SUP Just not Cool

[Bean]

Yesterday morning, 15-20mph off-shore wind, waist high, mid-tide, goofing around, I tried to sit-down paddle my B&B into a wave but missed.  A surfer on a 5'10" fish, laughing, says "even I would have thought paddle surfing was cool if you would have made that". 

When he said he had never tried stand up, I suggested this was a perfect opportunity.   At 190 lbs, 15 less than me, "it should be cinch" on my 9'6", 117 liter Black and Blue.  Well, he never got to his feet.  After 15 minutes, and dozens of attempts to get up, he was almost out of sight as the wind carried him further off shore.  I had to borrow a longboard from a buddy to paddle after him and reel him back in.  To his credit, even after learning he was set up, he was gracious and is totally determined to conquer stand up.

And I'm determined to ride a shortboard again

[surfcowboy]

Do it. I've been surfing more than SUSing this season and it's changed my body for the better. Also, nothing spreads aloha and wins points more than 30-45 min of surfing a spot before you break out the SUP. I regularly score spots that are downright hostile by showing up on a "cool" board and then pulling out the SUP.

I'll be body surfing later today with some buddies too, if all goes well. It's all fun, it's all the ocean. 6 years ago I fancied myself a "waterman" when I was a middle aged flat lander who couldn't even paddle 4 miles. The ocean humbled my a$$. I'm no Dave Kalama but I can now surf head high to slightly overhead on several types of surf craft and paddle (and swim) in the ocean about as far as I want/need to. I thank the old timers on this board for planting those seeds.

And yeah, there's nothing more fun than schooling a buddy on the difference between "vacation SUP" and paddling in waves.

[Bean]

Yup, a larger minisimmons is in my future.

[GizzeeNZ]

some peeps think sup not the coolest activity 

[southwesterly]

What do you mean it's not cool?

[SUPcheat]

There's cool, and there's Kook-Cool!

[PonoBill]

Many moons ago I realized that our sport is not cool. Just isn't. I'm good with that.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Between my love of Star Trek, Shakespeare, and paddleboarding, I'm hitting all the cool buttons.

[Bean]

Between my love of Star Trek, Shakespeare, and paddleboarding, I'm hitting all the cool buttons.

You're just totally out of control IS...what did you think of Rotten?

[beached]

if SUSing is so uncool, why is it every time i go out and find a nice little spot all by   myself, i quickly find i'm surrounded by proners? seems to attract more than repel.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Bean, what's Rotten?

[surf4food]

Between my love of Star Trek, Shakespeare, and paddleboarding, I'm hitting all the cool buttons.

Bet you never played the kazoo in a Lawrence Welk tribute act.

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

Uhhh  wait  !  its not cool?   Dude it is gnarly hangten   fun ... I don't care how good  or kook you are it is cool. 

[SUPlakes]

Who cares if someone thinks it's cool or not cool. Shouldn't we just be concerned with how much enjoyment it brings to our own lives?  Feeling inferior or superior to someone is ego driven.

[clinto]

All of my buddies that i grew up prone surfing with have been making fun of my SUP since i contemplated getting one. They have since started to come around one by one. Especially since they never even considered fishing, exercising and cruising on them. Surfing is fun on SUP but the other opportunities are more of what i use it for. More time on the water is my main goal.