Offshore stoke.

[ez_ed]

I got a call yesterday AM from my buddy who was unable to paddle last week due to a commitment in
town. I told him that, in the future, he should do like me: avoid commitments and, more importantly, avoid town.
He wanted to have a go at it. Now here's a guy who has been on an SUP like twice and is a marginal surfer at best BUT can run/bike forever. He bikes Metric Centuries for kicks and runs hours at a clip so...I know he's fit enough for the attempt.
We go.
But instead of the "7 mile miracle" stretch, we take off at Three Tables and point for home. In the distance we can just barely make out the two large apartment buildings which mark our destination. We called it the "Cement City Sail" since the winds were behind our back and we were "sailing" along at a pretty good clip. We took a decidedly off shore track and were just powering from Alligators to Lanis, then I went inshore and effed around trying to catch some wavelets as Ken powered on steady and sure. Then the tough stretch of chop over by Puaena and across the deep black Haleiwa channel. Kaiaka Bay is pretty technical. Your board nose dives under the trough and you've gotta stay focused so's not the eat it and swim with the Hammerheads. We find ourselves over by the local reef out front of my house and I ride a shin high wavelet in.....
2 hours and 4 minutes later we're on shore again.

"Shoots, if we keep this up, we'll be crossing the Molokai Channel," I joke.
"That's not a bad idea," says Ken.
The crazy thing is....he's SERIOUS. What's even crazier? He's got ME thinking about it.

[sublimelbc]

Sounds awesome.  These stories always motivate me to accomplish some trivial physical pursuit the following day.  Swim a mile in the pool tommorow perhaps.

[Looseness]

So stoked! I love this stuff, especially after my experience Sunday SUP paddling NYCWipeout's board way out and back a couple times. I got in a groove and really enjoyed it. Caught an ankle high one in too. I'm sold! I could easily see eventually going out for LONG paddles. I loved just moving accross the water, the different rhythm of using the paddle, few strokes one side, switch.... I get it now. I want to be a JANITOR! 

[little_nasty]

uh oh!!  i think we've got another convert!

[McFloater]

and I too tried it this weekend.  not a great first try, but not horrible.  i'm hooked though...and sore. if i had room i'd love to get one.

[north st.]

I heard that the parkies didn't know what to think.....is it a boat or is it a surfboard? 

[nycwipeout]

let me stick it up the parkies ass & then they can tell me what they think

[north st.]

I probably shouldn't have used the work "think" and "parkies" in the same sentence....I wanna try one of those things, because I used to really like kayaking the flat water....I'm actually still thinking of buying a folding kayak that I can bring down to Rincon and go fishing when it's flat, or kick-it in Jam Bay or put in the trunk for anywhere...

[Looseness]

I heard that the parkies didn't know what to think.....is it a boat or is it a surfboard? 

BOOP, BOOP, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOP! {sound of their little horn thingy}

[ez_ed]

So stoked! I love this stuff, especially after my experience Sunday SUP paddling NYCWipeout's board way out and back a couple times. I got in a groove and really enjoyed it. Caught an ankle high one in too. I'm sold! I could easily see eventually going out for LONG paddles. I loved just moving accross the water, the different rhythm of using the paddle, few strokes one side, switch.... I get it now. I want to be a JANITOR! 

Nice. Wait till you do your first drop knee top turn....hit a lip....connect a section that would otherwise be impossible...
Honestly, it's really addicting. And I contend that it definitely improves your "regular" surfing. After coming off an SUP for a warm-up, I sometimes grab a shortboard/fish and my turns have a lot more power.
A great way to learn currents, develop wave knowledge and a completely new perspective on the sport. Definitely not an easy thing to surf waves with a paddle and a 12' board.

[Looseness]

So stoked! I love this stuff, especially after my experience Sunday SUP paddling NYCWipeout's board way out and back a couple times. I got in a groove and really enjoyed it. Caught an ankle high one in too. I'm sold! I could easily see eventually going out for LONG paddles. I loved just moving accross the water, the different rhythm of using the paddle, few strokes one side, switch.... I get it now. I want to be a JANITOR! 

Nice. Wait till you do your first drop knee top turn....hit a lip....connect a section that would otherwise be impossible...
Honestly, it's really addicting. And I contend that it definitely improves your "regular" surfing. After coming off an SUP for a warm-up, I sometimes grab a shortboard/fish and my turns have a lot more power.
A great way to learn currents, develop wave knowledge and a completely new perspective on the sport. Definitely not an easy thing to surf waves with a paddle and a 12' board.

It all sounds exciting to me. Hey I hear people are frequently going shorter on those things. I personally like the idea of a longer one, more for distance and open water than actually surfing breaking waves much. Not that I rule that out or anything. I have already noticed the difference in my surfing when I surfed my Takayama 9'0" then jumped on a shortboard, sorta like swinging a weighted bat but different. I can only imagine riding a WIDE 10 foot+ board, then jumping on a shortboard. Wow, it would be cool for those few days a year here when it breaks WAY outside and reforms where we surf. Go way out there and ride the bombs....only thing is getting the board out through the inside to get there. 

[ez_ed]

To me, a 10'6"x 30"x 4.25" quad fish would surf like a shortboard. I know that sounds crazy but with the paddle they surf a lot shorter than you'd imagine. For me, SUP surfing is really an extension of old skool longboarding-cruisey x-country style surfing. If I want to do my best impersonation of a ripper I'll reach for a shorter board or a performance longboard.
One funny thing I find since getting into SUP some is that I try to find more and more remote reefs and have SCORED-empty perfectly curling SUP waves that would be tough to catch and access even with a longboard but, with an SUP, are epic 100+ yard rides.

[sublimelbc]

To me, a 10'6"x 30"x 4.25" quad fish would surf like a shortboard. I know that sounds crazy but with the paddle they surf a lot shorter than you'd imagine. For me, SUP surfing is really an extension of old skool longboarding-cruisey x-country style surfing. If I want to do my best impersonation of a ripper I'll reach for a shorter board or a performance longboard.
One funny thing I find since getting into SUP some is that I try to find more and more remote reefs and have SCORED-empty perfectly curling SUP waves that would be tough to catch and access even with a longboard but, with an SUP, are epic 100+ yard rides.

Hmmmmmm outer bar possibly 

[Joe Bama!]

I know Outer Bar, its a great spot. They have 2 for 1 tuesdays.

Avalanche!

[Whiskey Tango]

they would be great for outer m0ses