Standup
Paddle Boarding & Surfing
Standup paddle boarding is a new sport that is
adding more crowd pressure on the playground of
an existing sport, surfing. As such, this new sport
and its new participants are naturally viewed with
a bit of suspicion. It’s no different than
the early days of snowboarding in the 1980s, when
snowboarders were met with a bit of contempt. Not
because of their dress or their culture –
this was before all of that came to be. They were
met with contempt simply because they were unfamiliar
- their path down the mountain was difficult to
anticipate for skiers, they stopped and sat in the
middle of the mountain, and they created havoc getting
off the chairlifts. Change is unnerving. Nevertheless
snowboarding developed and flourished, and the two
sides learned to share the mountain and because
of that, today there are tens of millions of people
around the world enjoying the mountains and connecting
with nature in a way they otherwise wouldn’t
have. Without question, the advent of snowboarding
was a great thing for people and the world. Without
question, so too will standup paddle boarding be.
The primary issue between the surfing culture and
the standup paddle boarding newcomers are that:
- SUPs compete for already crowded surf spots
- The natural board length advantage of SUPs gives
them a wave catching advantage over both long
boards and short boards
- The combination of the massive size of an SUP
and an inexperienced rider can present a danger
to anyone else sharing a surfing spot.
Just as snowboarding presented issues to the established
skiing environment, so too does stand up paddle
surfing present issues to the established surfing
environment. In the skiing world the newcomers (the
snowboarders) were the counter-culture invading
the establishment (which is never in favor of change,
let’s be honest) so the backlash was unavoidable.
Ironically, in the surfing world, surfers embody
the idea of the counter-culture (which not only
doesn’t typically fear change, but actually
usually embraces it as early adopters). You can
read this two ways. On one hand, the fact that surfers
are concerned is something to seriously consider.
There are issues that need to be addressed. On the
other hand, and true to the nature of counter-culture
minded people, many if not most lifelong surfers
(top pros, shop owners, and other influential surfers)
are gravitating towards stand up paddle surfing.
The take away is that SUP isn’t going away,
but neither are the issues. We’ll address
each SUP/surfing issue separately below.
The natural board length advantage of SUPS
give them a wave catching advantage over both long
boards and short boards
This is really a new twist on an old issue in surfing,
or wave riding to be more specific although surfing
is undoubtedly the dominant majority. If you take
any group of wave riders, there are many advantages
different riders have over each other. Long boards
have a wave catching advantage over short boards.
Experienced and pro riders have an advantage over
novices. Riders with local knowledge have an advantage
over those unfamiliar with the area. Windsurfers
and kite boarders present many different advantages
and disadvantages. The beauty at the heart of the
surfing culture (in its best light) is that it’s
a community of people, or a brotherhood, who loves
the water, the waves, and beach life in general.
It’s an escape from the rat race. In the larger
society where capitalism rules, individuals are
largely encouraged to use their “natural advantages”
over one another without much regard. In surfing,
if you’re a student of the sport and culture,
you’ll know that there is a surfing etiquette
bill of rights that specifically says, “Thou
shalt not use your surfing advantages to abuse your
fellow surfers… be it surfboard length or
skill or whatever”. Surfing, while perhaps
outwardly perceived as an individual sport, is really
a zen sort of thing where you’re asked to
be conscious of your advantages, and then conduct
yourself appropriately given those advantages, and
with the intent of deliberate friendliness, for
the good of the tight-knit community. Thus this
issue of a board advantage has already been addressed.
SUPers just need to educate themselves and become
aware of their natural board size advantage to catch
waves… and then act appropriately. Don’t
use your board advantage to hog the waves. Let some
pass on occasion. Share the water, and understand
that in this culture you have to give respect to
get respect. Understand that you’re the newcomer.
SUPs compete for already crowded surfing
spots
In the same vein as the discussion above, the established
wave riding community needs to understand and accept
change and newcomers just as surf etiquette dictates
that locals don’t inappropriately act in a
greedy manner towards newcomers and visitors. The
flip side of this also has to be understood by SUPers.
They need to be conscious of the fact that they
are newcomers and they must give respect to get
respect. Unless you are an expert surfer and all
around waterman, as a stand up paddle surfer it’s
wise to just stay away from the crowded breaks.
You can always dust off your surfboard if you want
to play there. Maybe they’ll come a point
where some SUP spots with great breaks are carved
out of the beaches, but until then we all need to
play together. Just remember who got there first
– who’s the local. The reality is these
mammoth boards can catch just about any waves. It’s
best as a beginner to learn in the small or poor
breaks where no one else surfs… just as snowboarders
strayed off the groomed runs and took to the ravines
and “natural half pipes” in the early
days. SUPing is a new sport, and if viewed correctly
it may actually grow the pie of “surf breaks,”
just as snowboarding did.
Separately, surfers need to understand what stand
up paddle boarding means to them and their water
loving community. The reality is that only probably
5-10% of stand up paddle boarders will be venturing
into the surf. A good percentage of those will likely
be surfers that migrate over. This is already happening.
The other coming 90-95% of standup paddle boarding
enthusiasts are likely going to stay in the flat
water. Only a small percentage of the population
is willing to put themselves in danger in the surf,
which is precisely why surfing isn’t more
crowded than it already is. The larger picture here
is that millions of more people around the world
are getting into the water and establishing the
essential connection to water and the oceans that
you as surfers have known for years. The number
of people who give a shit about the water and the
ocean is about to skyrocket to numbers you likely
can’t even conceive today, and only good will
come of that. Your playground is about to have a
lot more passionate voices defending it. This may
indeed be something that eventually saves the crowded
surf breaks that you share today from continual
environmental abuse and disaster.
The combination of the massive size of
an SUP and an inexperienced rider can present a
danger to anyone else sharing a surfing spot.
Again, this is an issue that has already been addressed
by established surfing etiquette. The number one
rule of surfing etiquette is to “Pick the
right spot for your level.” Ideally, newcomers
to SUP would educate themselves on surfing etiquette
and act accordingly, but this isn’t always
going to happen. Just like many new surfers don’t
educate themselves. The issue is not that different.
The potential danger, on the other hand, is far
more significant. If you’re a newcomer to
SUP, the message here is that you need to be aware
of the danger that you posses to others in the water,
and you need to conduct yourself appropriately.
Safety issues of this nature are going to happen
as SUPing grows in popularity. It’s inevitable.
This is an issue that surfers need to step up and
deal with in an appropriate manner in the water
as it happens. It doesn’t have be combative
or aggressive in nature, but something needs to
be said. Give them a little room at first to protect
yourself and give the SUPer the benefit of the doubt
before you say anything because they may be quite
capable of handling the board in the environment.
If it becomes apparent they are a safety issue to
you and others just say something. The most effective
way to handle a situation is what they call a sandwich
criticism. Say something nice, follow with the criticism,
then part with something nice. Most people will
respond very favorably. Just warmly smile and say
hi, maybe compliment on their board and ask them
where they got it. Then express your opinion that
this break, with this crowd, with their skill level,
might not be a very safe situation for everyone
involved and that the SUPer might paddle down the
coast a bit to a less crowded area. Then part by
mentioning some off-peak times when they might be
able to SUP here and not run into the crowds, and
then say how you hope to see them around as they
get more proficient in the waves.
Read more on Surfing
Etiquette
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