayak. Or, an SUP. You see, the thing is, I ride all of these... so when some stuck up "I ONLY SURF MY SHORTBOARD" surfer is sitting on the beach, complaining about conditions, I'm out there surfing or riding the best tool for the day. They way I look at it, his unwillingness to open his mind to the possibilities and new and different ways of experiencing the ocean, is punishment enough. I need ad nothing more. Sit and groan. I'm going out, and I'm having fun, and I'll choose the best toy for the conditions, because I can.

    Kinda like going to a bar and saying, "who is the best looking girl here tonight that I can dance with" rather than "I sure hope there is a 5'8" blond with C cups here or I'm gonna have a boring night".

    A mind is like a window. It only lets in fresh air if its open.

    Corran - January 7, 2009, 14:35 / Report abuse
  • What a hoot! Miles you made me laugh out loud, thanks!

    roger the cat - January 7, 2009, 14:37 / Report abuse
  • i surf for more than 20 year whith any kine of board and some where a man is man, i don t really care on what kine of board he is all those bull shit about sup is a joke sup is good i surf it every where and i don t care about all those guy that don t know surfing and talk to much. i do what i want where i want f ..ck those kick my ass if you can if no "go big or go home"and you know eddie would go.
    surf is good and talk is cheap.

    my name - January 7, 2009, 18:22 / Report abuse
  • The other thing to take into account is that SUP is opening up the whole "get out on the water" to a totally new group of people.
    Not only are people that "have surfed in the past" getting back to the water - but land locked people that don't / can't surf are getting out on the water and having a fun time.
    I can catch 1 foot wind blown waves on a lake in northern Canada - - sure is fun!

    Easy Rider - January 7, 2009, 18:43 / Report abuse
  • so the goat boaters will stick to the rivers if the stand up board surfers will stick to the ocean, and the short boarders can rule, and screw everyone else. Am I getting that right everyone? Or is it just a matter of the squeekiest, whiniest wheels making then noise and getting the attention, while everyone else is outside, feeding their stoke and the stoke of others in the lineup?

    I hate crowds as much as the next guy. But any anti-SUP sentiment sounds alot like extreme localism, bordering on some kind of transferred prejudice.

    "we don't want your kind around here. Now git boy!"

    anyone else ever hear that in another context? downtown? said to another ethnicity?

    everyone was a kook at one time or another. Now that you're cool, try not to shit on the kooks. Remember, someone gave you a chance once.

    Feed the stoke, don't kill it.

    ARTandWATER - January 8, 2009, 04:46 / Report abuse
  • SU P ing is sort of like a biker riding a vacation cruiser. Sure it works but... so does my dodge aries. I saw a guy paddling out on a flat lake just getting his jollys standing up on a "surfboard". I think the guy was riding a windsurfer with no sail. I mean come on I love a longboard as much as anyone else but a SUPer should not be proud of catching 1 foot blown out surf on a lake in northern canada. The only good thing about a SUPer is that they are so proud of being a SUPer that they consider themselves SUPers instead of surfers.

    SUP pride - January 8, 2009, 05:22 / Report abuse
  • WCT & popular surfers now regularly seen on SUP in their spare time:

    Luke Egan
    Joel Parkinson
    Jamie O'brien
    Rasta
    Tom Carrol
    Pottz
    Damien Hobgood
    Kalani Robb....
    ...and probably plenty more

    Miles, are you going to hate on these guys? I'm tipping they aren't doing it for the fitness either, more likely for the fun of it and for something to do in smaller waves. I had friends with a similar opinion to you but after spending more time in the water with SUPers they are starting to look at it in a different light.

    I hope you give it a go one day.

    Brett - January 8, 2009, 13:35 / Report abuse
  • Miles, you don't know the half of it. SUP devotees around the globe have a covert agenda, a cunning plot to reinstate surfing in its original form and take back the swell from shortboard wannabees and those who have proclaimed themselves the surfing elite. The message from HQ is that there is a specific little ignorant pom prat that needs to feel the brunt of a big 12' monster. We have mobilized all the overweight noobs - they are heading for your local break as we speak. Hear that sound? We're coming for ya...

    SUP forever

    (oh, I hope you know that this whole article is just a pisstake, which obviously validates all the selfish, ignorant, rude and downright arrogant opinions expressed above...)

    tomorrow-the-world - January 8, 2009, 20:49 / Report abuse
  • Rob Machardo is another one

    Brett - January 8, 2009, 21:28 / Report abuse
  • There are enough waves for everyone. Respect and you will receive Respect.

    Aloha

    Mahalo - January 9, 2009, 00:40 / Report abuse
  • Shhhh

    Don't let the world know about the SUP covert agenda, or the master plan will be ruined.

    Mwhahahahaha (evil laugh).

    SUP Forever and a day.

    And just for emphasis,

    (oh, I hope you know that this whole article is just a pisstake, which obviously validates all the selfish, ignorant, rude and downright arrogant opinions expressed above...)

    today-the-beach - January 9, 2009, 10:20 / Report abuse
  • Hi Miles - it's been a while and everything has gone quiet here. Seeing as it's generated more interest than anything thing else you have ever done I thought your career could do with a bit of a boost again. So having re-read your SUP piss take - total class - I'm amazed that you missed the fat boy element that SUP brings to the line up - perhaps you could include some comment on the obese nature of most SUP'ers (sizers). Finally reference SUP being 'beneath your granny riding a lilo at Newquay'? I have been riding beneath your granny at Newquay on a lilo - it was fun. Tell her thanks - SurfingIvan http://surfingivan.wordpress.c.....om/

    surfingivan - February 13, 2009, 21:20 / Report abuse
  • Ivan, I really don't care what you think of me or my "career", but please don't make it personal. Both my grandmothers are deceased. Have some respect. Miles.

    Miles Masterson - February 14, 2009, 08:12 / Report abuse
  • Miles - my sincere apologies - the last thing I would want to do is to cause actual, personal offence - I thought my comments followed the tone of your article - however I can see I have gone too far. I have taken Surfingivan down to prevent further offence. Peace Ivan

    surfingivan - February 15, 2009, 14:05 / Report abuse
  • I was surfing Puaena on the North Shore last weekend...the first in the water at 7:00 a.m., glassy, beautiful, with one turtle in the water...caught three waves on my own, then in the distance (after 20 minutes of peaceful surf), two shadows appeared, paddling on big, gigantic boards, slow...one appeared next to me...turning slowly to catch the same wave as me...I paddled quickly to catch it before her, since i had the right of way and was on the inside of her...I guess these large, slow paddle boarders feel they have the "right of way" to catch whatever they want.

    Later morning...catch a beautiful left on the outside set...coming in, make a quick sharp right turn...see a FLEET of inside paddle boarders, teaching lessons to the tourists...tried to get off my board in time before crashing into one because she could not move fast enough to the left side...tried to grab my board...wasn't quick enough...collided...her large paddle board fin cut 6 inches into the nose of my longboard...

    Then she just paddled away and simply said, "These things just happen in the water." Just happen? I just bought my new 8"6, exactly one month ago! On the defense I snapped back of course...then she snapped back and took NO responsibility and went on to teach her lesson...by myself...couldn't do much...sadly I paddle in with a large, expensive cut in my board...

    Hawaiian man on the beach I stopped to ask if he knew any "teacher" paddle boarders at Puaena...he said that most of them don't even have their licenses and are teaching illegally...they "think" they have the right of way in the water, he continued, and he tries his best to avoid them in the water. Paddle boarders are taking over everything...I'm so discouraged as a surfer...I was 1 out of 2 longboarders out there...I counted 12 paddle boarders around me...I'm tired of fighting over the wave with the paddle boarders who paddle and take everything because they can see the wave farther then us "regular" surfers in the "normal" line-up...they not only crowd the water, but when they are unexperienced, they can't move out of the way fast enough and it can be very dangerous...my advice...careful for the large paddle boarders...they can cause serious damage...

    Haloa - February 18, 2009, 17:54 / Report abuse
  • Haloa, that makes me sick to hear that, and I'm a SUP surfer. You can find a#@holes on any size board. I tell people to absolutely not go anywhere near a popular break when they are learning, and any "instructor", licensed or not, should know that. I violated that rule when I was a complete kook, but I didn't know better. In simple remorse, I set up a site called SUPright (http://www.supright.com )which simply provides the rules of etiquette to SUP surfing. Anyone can add to it what they wish, it has no commercial aspect--just a set guidelines that might prevent people from being jerks because they don't know better. Of course nothing stops the real jerks from continuing to be that way.

    I'm sorry you had this run in.

    ponobill - February 18, 2009, 18:22 / Report abuse
  • Accidents happen in the water on all equipment. I think all surfers have been involved in one collision or another at some point regardless of what they're riding even before stand up paddleboards were entering the lineups. What's totally unacceptable is putting common courtesy aside and not taking responsibility for your actions regardless of what you're riding, even if it's truly an accident.

    Nate - February 18, 2009, 19:10 / Report abuse
  • Hey Haloa,
    I'm bummed that you had a incident with a SUPer. I surf all kids of boards so I can look at it openly and most SUP guys in the line-up know the rules and do what they can to share waves. From what you said it sounds like it could have been anyone sitting there and you would have run into them.

    Brett - March 9, 2009, 06:53 / Report abuse
  • Shortboarders who hate and judge - wow, that's a new one. What would Duke say? I am sure my ancestors, who invented surfing, would be cool with the SUPers. I don't think they would like the punky haole shortboarders wearing the same surf shop fashion, surfing the same little white thrusters and hating on everyone. You guys don't respect elders. You make the ocean into a competition. In my world, people shortboard, longboard, SUP, canoe, dive and swim - the equipment is not who you are. Miles, your article was not tongue-in-cheek, it was just more haole competitive, hater crap.

    waimanu - April 21, 2009, 02:51 / Report abuse
  • Maybe its the human condition to bitch and hate on each other?
    Don't skateboarders hate longboarders?
    Don't BMXers with no brakes hate BMXers with brakes? Don't kids who wear Reebok hate on kids who wear adidas?

    It's all the same

    sal - April 21, 2009, 08:37 / Report abuse
  • This isn't directed at anybody in particular, it's just my take on the whole SUP topic.

    Seems like a lot of crystal ball talk. Apart from a few places across the globe, there is not an infestation of Stand Up Paddle guys in the line ups. Where I surf we keep ourselves seperated and there are no problems and to be honest I've yet to see any issues at all with SUP, and I travel and surf all over the world.

    As a sport it has to be the most self aware. You can't move more than a few clicks on an SUP site without bumping into the do's and don'ts of SUP in the surf and every SUP rider I have ever met is more than a little aware of the dos and don'ts. On the other hand I see 100 prone surfers dropping in on each other everyday.

    For sure there will be issues, but then there is with whatever you ride. It's not the end of the world by a long stretch and despite people thinking it's a cheats way to surf, SUP in waves is not all easy take offs and no duckdives.

    I still ride various surfboards and stand up boards. I'm always willing to give people a go on my boards. With an open mind there are days that are better on an SUP and there are days that are better on a prone board. Riding a range of boards does amazing things for your riding style and experience. It's not for everyone and that's fine, but until there is a regular, major problem in the line ups a lot of this talk is all based on nothing but idle doom and gloom. I really don't ever see it being a problem.

    Just don't forget that you surf for fun and relaxation. If it's causing you so much stress you want to shout and abuse someone, whatever they are riding, then I suggest you take a long hard look at your life. Hopefully you still have two arms, two legs and breath in and out every few seconds - lifes good, don't let someones surfing choice get you down. If they need a little action correction, let them know. I assure you that asking calmly will get you further and keep that blood pressure down.

    If I turn up in the local park with a different shaped ball I don't expect to have any problems. If I turn up with that ball and try and invade on someone else's game of football then I'm going to cause problems. Same goes for the surf - try and find some space for whatever you ride. The one beauty of SUP is that it's pretty easy to find space as you can take off on fatter peaks and not get in anyones way.

    Relax, wait for the next set and try and remember why you took up surifng in the first place - fun and enjoyment. There's another set just over the horizion - ask the guy on the SUP he'll tell you what's coming ;-)

    J

    John - April 21, 2009, 11:48 / Report abuse
  • Been a while since we had some posts here. Sal and John make some sense, and John's take seems the most rational and even tempered in a while. It was never my intention to promote hatred, no matter how inevitable it might seem to some. Read my follow up elsewhere on the site to get a better perspective on where I was coming from. I do see some hypocrisy in Waimanu's post though. I totally accept the Hawai'an perspective on the surf world, especially in light of what the American colonialists did to your culture and that you still get invaded by thousands of surfers every year. And that at best the word haole is merely a word used to describe them/us, especially Caucasians. Whilst I do agree to a degree with the first part of what you say however I do feel that you are using the word as insult at me, which to me seems more judgmental and hateful than anything I wrote; which was really tongue-in-cheek dude, I should know because I wrote it. Please also check out my follow up for better perspective. Fortunately since I wrote both the blogs (note they are opinionated blogs and not actual articles) the Apocalypse has not come to pass, probably because of the credit crunch and the fact that, as was my point all along, SUPs are pretty expensive. In the meantime, Peace and Aloha to you all and thanks for reading!

    miles - April 21, 2009, 14:46 / Report abuse
  • Get a grip. I was sick and tired of hearing the bitching and moaning from the winsurfers when kiteboarding exploded onto the scene, much the same with skiiers and snowboarders. The fact is there is enough space on this earth for all of us, just stay away from the angry kooks.

    Dr Pain - April 28, 2009, 15:53 / Report abuse
  • Hi Miles - Emotional Steve here. It does seem to me that the responses that you received reflected the original tone that your article took. You moderated the tone of your article and clarified your position and no surprise recieved a more mature and moderated response. Had you started from the premise that SUP has a potential to 'overwhelm' breaks much like the summer influx of holiday surfers do at any break - all with as much 'right' to be there as you or I, the debate would have been far more civilised AND possibly even beneficial to all of us. Generally SUP forums actually lend far more 'airtime' to etiquette and protocol than surf forums and actvely promote responsible break behavior from all their members. Fact or fantasy, some of what you originally wrote and the tone you wrote it will stick in peoples minds, as a result people get defensive, aggresive or even emotional!!
    For example. http://magicseaweed.com/commun.....t=16352

    steve - April 29, 2009, 19:05 / Report abuse
  • hey Steve, good point you make there and duly taken. however if I was able to go back and do it again I wouldn't change what I originally wrote. going through them again, I thought if anything the sometimes vitriolic responses I got were quite amusing (apart from one or two that clearly crossed the line). Not to mention from what I can see at least half of the people agreed with me and many complimented me on the piece. Either way, it generated a fair bit of debate regarding SUP and its potential to further clog the world's line ups so maybe that was a positive outcome? it's good to see that SUPer seem to be more conscious than the average shortboarder about surf etiquette though and i guess the more people discuss these kind of things the more chance there is that we can all share the ocean with some semblance of decorum? Unless you are THAT angry guy, who might hit me with his paddle?

    miles - April 30, 2009, 04:16 / Report abuse
  • Miles, your article and your comments read as if they were written by a different person (so quit acting brah). If you call me a "graceless, throwback buffoon with an oversized spoon," no doubt I will get angry. People from Hawaii don't need haole haters telling them how to surf. Go tell the Kalamas that they are monkeys and jock suburbanites. You will get a paddle in the face.

    waimanu - May 4, 2009, 03:09 / Report abuse
  • well Duke Kahanamoku started up surfing and started off pretty much a longboard/tanker. So in other words, short boarders evolved around the tanker.

    HawaiianPride - June 6, 2009, 05:26 / Report abuse
  • In and around Bend, Oregon, we SUP paddle the rivers and lakes, including getting as many wind-driven wave sessions (on lakes) as we can. Practicing on inland flat water keeps us ready for any surf sessions we can get on the Oregon Coast. Stand up is a great way to get on the water when the surf is a long way off. With so many water ways to share around here we're always sharing SUP with as many people as we can.
    http://www.StandUpPaddleFlatwa.....ter.com

    Randall Barna - June 16, 2009, 06:42 / Report abuse
  • I'm 24 yrs old and just picked up SUPing after a 2 year break from surfing. After a shoulder injury and surgery, prone paddling became extremely difficult and painful. Now I'm back in the water and loving every minute of it.
    Since I started out as a prone paddler and I understand how much it sucks to surf with wave hogging A holes, I always give everyone plenty of room. Never drop in. Never cherry pick set waves. I'd rather ride slop and leftover garbage if it is crowded, and I still have fun. Yet, I still get occasional wise ass comments from other surfers. Usually about being so young and riding an 'old fart's board', or for 'cheat surfing'. I just shrug my shoulders and move on, cuz when its knee-high slop for weeks on end, I'm out having the time of my life practicing my footwork at empty breaks while everyone else is sitting at home looking at advertisements in surfer magazine.

    matt from socal - July 22, 2009, 06:22 / Report abuse
  • SUPing is a step backwards in the generalization of the 'apparatus' necessary to perform the act. Surfing once required practice... you'd spend months after months on your buddies old long board, or that soft-top rental catching whitewash just learning how to get your feet under you on the damn things... So the SUP'ers took the equation of surfing, and stripped out the three hardest things. wave timing, propulsion, and standing-up. It's putting training-wheels on a dirtbike so any schmuck can ride one!!

    SUPing is just not 'core'. It requires more external materials, more gear... and frankly, for surfers who love the ocean -- it's more wasteful! I'm more intrigued by these Alaia boards because they are less impactful on the environment than even the smallest of short boards.

    SUP = SUV!

    Bizkit - July 22, 2009, 21:43 / Report abuse
  • good to see comments still being posted. i'd love to own an alaia board dude!

    miles - July 24, 2009, 15:21 / Report abuse
  • Hey Miles!

    Long time no see! Am in CPT all the time, so let me hook you up a SUP session sometime? Promise, no extreme beer sessions to be involved!

    Chat soon I hope!

    Rob
    Naish Africa
    http://www.naishafrica.com

    Rob Munro - July 30, 2009, 08:16 / Report abuse
  • http://fucksups.blogspot.com

    Ima Oaron - August 2, 2009, 03:58 / Report abuse
  • Miles, you are completely ignorant! The sea is a big place and all kinds of people, of all fitness levels, should be able to try any sport they like. And for those who are just starting out and cant surf or don’t have a huge amount of fitness so what! It’s great for anyone to get out and enjoy the water. I have never surfed and just learning SUP’ing, it’s great fun and it does take skill and fitness and there is a lot to learn and lot you can do. It is also versatile as you can use it on canals, rivers, lakes. This sport will get bigger and bigger so get used to it! There's room enough for all of us! Just because you are a surfer it doesn’t make you cool, especially with an attitude like yours!!!!

    EJ - September 21, 2009, 09:45 / Report abuse
  • I think SUP surfing is just fine in certain situations. When its flat or if the waves are not very big it makes sense to use this type of equipment. The problem is when people use SUP boards to hog waves. Given the nature of the equipment, the SUP riders have the ability to pick up the wave sooner than other surfers, including longboarders. It is selfish and disrespectful to others in the water and leads to feelings of animosity. This can be said of anyone who doesn't share waves with the other people in the water. It seems to me that the problem is not really the SUP boards, but rather the riders themselves who sometimes are very selfish. In my experience with SUP riders, they seem to have an attitude of superiority, as if using an SUP board makes them a "waterman." Drop the attitudes and share the waves and we should get along just fine.

    Chip - December 25, 2009, 01:55 / Report abuse
  • Just picked up this thread! You lot are hilarious - who owns the waves who owns the pavement the wind the snow? I have been boarding for 30 years and if its sideways im moving forward if you understand! Do not knock it if you have not tried it and live your life in awe of what you have not tried. Land paddling now theres an idea!

    Johann - February 18, 2010, 02:02 / Report abuse
  • You are a freaking idiot. I live and surf the north shore and I hope I never meet you on my SUP. If you are surfing a break that is dominated buy SUP's then you must be surfing the beginner wave. I SUP at PIPE you want to tell me that is for kooks and is easy. F U and you Fing blog dumb ass

    scott - February 18, 2010, 06:57 / Report abuse
  • Ha ha ha. Dude, I hope I never meet you on your SUP either. What would happen if you did. Would you want to beat me up because I have an opinion? Chip has it spot on: "I think SUP surfing is just fine in certain situations. When its flat or if the waves are not very big it makes sense to use this type of equipment. The problem is when people use SUP boards to hog waves." That was the whole point, which I think you missed, dude.

    I still think SUP is lame though and I would rather kayak when it is flat. If that makes me an idiot, so be it.

    miles - March 24, 2010, 10:10 / Report abuse
  • The only problem I have with it is that it's ugly. No style and very little skill required.

    And let's be honest.. shops are pushing these boards to just about anyone, and at over $1000 a pop they are making a killing.

    No worries though, in 5 years they will be over it and you'll be finding these cheap at the local yard sales.

    yeah - April 14, 2010, 16:39 / Report abuse
  • I know shortboarders and there is only 2 kinds and not very many of the the 1 kind we need. I SAY ''justice is now served DEAL WITH IT WHINER SNAKES who look right thru you when they paddle across you path hoping you get slammed with the whitewater so they can show off to their other girlfiends...i have a longboard and i give for what i get...imagine that! GO SHRED~

    the whole SUP thang is evolving potatoechip lips.

    pig

    TonezBonez - April 18, 2010, 22:16 / Report abuse
  • I am a shorboarder but SUP for fun when it's small and coaching competitive groms. Or just when I don't feel like groveling since I do not longboard. We provide stand up paddle board lessons and coaching at EMPTY breaks or flatwater- educating people to WEAR A LEASH and to FIND THEIR OWN PEAK. Yes there are tons of kooks and wave hogs ridin EVERY type of board, but that will never change. GET OVER IT! I get taken out by "jock, wanna be Lairds" all the time. Relax, there will always be more waves...

    Chance’um - June 27, 2010, 06:21 / Report abuse
  • I find your article incredibly arrogant.My husband has surfed for over 50 years.He suffers from arthritus in his hips and was finding it incredibly difficult to surf anymore.He bought his first sup board 3 years ago,struggled to get the hang of it,as it is not plain sailing and does require skill and practice to get it right.He was the first person in our area of south wales to get one,loads of locals laughed said it wouldnt catch on etc etc.He now surfs really well on it,and loads of the people who dished it.......theyve got one now.ive tried it and loads of my girlfreinds have as well.So it is a very appealing sport to all sorts of people,regardless of sex,ability and fitness.It makes a lot of people happy which i think is a very important thing.Im not going to bash on about shortboarders but all ive got to say is that suping is a very graceful and skillful sport...............and i tend to think that people who have a problem with it,well maybe its not for them,if you get my meaning(tongue in cheek......of course)

    vanilla - July 10, 2010, 23:33 / Report abuse
  • SUP is a fun activity and so is surfing, skateboarding, grassboarding, sandboarding, skimboarding, skiing...WHATEVER!

    If you SUP & ENJOY, then you should SUP & DEPLOY!

    Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....rVSm4yM

    Sup Sailor - July 12, 2010, 22:50 / Report abuse
  • This article is bang on... SUPs steal almost every wave at this point at the breaks in front of my place on the South Shore of Oahu. They don't understand surfing either, at least 9 out of 10 of them. They are effectively giant dangerous logs that block you from riding wave faces and they don't even understand surfing enough to know that they got in your way.... On a shortboard you don't go straight on waves you ride the face or it sinks. I go out every time trying to be friendly and have good surf manners but after having to pull out of 10 perfect waves because of these jack asses it gets pretty annoying. Also I have almost had my head crushed by these 25-50 pound boards so many times that you end up so freaked to be in front of them it really wrecks the "fun" surf vibe. That said I surfed with 3 SUP local guys that were really cool and I had a blast catching tonnes of waves as we all took our turns.... They would change direction to let me catch the waves and didn't hog them like the old retired greedy CEOs types that usually ride these things.

    What we need and SUP zones because simply they are REALLY dangerous in the lineups.

    b-rad - July 19, 2010, 22:49 / Report abuse
  • Hilarious article! It is ashamed so many people can't read something like this and laugh, which was obviously the main purpose. Good stuff.

    tyler - August 23, 2010, 15:51 / Report abuse
  • You guys got to lighten up. I've ridden shorts, fishes, longs, and would try SUPs (if they weren't so lame imo- who goes in the water not to get wet?). Surfing is supposed to be fun. If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong. I've been dropped in on, crashed into, snaked, etc many times. Honestly, I never even knew it was supposed to be a problem until I read people complaining about it. Take a wave, share a wave, move on if it's too crowded for you. It's everyone's ocean.

    kJames - August 26, 2010, 13:12 / Report abuse
  • Nice read Miles... and even relevant 2 years later!

    The funny thing about SUP is the varied adoption rate around different parts of the globe. I live in a surf-centric are called Pacific Beach, San Diego, but it's also a youth-centric area. The average resident age is probably 25-30. Quite frequently, I take my beach cruiser to my office just down the beach and it's a rare day when I'll even see one SUP in the waves (and this is 2010 in SoCal). There are always maybe a hundred or so surfers on any given morning. Go up the coast to "North County" and you'll see a dozen stand up paddle surfers on some of the more wide open breaks. It's also an older area. There's definitely a correlation. I haven't seen Hawaii lately, but I've heard SUP is becoming a sizable percentage of the people in the water. The problems seem to sort themselves out, and the reality is that 90% of the SUP market is flatwater nowadays. There's a reason less than 1% of the population in the US surfs as that's about the number of people that are willing to venture into the somewhat dangerous surf zone. I don't think the existence of stand up paddle boarding changes that fact.

    It should be interesting to see how this all plays out over the next few years as SUP really starts to permeate Southern California.

    Stephan
    Tower

    Stephan - November 9, 2010, 23:13 / Report abuse
  • http://www.wavescape.co.za/blo.....er.html

    A Must Read!

    Bradley Gold - December 23, 2010, 13:04 / Report abuse
  • Bradley, that article is an obvious rip-off and not anywhere as good. The guy definitely read this article and penned his own. The use of language is way too similar, and with no sense of humor.

    tyler - January 10, 2011, 22:21 / Report abuse
  • "Notice to all...please conform by enjoying the ocean with the same device"...what a joke.

    Miles - your rant isn't useful, insightful or intelligent.

    garcia_s - January 13, 2011, 05:37 / Report abuse
  • Every sport has had this happen to it. It sells gear. I am a skier, snowboarders came along and anyone with an ounce of balance could ride one in powder (sound familiar) but then we started making skis in snowboard presses and smoking them lol :o then wavesailing and all the stringy people came along on their kites trying to kill us but it works itself out. embrace or watch yourself getting less and less waves

    Surfjunkie - February 13, 2011, 19:21 / Report abuse
  • I started SUP'n a year or so ago, prior to that only being a bodysurfer. Was so stoked that it was so easy to get into surfing. After a few weeks I was catching waves, cruising across them, doing some tricks etc.... I made sure I never dropped in and never got any grief in the lineup. However, i felt like I reached the limit of this paddle on and cruise down the line kind of surfing pretty quick. Started short boarding now. Selling my Sup to buy a fish. Thanks to SUP for getting me hooked on surfing. But really, it's not challenging enough.

    over_supd - February 25, 2011, 04:11 / Report abuse
  • I don't understand how people can say there's enough surf spots to share. I live in hawaii and SUPs are not only weapons that can take your head off it's also a virus that keeps multiplying.

    Kewalo - June 15, 2011, 08:53 / Report abuse
  • My friend who SUPs (He is good and has surfed his whole life, SUPs N. Shore in big conditions) told me yesterday that it is pretty much cheating and that he takes the best waves because he can. The point being this easy sport is really robbing surfers of good waves and anyone on this equipment will pretty much do the same thing. My friend is a good guy too. I tried paddle boarding on the flat water and it is really easy. I never fell off even first time and there really is almost no learning curve. What takes years of dedication on a surfboard can be gleaned by some out of shape kook in a day plus they will get your waves easier than you can. I surf to escape people and relax and let me tell you SUPing is a nightmare in that regard.

    atdi - June 15, 2011, 18:38 / Report abuse
  • I love the way Miles calls for others to respect him whilst totally disregarding the fact that he should respect others.

    Miles, your article was superficial and ill-informed. I was under the impression that surfers practised peace, love and respect. I guess, in your case, not.

    Nanimo - June 24, 2011, 08:00 / Report abuse
  • I think this is all blown a little out of proportion. I must say, I found the original article to be a bit of a one sided argument that essentially paints shortboards as being the one "true surfing" and all other surfborne craft as being unworthy. There were a few too many direct insults for my liking (to warrant it being called "tongue in cheek") but hey-ho, I'm not going to pretend to be a journalist.
    What I am, is a watersports enthusiast (a Windsurfer, if I had to add a label).
    For years, I stuck to my little sails and short windsurfing boards, and sat on the beach moaning that the wind wasn't right, the waves weren't right, the tide wasn't right etc etc.
    Then I moaned about the kitesurfers coming along with their new sport that anyone can learn, doesn't take much skill, blah blah blah...
    Anyway, I got over it when I grew up a bit. Nowadays I have a battered old van that contains a range of toys for the water including various windsurfing kit (covers the windsurfing equivalent of short boards, long boards etc) along with body boards, a smallish surfboard (still learning) AND a SUP.
    The bodyboards have been great for when there is no wind, but plenty of waves - so more time on the beach and the water.
    However, the SUP has now filled the gap when the waves are small to non existant PLUS I can now explore the coastline, and I've even paddled lakes and rivers.
    For me it's all about loving the water and enjoying life. Whether it's SUP, Windsurfing, Surfing, Longboards, Shortboards, Skiing or Snowboarding (or even Kitesurfing :-) ) it's all good.
    What makes it work are the people. And in my experience, it's only when the person with the ego arrives, it all goes wrong. Manners cost nothing, respect is free. Happiness is priceless.

    Peace.

    TomH - July 1, 2011, 15:25 / Report abuse
  • I;ve surfed for 40 yrs. and was around and saw what gidget did in swelling the surf population surfing USA was # 1 on the pop billboard charts & no one had even heard of the rolling stones!!! in retrospect the beach boys probibly wish it'd stayed that way. Heres my point.....SUP will never replace surfing and the skill level it requires its alot different surfing a bonzer 6' 8' surfboard or a 5'10' wilderness twin fin which I never got used to. Actually I think its cool regular folk can experiance in some degree surfing smaller waves whats wrong w/ that???....U think those same people w/ be out when its 6-10 ft. swell I think not!!!unless they have a death wise I'm talkin real waves not mush balls that trickle in and nver hook in the first place. My problem w/ sups is ther so damb expensive!!!...I mean I windsurfed for 4 yrs. and theres enough carbon in one mast to make 3-4 paddles!!! agood mast 400-500 dollars. and they actually have paddles that approach that cost!!!......whats up w/ that???...I rest my case mahalo....wiamea

    patrick lucas - September 15, 2011, 02:04 / Report abuse

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