The essence of SUP surfing

[iwaterman]

Today was a small day of surf here in San Diego, but still some rideable waves came through.  I took out my 10' C4 only because I just got it a few days ago and it still has that special novelty that new boards have.  My regular board is a 10'6" Infinity that will never see shelf time because I've had too many great experiences on it.

I saw a couple of guys down the beach doing stand up near the marine room when I paddled out. Bryce, Mitch (of Mitch's surf shop fame), and two others were there catching a few knee-bangers.  Bryce saw my new board and asked if he could try it out.  He's a big guy, probably about 200 lbs, and his everyday board is a 12' Hobie.  I traded without hesitation - I've ridden his 12' before and had a blast on it.  Its a bit more work to turn, but a fun challenge.  Bryce jumped on the 10' and caught a few waves, no problem.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that the experience we have in the water is independent of the board when doing standup paddle surfing.  Regardless of all the numbers - volume, length, wetted surface area, etc. - and how they can be used to optimize your choice of boards, none of them will make you surf better or have a better experience.  A true waterman can get on pretty much anything that's made to float in the ocean and make it perfrom, from a finless slab of Koa, to a modern shortboard.

I'm the most guilty person alive of being a 'gear head', but the true essence of SUP isn't how well your gear works, but how well you make your gear work, which is all about time in the water.  The experience you have is independent of the gear; your time in the water is what you make of it.

Aloha!

[RUSS-D]

A true waterman can get on pretty much anything that's made to float in the ocean and make it perfrom, from a finless slab of Koa, to a modern shortboard.

 That is sooo true. I am trying to make it to Waterman status. I spend as much time as I can on the or in the Water. We don't get realy big Surf here on the Gulf of Mexico, so filling in with other water sports is a must. Sup'n has completed a missing piece of the puzzle for me.