The same old problem persists today: no one likes to share waves in the water. Short borders don't like surfing with long boarders, windsurfers don't get along with kite surfers, and everyone dislikes the stand up paddle guys. It's always for the same reason, everyone is a WAVE HOG!
I have been surfing for 35 years in Hawaii with some of the most amazing surfers in the world. There are a lot of new surfers out there just starting out with stand up paddling and it is hard for them to understand what it the aggravation that surfers feel. However, we can all figure it out and get all in the water, so take a moment to think about it.
The surfing community tends to be extremely territorial. It's the same concept as a gang. You wouldn't drive in the the ghetto swerving in and out of lanes cutting off gang members and hoping that nothing would happen.. would you? Same thing in the ocean, don't expect to step into another surfers territory and cut him off, because you know what will happen. We've all heard the stories.
This is the trouble: stand up paddlers can easily out paddle a surfer's speed by as much as 10 times. So when surfers are patiently waiting at the point for a half an hour getting into position you can understand why they get angry when a stand up paddler comes from the beach and with little effort gets position at the point instantly with little effort. SUP guys have the ability to paddle outside of the surfers and grab the first set before its even close to the surfers. They also are able to ride a wave and turn around and do the same thing over and over while the surfers increasingly get pissed off. It's becoming a real issue in Hawaii.
A couple of weeks ago while in Peru I was on a SUP and noticed a bunch of surfers. I ended up paddling a half mile up the coast away from them. I found myself in the middle of some amazing long waves, I was riding the same swells as the other surfers, but a different wave. After God knows how long of some the best surfing I had in a long time, I paddled back to the beach away from the other surfers. They all seamed to appreciate the fact that I wasn't infringing on their territory like everyone else seemed to be doing lately. It was a win win situation.
Thats the beauty of the SUPs, they can take you anywhere, with ease. They can take you to places on the coastal outer reefs farther than most surfers are willing to paddle to. Surfers tend to choose the waves with the shortest distance to the waves from the beach, so take advantage of this and get a little extra exercise by paddling to a break with less or no people and then there will not be a problem. Just use your head and a bit of surfing etiquette and it is possible to all get along. Be an ambassador of our new sport.
Remember we share the ocean, and lakes. We cant try to dominate them. We can easily paddle off and find our own peace of heaven, its the beauty of an SUP, our canvas is wide open. And if you live in place that has just one small surf break then paddle out and wait your turn! Dont take every wave, even if you can. Be considerate and you will be respected. Represent our sport so that it can grow without too much controversy and we will be able to coexist with the other water men of the world.
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