The power of the dark side

supping is funny. it catches on big in some places and others not so much….maybe you're in
a hot spot for 'em...

 

Stay in New England with that menace: see if you can prang shart stuffer at the break that he frequents.

 

Since you've ventured into the "dark side", a 9 ft soft top, new or used, might work as well. Much less expensive and less of a "missile hazard" than a SUP.

 

Yeah, darkside has power. Skull cracking power. I rented a 10'6 SurfTech one day it was almost flat, not to try to surf, just to paddle around out beyond the break. I was walking it in through the shorebreak, when a small wave caught the tail and launched the thing at me. It knocked me face down in the sand and left me with a bruised back and a knot on the back of my head. Way too much board for me to handle.

 

Wasn't really between me and the wave, I was holding it beside me but I think the wave twisted the tail of it around. Lethal weapons!

 

You gotta be smarter than the board....

 

follow your instincts.
they are, after all, just more fruit from surfings' genealogical tree.
the nsps' seem to have the right combo of price/durability/performance…u know stix so try the classified
adds first….

 

Today was a perfect example of this. Buoy read 1ft/10s... Didn't look like much, yet a friend and I paddled way down the beach and out to where a little peeler wave would work into a nice thigh high wave you could "skate" on a SUP. Getting to that spot / and riding that wave would have been very difficult on other craft. We had it to ourselves from sunrise until the tide killed it. It was nice to be out on the water, get a little exercise and have fun. Plus, the water was clear and it's always nice to observe the wildlife between sets.

The designs of Surf SUPs continue to improve. They are not all the 10+ foot monsters that are typical tourist rentals. The shapes <9' may float you (depending on your size) and are very surf-able. Given that you are an experienced surfer, you should be able find a nice stick that will make you very happy.

 

^+1. Keep your head on a swivel and always know where the board is. Develop a good stiff arm & protect your noggin. Additionally, it takes a little time/familiarity to handle a SUP. That is why when one first takes a SUP out in the surf, select an area away from other people until it can be handled. Using a SUP will require an increased awareness.

 

Good advice. Take it one step further and do as I did, which is, don't take your SUP to the surf until you have mastered it on flat water, I suggest spending 4-6 months on flat water, being sure you are 100% in control and know how to paddle a long distance with power and efficiency, turn in both directions proficiently, walk up and down the board, and handle boat wakes, all without falling one time in a session. If you fall even one time, you are not ready for the surf.

When you have mastered calm flat water, you should challenge yourself in windy / choppy conditions on the intracoastal and when you finally feel confident enough to take it to the beach and try to catch waves, give it another month on flat / windy & choppy intracoastal water... then you'll be ready... maybe.

Learning curve is different for everybody. If you aren't a surfer, than you really should double the amount of time suggested above. If you are a proficient surfer to begin with, then you might be able to move to the surf faster, but I'd listen to my above advice to be absolutely sure, and so you don't embarrass yourself out there. Watching someone fall off over and over again is amusing but if you are anywhere near a wave you are just being a danger to yourself and anybody else within your board / leash radius.

 

Sounds like some straight Mr. Miyagi knowledge right there. Kickin knowledge to the young grasshoppers.

 

^+1 This is all good. Your mileage may vary. And taking into a choppy waterway/bay is a heck of workout. The first time I did this (choppy bayside) I felt like I was on an extreme "stairmaster". I could only stay out for about 15 minutes and my legs were burning. Overtime, your balance will develop and the board will become an extension of your body, and be less fatiguing because you struggle less to stay balanced. The "core" and balance benefits are a real plus.

 

That it is Capecodcdog, that it is...

What I would do is I would figure out which direction the wind is blowing and I would paddle as hard and fast as I could against the wind 1st and go as far as I could until I completely gassed out and needed a break. Once you get to that point then you can take a breather, sit down / rest your legs, or casually stroll about and take a look at some of the wild life around you, then once you catch your breath and get your legs under you, then you turn around and use the wind at your back to get as much speed going as possible and see how fast you can make it back to your starting point.

Be sure to push your limits as far as you can going out 1st because when the wind is at your back you don't need a lot of energy to make it back. BUT, whatever you do, do NOT do this the other way around or you'll be stranded waiting for someone to come scoop you because you won't be able to make it back. HAHAHA

Use the choppiness and boat wakes to get use to the turbulence of the surf. Try getting in a boat wake and ride it for a minute if it's big enough. If you can't do it without falling, you aint ready. If you look like you're in an earthquake trying to handle the choppiness or boat wake, then keep at it until you are steady as she goes...

 

Yeah, my wife's cousin and her husband own a massage and yoga studio here. They always invite us to go there. I never do, but the wife does.

Anyway, they both bought SUPs a couple months ago. Now they are planning a weekly, SUP Yoga class. Where they paddle out and do Yoga on SUPs. As they are telling me this, I am just thinking, Okay, so even if you aren't going to take them out in the ocean, you are going to take a bunch of "mommie" out into the intracoastal waterways (we have like 8-9 foot tide swings), where the tides and currents are ridiculous, its covered in oyster beds and all kinds of obsticles, not to mention shark invested.... Hrmmmm.... Nope, nothing can go wrong when that middle aged, woman who can barely swim falls of the side of her SUP in the water, hits an oyster bed or whatever....

Never heard of this kind of thing, but sounds like just a complete novelty. Like, can't you do yoga on the beach, and then follow it with a SUP session? Is it really necessary to go out, into deep water and do this stuff?

I just hope they have good insurance.

Saw a 70 old guy almost die in a Kayak last winter. They brought him up on the boat landing, loaded him in the back... I went out and asked the paramedics what happened, they said that old boy just rolled his Kayak over. He wasn't a strong swimmer and the 60 degree water had him very cold.... Dude looked like he was about to straight die... And all that happened was he fell in.

 

Sup

check out some clips of Bongo Perkins on an SUP. now that's something to aspire to.

 

some guy here stand up paddles on a kayak

i want to punch his face off

 

Had a 9'3" sub-vector for about 3 years and would only take it out on the smallest of days. But definitely a fun alternate way to surf...took it out on a couple of head high days just for fun and could force it around with the paddle but what was the point when I could just surf. The newer naish HP sups look to be the call for pure performance, but I'll be honest...I don't even think they'd be worth it for our type of waves. When its breaking top to bottom and attempting to sneak into a wave just wont happen...a reef or point is a different story but a beachie...no thanks. Definitely a small wave activity....loads of fun when not around crowds! However, I always loved a long paddle...definitely a work out. If you can find a cheapie you should jump on it...definitely more difficult to surf than an LB.

 

Definitely. And this dude that's on the SI videos page also kills it on a SUP:

http://www.swellinfo.com/video/jess-leedy-extreme-sup-surfing

 

You can't find ANYTHING but a soft top for less than $500 or $600.... seems insane to me. I guess as long as people keep buying them, the market will hold. But that is WAAAAAAYYYYY too much for a used board of most kinds.

I mean, why are there no SUP beaters? I could see dropping 3 or so for one just to have and mess around with. Paddle around the bay, but I ain't dropping $1200 on one. That is money better spent on a surf trip.