Paddleboarding

Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. Paddleboarding is usually performed in the open ocean, with the participant paddling and surfing unbroken swells to cross between islands or journey from one coastal area to another.

Renaissance

Paddleboarding experienced a renaissance in the early 1980s after Los Angeles County lifeguard Rabbi Norm Shifren's “Waterman Race”— from Point Dume to Malibu—inspired surf journalist Craig Lockwood to begin production on a high-quality stock paddleboard—known as the "Waterman." Its design, which has arguably won more races than any other stock paddleboard, remains a popular choice today. Shortly after, L.A, surfboard shaper Joe Bark and San Diego shaper Mike Eaton began production, and soon with Brian Szymanski's North County Paddleboards (NCP) became three of the largest U.S. paddleboard makers, eventually producing nearly half of the estimated 3–400 paddleboards made each year in the U.S. today. L.A. lifeguards Gibby Gibson and Buddy Bohn revived the Catalina Classic event in 1982 for a field of 10 competitors. Concurrently in Hawaii, the annual Independence Day Paddleboard Race from Sunset to Waimea was drawing a few hundred competitors, many using surfboards due to lack of proper paddleboards on the Islands. As paddlers began ordering boards from the Mainland, local surfboard shapers like Dennis Pang (now one of Hawaii's largest paddleboard makers) moved quickly to fill the local niche. On both fronts, paddleboarding has been consistently gaining momentum and popularity. In 1996 the sport of paddleboarding was making a comeback. Once the domain of only dedicated watermen and big wave riders in the 1950s and 60s, the sport found a new set of acolytes on the North Shore of Oahu and in Honolulu at the Outrigger Canoe Club. At that time Hawaii's top paddler was Dawson Jones. After completing the Catalina Classic, from Catalina Island to Manhattan Beach, Jones returned to Hawaii inspired to establish a race across the Ka’iwi Channel. In 1997, the race that is now known as the Paddleboard World Championships was born. The race sells out with both prone and stand up paddleboarders (SUP) from around the world who compete in solo and team divisions.

Olympics

Paddleboarding may be added to the Olympics and the Court of Arbitration for Sport will decide whether it is represented by the International Surfing Association or the International Canoe Federation.

Vessel registration fees

Some locations are starting to charge registration or other access fees for paddleboard use on public waterways.

By country

United Kingdom

Stand-up paddleboarding is one of the UK's fastest-growing watersports, with Paddle UK membership rising from 32,000 to 90,000 during an 18-month period in the pandemic.

Notable events

Catalina Classic, California, USA – Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard World Championships, Hawaii – Hamilton Island Cup, Australia – Trent 100, United Kingdom –

Notable paddleboarders

Thomas Michael O'Shaughnessy, Jr. - Guinness World Record paddleboarding the English Channel; created the East Coast Paddleboard Championships held yearly in Ponce Inlet, Florida Jamie Mitchell - Ten-time winner of the Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard World Championships.

Gallery

Image:Paddleboard_big_waves.jpg|Paddleboarding in big waves Image:Paddleboard-race.jpg|Paddleboard race Image:Molokai Yellow - Michael O'Shaughnessy.jpg|Thomas Michael O'Shaughnessy, Jr., paddleboarding record holder

References

External links

Standup-Paddleboard Safety

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378087464 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.

Names in other languages