Stand-up paddle boarding has spread to almost every corner of the surfing world. I don’t have a problem with the activity per se, but I do with some of the people who choose it as their pastime / hobby / sport (pick one).
Give a man a big stick and watch an ordinary beta male start acting like a mall cop or a monkey. Allow him to stand six feet above everyone else in a crowded place with limited resources and watch primal dominance instinct kick in. It’s ugly and dangerous. Especially if the crowded place is a surfing line-up and he is wobbling around on ten feet of hardened epoxy.
People who’ve mastered SUPing, although equally annoying because they believe they have a right to more waves than anyone else, are at least less dangerous than beginners. But what is with SUPers who think that because they’ve splashed around a river they can progress directly to wave riding? Beginner surfers catch foamies until they develop the skill and confidence to attempt unbroken waves. Beginner SUPers just wobble that hunched Neanderthal stance right into the line-up.
It’s bulky, awkward and not a thing of beauty.
We do however thoroughly support SUP yogaEver seen those SUPers who paddle whilst on a wave? It ain’t pretty. Ride that wall properly and you don’t need your stick for speed, bro.
I guess like STDs and weeds nothing will stop the spread now. Soon we’ll be sharing the line-up with them and jet propelled boards. So enjoy the lingering days of a golden era. Give love to our bodyboarding brethren – they are much closer allies than we’d ever have imagined. Hug a knee-boarder.
All I can say is thank God SUP boards are too big and impractical for most airlines and surf travel.
But I guess they can still bring their sticks.