Stand-up Paddle Surf (SUP)
In Fall 2009 H2O Extreme acquired a small fleet of Naish 12'8 Paddleboards.
SUP is the latest trend in water sports and is taking the world by storm.
Stand-up Paddle Surfing (or Stand-up Paddle Boarding) was inspired by the sport of ancient Hawaiian and Polynesian kings.
Rather than paddling in a prone position like traditional surfing, stand-up paddle surfers stand on the board (shoulders forward) and paddle using a large oar or paddle. These paddles have a single blade with a T-bar at the top, and are typically made from carbon-fibre, fibre-glass, aluminium (with PVC blades) or even wood. As a general rule a SUP paddle should be 1 foot longer than the rider.
Modern SUP boards are typically between 8 and 14 feet long and are thicker and wider than traditional surf boards - this gives them their stability.
The phenomenal take-up of the sport is largely driven by its accessibility - it's a very easy sport to learn and can be practised on any body of water - from rivers, to lakes to the open ocean.
SUP is a great no-wind activity for windsurfers and kitesurfers. It's also great for surfers to make the most out of marginal conditions, sloppy waves or remote breaks.
As an all-round body workout it's far more fun than being in the gym and has been a huge hit in the US. A number of celebrities have been snapped SUP-ing, including Jennifer Aniston, Matthew McConaughey, Rihanna, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Cindy "the Body" Crawford and former James Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan!
As well as recreational paddle-boarding there is a fast growing race scene (with specially designed SUPs of up to 15 feet in length).
As the name suggests, stand-up paddle surf boards are great fun in waves! On a SUP you can ride waves which would usually be too small for surfing. Likewise SUP is great fun in bigger waves - the speed generated by the leveraged-paddling position means you can easily paddle into big waves and maintain speed through flat sections. Likewise we can easily access waves (like on the reef in Diani, Kenya) which would otherwise only be accessible by boat. Legendary watermen like Laird Hamilton, Robby Naish and Dave Kalama are breaking new boundaries, paddling into infamous big wave spots like Jaws (Maui) and Teahupoo (Tahiti).
Diani Beach is ideally suited to learning to SUP, with a flat-water lagoon for learning or racing and quality reef-breaks (breaking from a couple of feet to overhead) just a short paddle away.
Full rates available on the H2O Extreme website here: http://www.h2o-extreme.com/Rates/suppricelist.pdf
--- H2O Extreme is proud to stock NAISH SUPs ---
For travel packages to Kenya for SUP and surfing please contact us by email: info@extreme-safari.com
photographs copyright Naish or Extreme Safari and cannot be reproduced without consent.
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