In one of the most dramatic and exciting Finals yet for the Standup World Tour, Bonga Perkins digs deep in the last minute of the heat to edge ahead of Kai Lenny by the smallest of margins and take victory at stop 1, the Sunset Beach Pro. Bonga was one of the on-form surfers throughout [...]

It was an exciting day at the Standup World Tour’s kick-off event of 2012, the Sunset Pro. The first day of trials (see video, below) were held in three rounds of heats with the following competitors advancing to the Main Event: Chuck Patterson (California) Beaux Nixon (Australia) Uluboi Napeahi (Hawaii) Makua Rothman (Hawaii) Yuri Daberkow [...]

Jenny Kalmbach has been a dominant competitor in the SUP scene for the past four years. She’s paddled the nine open-ocean channels that link the Hawaiian Islands, was voted Female Paddler of the Year at the first annual SUP Awards and has dominated countless races while also raising awareness about plastic pollution. –-Shari Coble Photo [...]

I’ve been in the ocean my whole life. I learned how to standup paddle here on Maui when Laird (Hamilton), Dave Kalama and Loch (Eggers) were down at Ho’okipa with their huge standup boards and they let me go out at the point. I remember catching my first wave and being hooked. I was 9 or 10.

Here’s a 2012 resolution for you: Shred any water you find yourself on be it river, lake or ocean. Ring in the New Year by entering for a chance to win a Werner SUP paddle of your choice and get a free years subscription to SUP magazine. Getting in on the game is simple: Click [...]

I started paddling when I was 16. As a kid, I grew up doing surf lifesaving, which is big in Australia. I started competing on outrigger canoes. I was a small kid, so they taught me how to be a steersman. I learned how to have ‘feel’ for the water and how to control a canoe, which made the transition to standup really easy. The first time I saw an SUP was in 2007 in Hawaii when racing the OC-1 series. I remember thinking, ‘This sport won’t take off’. It looked silly.

I competed in the lifeguard Ironman competitions swimming, paddleboarding and rowing or surfski paddling. I ended up winning the U.S. national championships and I got to compete in Australia, which was a pretty amazing experience because over there it’s a national sport and they compete in front of 25,000 spectators.

Competitors on the Standup World Tour experienced clean 4- to 5-foot surf at Honoli’i on Monday, providing ideal conditions for the start of the prestigious Main Event of the Hawaii Island Finals. With 32 of the best standup paddlers in the world now battling it out for the event title and to improve on their [...]