Stand up paddling on a surfboard, will give you a surreal experience akin to an astronaut’s spacewalk. You will be rowing upright across the glassy ocean with only your in hand. Add to that breathtakingly beautiful views and underwater, marine life and you have a beautiful trip lined out for yourself.
Standup paddling seemingly dates back to the 1920s and ’30s, when Waikiki’s Beach Boy surfers paddled their huge Koa wood surfboards upright because it enabled them to keep their cameras dry for photographing wave-riding tourists.
Chris Dixon tried learning the sport and came up with some real good tips.
Tips for first timers.
• Board used is slightly bigger yet very light at 12-foot-long, 5-inch-thick and 31-inch-wide.
• Paddles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the general rule is a paddle about six inches taller than yourself if you’re surfing and eight inches taller if you’re distance paddling. For traveling, a detachable two-piece paddle can come in handy.
• As a first timers you are likely to do better if you if you bent your knees, straightened your back and moved slightly forward, balance would come more easily.
• To stabilize yourself when standing still, wave the paddle side-to-side so that it brushes across the surface of the water.
• To make more rapid turns dig the paddle in on one side and quickly shift weight to the back of the board.
• Dive under the waves by ditching the board in the face of an incoming wave and digging in underwater with the paddle.
Where you can learn the sport: Hawaiian Surfing Adventures of Hanalei, Hawaii, offers lessons on the Hanalei River, which runs into the ocean near a terrific long board surfing area. The cost is $45 per person for a one-hour lesson with two more hours with board and paddle.
Where to get your board: C4 Waterman of Hawaii, Infinity Surfboards of Dana Point, Calif.
Well now you are all set to start an adventure of a different type.
Source: The New York Times
