This just came in from Mary Arman and Dennis Judson over at Adventure Sports Unlimited…
The 22nd Annual Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival is happening this weekend, March 14th-16th, 2008 at Steamer Lane. Over 100 surf kayakers of all ages and skill levels are expected to compete. Spectators looking for a fun weekend at the beach are invited to enjoy the festivities! This is the largest surf kayak competition in the world and surf kayakers from around the U.S. and several foreign countries will be vying for the best waves and best rides.
Several world champions crowned at the 2007 World Championships held in Spain last October will compete, including Rusty Sage of Santa Cruz, open high performance (HP) class champ, Buck Johnson of Prunedale, masters international class (IC) champ, Sean Morley of Fairfax, masters HP champ, Chris Hobson of Northern Ireland, junior IC champ, and David Speller of Jersey, junior HP champ. Many other expert surf kayakers will be looking for a win against these champions, including competitors from England, Costa Rica, Scotland, Jersey and Japan, as well as U.S. boaters.
In addition to kayaking heats, an expert wave ski category will feature a number of world ranked wave ski surfers, including Khane Duncan of Australia, Mathieu Babarit of France, Fletcher Burton of Pismo Beach, and Ricky Miller of New Jersey. And to round out the range of paddle surfing sports, this year the festival will have a demonstration heat on Sunday featuring four of the best stand-up paddle surfers on the west coast!
In addition to good waves and hot surfing competition, Kayak Surf Festival goers can purchase drawing tickets for items including art, wine and outdoor gear, buy event t-shirts, enter bids in a silent auction for five high performance surf kayaks, check out the sponsor booths showcasing the hottest kayaks and surf equipment, and enjoy breakfast, lunch and snacks at the food booth.
Competitors will be scored on their top three waves in each 20-minute heat, based on wave selection, use of the wave, surfing maneuvers and length of ride. Heats will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Judging for all events will be by professional surf judges. Expert surf kayakers will surf all three days. Novices and intermediates will surf on Saturday and Sunday. Although expert heats are filled, novices and intermediates can register through March 10 at www.asudoit.com.
Event host Dennis Judson of Adventure Sports Unlimited in Santa Cruz invites contestants, spectators, sponsors and volunteers to three days of great competition and fun. Don’t miss this great weekend at the beach! For more information, check out the event at www.asudoit.com or call Judson at (831) 458-3648.
I’m not afraid to admit it. I tried it and I liked it. I’d do it again, too.
Like many surfers, I was skeptical of the whole Stand Up Paddle Surfing phenomenon sweeping through California. Because I hadn’t tried it, I never challenged the refrains of my fellow shortboarders — it looks silly; it’s for old guys who are too lazy to longboard; it’s just a passing trend that will soon disappear as quickly as it came onto the scene.
Also known as “Beach Boy Surfing,” SUP originated in Hawaii on the reefs of Waikiki. In the 1940s and ’50s the Waikiki beach boys used to stand upright on their big boards with outrigger canoe paddles to maneuver and take photos of the tourists receiving surf lessons.
It wasn’t until the past six years or so, when images began showing up in the surf mags of Laird Hamilton and other famous Hawaiian watermen using SUP to train for big waves, that the sport really took off.
SUP is one of those things that you never think would be fun until you actually try it. My epiphany came on a recent frigid morning when local SUP enthusiasts Andy Whitman and Gary Niblock were generous enough to offer me a lesson. Although both began SUP surfing recently — Whitman about two years ago and Niblock just three months — their enthusiasm for the sport is palpable.
Niblock got into the sport to strengthen his back while still enjoying the ocean. A retired firefighter, Niblock has battled degenerative disk disease for years and said that SUP surfing has helped him to relieve stress on his lower back like nothing else.
“It works the abdominals, the gluts and the quads all while keeping the back aligned. It’s one of the best core workouts you can get,” he said. “It’s exactly the exercise I was looking for.
“It sounds like hyperbole, but it was a miracle cure for my back. I’m not exaggerating. I haven’t had a muscle spasm since I started.”
We met by the Santa Cruz wharf at 8 a.m. I was bundled in four layers and a beanie as we stood in the parking lot talking about what course to set, but mostly just stalling to let the sun creep a little higher into the sky and warm the land a degree or two before we hit the water. We suited up, and I lugged the massive 11-foot-9 Ed Angulo-designed board awkwardly down to the sand.
It was so cold out, there was ice on the board and my fingers were numb as we launched into the calm water.
The SUP was easy to get the hang of, coming from a surfing background. Designed for stability and paddling, SUP boards are generally between 9- and 12-feet long, 28-plus inches wide and 4-plus inches thick.
They’re basically aircraft carriers, especially if you’re used to riding a 5-10 potato chip. I felt like the Silver Surfer, standing upright in a relaxed, straight forward stance, floating on flat water without the assistance of a wave.
Despite the lack of waves for my maiden SUP voyage — it was pretty much flat, with a high tide rising throughout the morning and no other surfers around — it was a beautiful winter morning, clear enough to see the entire crescent of the Bay still glowing in the early morning light.
“The best part about [SUP] is you don’t need waves to have fun,” Whitman said. “We like to say it eliminates the skunk factor. Say you only have two hours before work and the waves are small. With SUP you can have fun paddling and get exercise instead of bobbing around getting cold, waiting for waves that never come, or driving around checking spot after spot and not surfing at all.”
I was stoked just to paddle into the little ankle-high peelers, both for the novelty of being able to ride micro waves that you can’t catch on most other surf craft, as well as the challenge of learning to catch waves in a new way.
But it’s true that the wave riding aspect is just one part of the SUP experience.
As we made our way along the coast, I was amazed at the difference six feet can make. Standing on the SUP, I noticed all sorts of details that never caught my eye while lying prone or sitting on my surfboard. With my higher vantage point, I could peer down into the water and see the kelp stalks twisting and swaying down to the reef and got a great view of the seals hanging out off Lighthouse Point. We even came upon an otter that didn’t seem to mind our presence as he cruised by on his back.
On our return leg, we decided to paddle back under the wharf. In addition to the challenge of navigating through the slalom course of pilings, our course also provided another new perspective. It was definitely a trip to look at the underside of the wharf as I drifted by, standing up.
But the potential for exploration goes beyond the underside of the local pier. Because you can cover a greater area, SUP opens the possibility of paddling trips and adventures along stretches of coast that are inaccessible from land. The potential to discover new spots for both SUP or traditional surfing is mind boggling. Baja anyone?
Because SUP surfers have an extreme advantage over their surfing counterparts in both vantage point to see the sets coming and paddling ability to catch those sets, it’s critical that they not abuse this advantage. Specific etiquette must be observed at all times, Niblock said. Basically, don’t try and catch every set wave that rolls through.
“Because you can catch waves so easily, you have to go out of your way not to be selfish,” Niblock said. “We won’t be accepted if we’re selfish. We want to surf with aloha. Sharing is the name of the game.”
SUP surfers should also be content to ride many of the smaller, slower waves that regular surfers can’t catch during their sessions, Niblock said. Other measures SUP surfers can take to minimize their impact on surfing lineups include going out when conditions aren’t ideal for regular surfing, or at spots with slower, mushier waves that regular surfers avoid, and paddling from one break to another, taking one or two waves at each point.
For me, the bottom line is all about stoke. Despite my previous misgivings about SUP, I have to admit that I was stoked out there. I was having a blast in the ocean on a day I otherwise never would have thought could be fun.
Not that I’m going to trade in my entire quiver for a brand new, top-of-the-line line SUP board. Most start at around $1,300, not including the paddle. But I am convinced that for the waterman, as well as your average surfer, SUP represents a good workout and a fun alternative worth exploring.
“It adds another dimension to your surfing,” Niblock said. “With SUP, it’s all about having fun, and you don’t have to surf the very best waves to have fun.”
Check out Gary Niblock’s awesome blog at http://srfnff.blogspot.com. In addition to being one of the best SUP resources out there, it’s also chocked full of constantly updated weather and swell data, along with pics of the previous day’s waves from around the Eastside, as well as some truly reflective blogging. Unlike many of us, he does a great job of updating his blog with fresh images and ideas–almost daily.
