No matter where you go in the world, it is interesting to see people's reactions when you show up on the beach carrying a standup paddleboard. Standup is one of those sports that depending on who you are, you either love it or you hate it. I happen to love standup paddleboarding. I love the challenge of it. I love that it allows me to paddle out to breaks where there are no other surfers and I love that I can go on a downwind paddle and surf any open ocean wave that I want, by myself, for miles at a time. What I don't love about it is the assumption that all paddleboarders are a nuisance.
It's not a huge secret that standup paddleboarding has been met with some resistance from the surfing community. Because of standup paddleboarding's potential to get the paddler into the wave really early, standup paddlers are thought to be in the way, to take every wave, and to be selfish in general. While there are some individuals in the community that represent the bad side of standup, for every selfish standup paddler, there are 20 that are respectful of the other surfers in the lineup and are respectful of their surroundings.
My friend Blane Chambers, owner and shaper for Paddle Surf Hawaii has some really good tips for how to be a positive member of the lineup. Here are a few of my favorite examples from their "Kook and Kool" list on how to be a nice standup paddle surfer.
- You can barely stay standing so you practice in an area where no one is around that you could endanger or bum out. You care about the world wide effects of SUP surfing so you paddle and surf with Aloha.
- You start to get the hang of it and want to surf better waves so you decide to surf a more popular spot. You paddle out and check out the situation. You see waves off to the side that a lot less people go for so you catch a few of those. Since you don't want to wear out your welcome, you decide to catch only a few set waves at most. You surf with Aloha.
- You're pretty good and can get in and around the surf well. You go to a crowded spot and check out what's going on and you see some of the lesser quality waves going un-ridden so you surf those. You catch a ton of waves but ones that no one really wants. You paddle out and get a few set waves but you make sure others get waves by quietly cluing them in to incoming sets. You become a quiet spotter of sorts for others to score good waves. You always sit out a few sets and you use your high vantage point to stoke others out.
During our recent trip to Costa Rica, our last surf stop was Pavones in the southern part of the country. Pavones is known for being one of the longest lefts in the world, and it seems that the surfers in the lineup are really protective of what they have. Walking down the beach with our standup boards, we weren’t really sure of how we would be received and once in the water, we started off on a smaller part of the break away from the crowd and were able to catch several fun waves away from everyone else. As the tide began to change, we made our way closer and closer to the point where some of the other surfers were. There we met Alex Outerbridge, an expat from Bermuda who frequents the lineup on his standup paddleboard.
Alex has been surfing for 50 years and has just recently made the switch to standup. He said that when he first started paddling out to the lineup, the locals were calling it "the beginning of the end in Pavones," however, he is now a respected member of the Pavones surfing community. We had the chance to sit down and chat with him a bit about his SUP philosophy:
No matter where you are in the world, it is important to pay attention to your surroundings. Whether you are on a standup paddleboard or not, it is vital that you blend in to the community as much as possible. As my friend Blane says, "Have a basic level of common sense, be aware of yourself and aware of others, and you should never have a problem."
For more tips on how to be a respectful standup paddler:
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Morgan Hoesterey is no stranger to audacious ocean challenges. In July 2008, with just eight months of paddling experience, she became the first woman to attempt and complete the legendary Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race solo on a standup paddleboard. Since opening the doors to women’s endurance racing, she has gone on to compete and place in the sport’s most prestigious events. This year she and fellow paddler Jenny Kalmbach became two of five people in the world to ever have standup paddled the entire Hawaiian Island Chain. The expedition, named Destination 3 Degrees aimed to raise awareness for plastics contamination in our oceans.
Currently, Morgan is a standup paddleboarder, surfer, freediver and photographer based in Honolulu Hawaii. She is sponsored by Joe Bark Paddleboards and Surfboards, Dakine, Quickblade Paddles, and Surf Stronger and is always on the lookout for her next big adventure.
For more about Morgan,
www.planetoceanphoto.com
www.facebook.com/morgan.hoesterey
www.destination3.com
About Morgan Hoesterey: Morgan Hoesterey is no stranger to audacious ocean challenges. In July 2008, with just eight months of paddling experience, she became the first woman to attempt and complete the legendary Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race solo on a standup paddleboard. Since opening the doors to women’s endurance racing, she has gone on to compete and place in the sport’s most prestigious events. This year she and fellow paddler Jenny Kalmbach became two of five people in the world to ever have standup paddled the entire Hawaiian Island Chain.
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