I just noticed the facebook copy is very hard to read. I have pasted it here unedited instead.


The gift

What Stand Up Paddling brings to surfing.

By Stuart Murray

I used to call myself a surfer and to tell you the truth I was pretty
happy with that. Living what I thought was the dream life by the
beach. I grew up in a surfing backwater and left there to spend my
years travelling the globe in search of the perfect wave. We all stop
somewhere and I settled down enough to carve out a career as a
surf coach. I had also grown enough to appreciate the waves that
rolled up to my local beach. I did not feel the need to complain too
much about the flat spells, the tough conditions or gripe about the
crowds. I had learnt the ways of getting a few waves on busy days
and how to get one in an onshore.

I noticed though that for many around me the joy was gone. Many
came from habit as at least a salt water anaesthetic would numb
the madness of their busy life, blunt the knife edge of the city and
silence the deafening roar of their own negative thinking. They
surfed but the joy was gone.

As a 12 year old I watched a TV show about brave men zig zagging
down large waves in Hawaii with the names like Larry Blair and I
was filled with awe. Scouring surf mags fuelled my passions and
after I bought my first car the travel bug was set. The mags themes
looking back now seemed to revolve around the search for the
perfect wave, sex and improving performance.

Surf coaching has taught me so much. I notice more those in the
surf who were not so skilled or confident and those intimidated by
the bustle of the crowd. In contrast each winter I would watch a
lady of 60 years plus walk into the water every day in a bathing suit
and swimming cap and body surf a few waves on her own and think
that she was the true surfer. One year she did not come back and I
wonder what happened to her. Other times I would take the time to
give a tip to those struggling or suggest a safer area for those new
surfers lost in the arts of the rip while trying to not interfere. Slowly
for me the joy was coming back...

One day I was injured and as a couple of mates surfed I patched
together a driftwood shack on the beach for relief from the sun.
From my humble shelter I watched with wide eyes two people
paddle around the headland while standing on boards. I had never
seen such a thing and they paddled into wave after wave and my
life changed forever.

Trying this new sport I became a complete beginner and was nicely
humbled. Ask Laird Hamilton and Kelly Slater about their first days
and they will relay a similar story. I persisted and soon enjoyed the
freedom of hidden gems. Waves never surfed before, uncrowded
waves, true surfing camaraderie and a new label for myself. I had
been working on the classic waterman skills of swimming surfing
and paddling and with this came a new set of values.

I now class myself as a waterman with the values of the simple joy
of sharing the ocean and respect for the community and
environment. Waterman to me is an attitude not a measurement of
skill.

Our labels, surfer, longboarder, windsurfer, grommet, old man,
chick, surfski, body boarder, clubby etc have been too long used to
divide us. They are not ok when used as weapons to divide. A
long boarder who said to me as I paddled past his peak “your not
going to surf here on that are you?” conceded I had a valid point
when I replied “It’s not the equipment that’s the problem it’s the
user.”

Our kids watch us and our discrimination or joy becomes their
habit. A new generation of Stand Up Paddle kids will grow up with a
cracker set of values from the waterman ethos. Stand up Paddle
offers surfing the gift of reminding us of a cracker set of values.
Values of the ocean we share and the people we share it with. The
simple joy of sharing the ocean and respect for the community and
environment.

The gift is now on offer to the surfing world.

I use this as a loud opportunity to state to all all Stand Up Paddlers
to not use Sup as a way to get one over another.
My snapshot of Sup etiquette rules is summed up here.
Some of the gifts of sup are learn to let some go, smile and hoot
for others, call the sets, surf the crappy uncrowded wave, explore
the empty wave round the corner, surf to your skill, watch the sky
and read the ocean and leave the surf a better place than when you
entered it.

Brian Keaulana reckons it’s the Indian not the arrow and I reckon
we can all check ourselves next time we surf and that’s a gift to a
sport screaming for air and a timely call back to the simple joy of
sharing the ocean.

Here Here !
Great article

Being new to the ocean, I found it really hard to understand why guys even bother to go out if all they are going to do is get agro over the waves. I don't see how they can get any 'joy' with that attitude.

After all, it is just a sport: something we do for 'recreation' or 'leisure'.

I reckon some guys get out of the water more stressed than when they got in! Where's the point in that?

They need a SUP (and the suplove attitude) but some indians can't be changed!

PS - I hope the longboarder magazine readers actually read this article and see that we SUPpers are not bad guys!

Cross post from one of the other forums you also posted this thread on:

Suplove said...

I now class myself as a waterman ...

...

Waterman ...

... waterman ethos.

<Vomit/>

Suplove said...

A long boarder who said to me as I paddled past his peak “your not
going to surf here on that are you?” conceded I had a valid point
when I replied “It’s not the equipment that’s the problem it’s the
user.”

Nope, it's the equipment. Kooks on SUPs have the ability to totally circumvent the pecking order that develops over years in the water. Kooks on any other craft will last 1 wave if they try to dominate the peak.

Legion said...
Nope, it's the equipment. Kooks on SUPs have the ability to totally circumvent the pecking order that develops over years in the water. Kooks on any other craft will last 1 wave if they try to dominate the peak.

Nice troll Legion I will bite.

Disagree a kook on a sup can dominate a pack. They do not have the skills. Where in WA have you seen this happen??

I suped with heaps of guys at a very popular spot last Sun (awesome conditions 7 hrs on water) no stink eye heaps of hassling for waves. No I did not dominate the pack heaps of guys on shortboards got waves.

You want to push this agro against sups but please give specifics as I see very few sups at Trigg Point (Only wave in Perth in summer) or Mettams (stinkeye from longboarders there lol) or at Surf Beach (Secret Harbour). Did not see agro anywhere on the coast Esperance to Exmouth in the last year.

PM me if you don't want to post it here.

I am really curious to find out where all these sups are. You are feeding off negative posts in shortboard forums and not dealing with facts.

hilly said...

Legion said...
"Waterman" . I wish you'd all stop using that.

Totally agree septic term

Agree-it's such a ridiculous moniker.

hilly said...

Nice troll Legion I will bite.

Thanks.

hilly said...

Disagree a kook on a sup can dominate a pack. They do not have the skills. Where in WA have you seen this happen??

Nowhere yet. I'm acutely aware of the potential though. The closest I've seen is a popular Mandurah longboard wave last winter. A wave where peaks can break over a variable distance. There were never more than 6-7 people in the water. OK, I was an arsehole and dominated some of the other people, but I do the same as any other person with a reasonable amount of experience, i.e. I'm not going to line up with people with much lesser ability and sit way inside and down the line and shoulder hop just because they can't take off deep. With me were two SUPs, one guy had done it a bit, the other guy had only recently started (1 month? 3 months? don't remember), although he apparently had some surfing background. I got on OK with the beginner, chatted etc. The other guy didn't speak to me much (at all? don't remember). I even intentionally stayed out of their way once I became aware how much space they required to manouevre into position (esp. the beginner). Between the three of us not many set waves went through to the others on the inside. If they'd chosen, they could've left none for me. One more SUP out there and it might've been a different story. Of course, it's the perfect SUP wave.

Now sure, I behave reasonably greedy, I'll take set waves and I won't go to the back of the line. I will share if people are willing to have a go and are willing to take off where I do. If they blow it I won't share any more unless it's a low pressure situation. I won't sit way down the line, especially if I'm a semi-local or local. I expect the same treatment from e.g. locals or rippers at supers or north point, where I'd be a kook on my backhand. I attribute my behaviour to years and years (and years ) of experience and reasonable ability. However, the SUP guys had the ability to really dominate the whole wave that one day, and they certainly weren't top tier.

I don't expect I'd get much trouble from most of you. I surf mostly metro beachbreaks, where you don't like it so much. I see the odd SUP paddling along the Scarborough-Trigg stretch on small days but that's it. No way in hell I'm going to surf the Trigg-Hillaries stretch, doesn't appeal to me at all. Anyway, a lot of people on here have good attitudes, so I kind of waste my breath with these posts. SUP doesn't worry me that much unless it explodes in popularity. I guess I'm kind of jealous? annoyed? that it's so easy to pick up that it enables people to do what used to take many years of very steep learning curve.

Legion said...

hilly said...

Nice troll Legion I will bite.

Thanks.

hilly said...

Disagree a kook on a sup can dominate a pack. They do not have the skills. Where in WA have you seen this happen??

Nowhere yet. I'm acutely aware of the potential though. The closest I've seen is a popular Mandurah longboard wave last winter. A wave where peaks can break over a variable distance. There were never more than 6-7 people in the water. OK, I was an arsehole and dominated some of the other people, but I do the same as any other person with a reasonable amount of experience, i.e. I'm not going to line up with people with much lesser ability and sit way inside and down the line and shoulder hop just because they can't take off deep. With me were two SUPs, one guy had done it a bit, the other guy had only recently started (1 month? 3 months? don't remember), although he apparently had some surfing background. I got on OK with the beginner, chatted etc. The other guy didn't speak to me much (at all? don't remember). I even intentionally stayed out of their way once I became aware how much space they required to manouevre into position (esp. the beginner). Between the three of us not many set waves went through to the others on the inside. If they'd chosen, they could've left none for me. One more SUP out there and it might've been a different story. Of course, it's the perfect SUP wave.

Now sure, I behave reasonably greedy, I'll take set waves and I won't go to the back of the line. I will share if people are willing to have a go and are willing to take off where I do. If they blow it I won't share any more unless it's a low pressure situation. I won't sit way down the line, especially if I'm a semi-local or local. I expect the same treatment from e.g. locals or rippers at supers or north point, where I'd be a kook on my backhand. I attribute my behaviour to years and years (and years ) of experience and reasonable ability. However, the SUP guys had the ability to really dominate the whole wave that one day, and they certainly weren't top tier.

I don't expect I'd get much trouble from most of you. I surf mostly metro beachbreaks, where you don't like it so much. I see the odd SUP paddling along the Scarborough-Trigg stretch on small days but that's it. No way in hell I'm going to surf the Trigg-Hillaries stretch, doesn't appeal to me at all. Anyway, a lot of people on here have good attitudes, so I kind of waste my breath with these posts. SUP doesn't worry me that much unless it explodes in popularity. I guess I'm kind of jealous? annoyed? that it's so easy to pick up that it enables people to do what used to take many years of very steep learning curve.

Ok buddy you just called your self out right there "an asshole who dominated over less expeirenced people" Mate this will happen on a shortboard, longboard , sub what ever. Its the person not the peice of equipment thats the asshole !!

I can spot and see these wankers a mile away who think they can dominate a peak , there normally sooky wimpy clowns who think " I have been surfing for 20 yrs I demand respect , every wave that comes through I should get first bite at etc these are the clowns that need to get over themselves

Heros thinking they are so much better than every other surfer are the problem for the bad vibe, get over it your not Slats you dont surf for a living

You know I surf in metro Perth, right? So it's not uncommon for me to surf a 100m stretch with 30+ other people of widely varying ability. There will be groups and subgroups. I will commonly choose a group of 3-5 others of similar ability to me, and share with them. It just happens that in metro Perth they're usually the better 3-5 (unless it's Trigg Point and all the heroes are out). I won't share with the 25 others, otherwise I'd get 1 wave every 3 hours. I will share with the 3-5 and get e.g. 1 wave every set or two. You know that's how it is. I'm not going to catch a wave, then paddle and sit on the inside of someone who's surfed for 1 year and is shoulder hopping 50m in from the peak and can barely do a bottom turn. I won't even paddle and sit on the inside of the 5 < 15 year olds on boogers doing 360s (and that's it) on every wave.

I don't behave like that in low pressure situations. Sometimes the subgroup is everyone in the water (e.g. if there are only 1/2 dozen out). More often that not it's not everyone, and I'll happily paddle past others who aren't in my subgroup. I suspect people with some experience who say they also don't identify a subgroup to share with would be lying.

Suplove said...



Ps I thought to be fair I would post this in the surfing forum too.

Stuart Murray

You shouldnt have, idiot!

doggie said...

Suplove said...



Ps I thought to be fair I would post this in the surfing forum too.

Stuart Murray

You shouldnt have, idiot!

Ditto for your post Doggie .

Nothing annoys me more than name calling.

Zimbo Reagan said...

doggie said...

Suplove said...



Ps I thought to be fair I would post this in the surfing forum too.

Stuart Murray

You shouldnt have, idiot!

Ditto for your post Doggie .

Nothing annoys me more than name calling.

Did you not call me a troll and another rude remark a few day's ago Zimbo

doggie said...
zIMBO sticks and stones mate HTFU!!

Sure thing Doggie

Maybe next time you can take time out of your busy schedule doing whatever it is you do, to pen your thoughts for a magazine (or even this forum, which is longer than two lines). Then see how you feel when someone calls you names and provides no reason or constructive critisim for such.

If you are going to call someone out back it up.

For the record, I personally dont agree with every statement in the article but wont be calling Stuart any variety of names because of it.

Zimbo (Reagan)

Zimbo Reagan said...

doggie said...
zIMBO sticks and stones mate HTFU!!

Sure thing Doggie

Maybe next time you can take time out of your busy schedule doing whatever it is you do, to pen your thoughts for a magazine (or even this forum, which is longer than two lines). Then see how you feel when someone calls you names and provides no reason or constructive critisim for such.

If you are going to call someone out back it up.

For the record, I personally dont agree with every statement in the article but wont be calling Stuart any variety of names because of it.

Zimbo (Reagan)

Eat my shorts zimbo!

Brooko said...

doggie said...

Brooko said...

Legion said...

hilly said...

Nice troll Legion I will bite.

Thanks.

hilly said...

Disagree a kook on a sup can dominate a pack. They do not have the skills. Where in WA have you seen this happen??

Nowhere yet. I'm acutely aware of the potential though. The closest I've seen is a popular Mandurah longboard wave last winter. A wave where peaks can break over a variable distance. There were never more than 6-7 people in the water. OK, I was an arsehole and dominated some of the other people, but I do the same as any other person with a reasonable amount of experience, i.e. I'm not going to line up with people with much lesser ability and sit way inside and down the line and shoulder hop just because they can't take off deep. With me were two SUPs, one guy had done it a bit, the other guy had only recently started (1 month? 3 months? don't remember), although he apparently had some surfing background. I got on OK with the beginner, chatted etc. The other guy didn't speak to me much (at all? don't remember). I even intentionally stayed out of their way once I became aware how much space they required to manouevre into position (esp. the beginner). Between the three of us not many set waves went through to the others on the inside. If they'd chosen, they could've left none for me. One more SUP out there and it might've been a different story. Of course, it's the perfect SUP wave.

Now sure, I behave reasonably greedy, I'll take set waves and I won't go to the back of the line. I will share if people are willing to have a go and are willing to take off where I do. If they blow it I won't share any more unless it's a low pressure situation. I won't sit way down the line, especially if I'm a semi-local or local. I expect the same treatment from e.g. locals or rippers at supers or north point, where I'd be a kook on my backhand. I attribute my behaviour to years and years (and years ) of experience and reasonable ability. However, the SUP guys had the ability to really dominate the whole wave that one day, and they certainly weren't top tier.

I don't expect I'd get much trouble from most of you. I surf mostly metro beachbreaks, where you don't like it so much. I see the odd SUP paddling along the Scarborough-Trigg stretch on small days but that's it. No way in hell I'm going to surf the Trigg-Hillaries stretch, doesn't appeal to me at all. Anyway, a lot of people on here have good attitudes, so I kind of waste my breath with these posts. SUP doesn't worry me that much unless it explodes in popularity. I guess I'm kind of jealous? annoyed? that it's so easy to pick up that it enables people to do what used to take many years of very steep learning curve.

Ok buddy you just called your self out right there "an asshole who dominated over less expeirenced people" Mate this will happen on a shortboard, longboard , sub what ever. Its the person not the peice of equipment thats the asshole !!

I can spot and see these wankers a mile away who think they can dominate a peak , there normally sooky wimpy clowns who think " I have been surfing for 20 yrs I demand respect , every wave that comes through I should get first bite at etc these are the clowns that need to get over themselves

Heros thinking they are so much better than every other surfer are the problem for the bad vibe, get over it your not Slats you dont surf for a living

SUPers arnt watermen either, YOU are not Laird Hamilton!

No I am not Laird Hamilton or Taj Burrow Im Brooko someone who enjoys getting out in the water for the stoke and will give someone a grin and a hoot for having a crack.

Will also give the stink eye and crap back to crew who show me that sort of attitude Never really been one to back down or be worried what others think

Same [}:)]

Hi Legion,

I have no idea how well you do or dont surf, we all think were kelly till we see video of ourselves.

From your text:
it's so easy to pick up that it enables people to do what used to take many years of very steep learning curve.

I love the view you guys have that SUP is so easy!

Granted if you drag out a 11'6 or maybe even a 10'6 its an easy day at the office for some people in simple conditions.

When your like Brooko riding a 8'6 at 6ft and guessing here 95 ish kg in double and may tripple OH waves or myself at 6ft and 105 - 110 on a 9.4 then lets just say it takes a **** load of skill to just to keep shiney side up!

I regularly surf in 20 - 30kn offshores and we sit there pissing ourselves laughing at long and short boarders that cant even get down the face to make the wave!

I have handed my 12ft rhino chaser (to me its a doddle) over to some pretty handy guys that have won state longboard titles and one I think won a state short board title and they have struggled to even stand on the thing in all but ideal conditions.

Have you tried a short board SUP?

MHO

Phill