Paddle Sports

Stand up paddle surfing (SUP) is the newest and fastest growing segment of the board sports industry. The popularity of the modern sport of SUP has its origination in the Hawaiian Islands, where surfing instructors would stand on their surfboards with canoe paddles to more easily keep track of students. In the early 1960s, the Beach Boys of Waikiki would stand on their long boards, and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is where the term "Beach Boy Surfing", another name for Stand Up Paddle Surfing, originates.

Standup paddle surfing benefits athletes with a strong 'core' workout. SUP'ing is popular at warm coastal destinations and resorts, and is gaining in popularity as celebrities are sampling the sport, and cross-over athletes are training with SUP. SUPs have been spotted around the globe, anywhere where there is easy access to safe waters, as well as in the surfing lineups of the world. Many surfers have taken up SUP because of the versatility of the new sport. Stand up paddle boarding offers surfers the ability to catch more waves in a set, especially in small waves, as well as offering a better view of incoming sets.

Most standup paddle boards use glass-reinforced construction using epoxy resin that is compatible with the expanded polystyrene foam used in the core. The boards are generally longer than 9 feet (3 m), and up to 12 feet (4 m) or more in length, with features such as padded decks and concave hulls; they generally have one or four surfboard-style for stability.

For the less adventurous, we also carry single and double sit-down kayaks from Bic, as well as paddles, life jackets, and other kayaking accessories.