I feel the sport is dying. I surf SUP. I've noticed the numbers of wave SUPs are decreasing. Why is this?

- Too expensive for a decent board and paddle?

- Too difficult to master so surfers give up?

- SUP riders are sick of the stink eye every time they paddle out?

- The boards and paddles are too cumbersome to lug around?

- The strain on the body is worse than prone surfing?

Do you agree or disagree?

Green tea,all of the above,but for me it's all that I have left in the ocean,as I tried prone again recently,but I'm happy to walk away from it now as my injuries won't allow even a basic small session.It's kind of liberating,as I can totally focus on sup now!I will probably get a Matt for when it's not suitable for a sup ,as I'm told they are not that easy to ride,and that will be another challenge,just need to stay in the water,

Foils, they are where it at

Inflatable market is "exploding " here in Australia ..excuse the pun. But getting a surf sup is harder . Supply issues with China and related shipping and material issues probably making it "not worth it" for businesses to trade this type of stock

Most of the sup crew were I live have gone to wing and sup foil. Cost yea it's a bit much but what has not gone up in price.The only way to know if it's dying is industry numbers how many are being sold I think the numbers are way down but I might be wrong.

I would think it's still growing down here, not as fast as it was, but we are always behind the times here??

Tardy said..
I think SUP surfing is for very tough individuals ,and most can't hack it ..

The guys who are always going against the grain.
"Sup is Life "

I think the future of SUP is looking good.

For us as a shop we've found COVID has been good for steady growth in performance sup surf and longboard over the last 2 years but less so on the racing side of things. Even better news for SUP in general though is the strong growth in the grass roots recreational SUP market and this is something that was on the decline just a few years ago. More time to get on the water and less travel are seeing new faces getting out there and hopefully many will stay involved as things head back to normal.

Keep encouraging these rookies to the sport as they are the next SUP surfers.

Sam.

Most of mate's have moved to wing foil. Resistance proved to be futile so I'm a dinger now to but still sup on the windless with wave days. Still like the feel of that rail gouging a turn. But fair to say I'm more picky about conditions as have to split time between the 2. Overall I'd say that sadly performance sup, particularly surf sup is on the decline. Does seem to a bunch more inflatables on the water though, more for family fun stuff.

In US it really feels like SUP went mainstream in the last couple of years because of cheaper inflatables, they're now a popular watercraft in lakes and mellow rivers during summer (though most folks not standing up on them). Whitewater SUP growing too though more niche. Curious to see if this translates into more folks trying surf SUP in coming years.

Interesting to here the retail blokes and Surffx echoes the sentiment that plenty of stock is still going out the doors - "I'm not dead yet".
SFA supsurfers where I live, mainly prones and lids with the odd weekend mal, so now a few of us are having a dig supsurf numbers have increased. Will be interesting to see how all wave warrior numbers look when travel restrictions ease.
Like others I'll always divide my time between prone and sup surfing because I can and am happy to keep progressing my supsurfing with no interest in all the other sh1t atm.

Interesting one...like lots out there, done everything over 40yrs in and on water....

Started with SUP on Goldie when it first popped up 15'ish yrs ago....not much choice then, best boards were PU glass Ron House and all brands in infancy etc...since then had everything in SUP and have always gravitated towards the race/flatwater aspect as IMO it seems like a great and the best use of the sport...(each to their own). Love the training/fitness aspect and passion of people like Jim Terrell and where Flatwater SUP sits alongside other traditional flatware paddle sports like Kayak and Canoe racing.

For a proper surf experience still can't go past the cutting edge of prone surfing and modern thruster design, way back 30yrs ago a trusty old famous industry shaper said to me, "everything else in the surf is fun but it's the modern thruster, that is the cutting edge and pinnacle of the surfing sport and design process". It has stayed with me forever... and still go back to this aspect for pure experience in waves, as I'm still able with fitness for age in good check. For me SUP surf is like the old shaper said about longboards and other craft in the line-up , good fun and enjoyment etc. each to their own. But for the pure and ultimate wave riding experience look at KS, JJF, Dane and the like....it's the ultimate what these guys are doing and where they're taking high performance wave riding to - aka true surfing IMO.
The whole wing ding thing is another diversification and aspect drawing on several elements of water/surf sports, I simply don't get this one though - whatever floats your boat?

I have always liked to cut down any sport or aspect of it to it's simplest and purest form that extract or exhibits the utmost of performance and experience, i.e. cricket is a game over 5 days with a red ball during the daylight with no numbers or names plastered over people and no KFC video dismissal.

Really interesting discussion topic and where/what the whole wind, surf, sail, paddle thing has become....one thing for sure is that as the more diversification = the more the crowds, especially in lineups. Another and single biggest reason I love the aspect of finding your own patch of water about SUP, the serenity and solitude of glassy paddles in pristine waterways up rivers and creeks are abundant in our country.

In Summary for me:
Surf and Waves - modern prone thruster, no compromise cutting edge and will always be the pinnacle of wave riding and design
Flat Water - SUP, best suited for purpose and alike to other paddle sports like Kayak and Canoe racing, unparalleled fitness and training, recreational and fun cruising
Ocean/Open Water/Wind - Buy a boat (sail of course) Windsurfing allowed - no foil attached.
Above the Water - buy a plane, helicopter - go fly a drone (don't understand foil at all!) If you're not connected to the water, you're not connected to the water! (especially those electric foils - OMG)

Sure to raise some response....

I suspect there are specific circumstances that has led to less SUP surfing where you are GT. A handful of any number of the reasons mentioned above.

For me the waves I surf don't really have SUP surfers on them so I have not noticed much of a change, I don't surf anything crazy just seek out local gems at certain times of year and at times of the day that work for me.

Hate to say it but the idea of paddling out to a break full of SUP surfers freaks me out, I like the SUP for the solitude aspect of it and being able to roam and find a peak on my own or with a small crew.

The beauty of SUP surfing is you can ride crappy waves away from the crowd . Yeah maybe you are not one of the cool kids but thats the way I like it . Against the grain

Good to hear its going well for you Rick, the aloha is alive and well in your neck of the woods!

I hear what you are saying in regards to stock GT, I have managed to get my hands on a SUP that suits from one of the big mobs but it was more of a fluke then anything.

As Surgolrun talks about the pinnacle of surfing through the modern thruster design, I think that the SUP needs more time to hit the same pinnacle of shaping creativity and its surfing level like the latest generation of young surfing champ rookies is doing or attempting it every year on SB.
SUP in its surfing section, which is my own concern, is not dying, this is just a temporary metamorphosis through its foiled and winged side to only name those both sides, and I'm really stocked as ever when watching my good mate getting 3 waves in a row pumping around.
Also, yesterday while SUP surfing by myself away from crowded surfing spots, I was met by my 38 years old son, an experienced surfer, and my happiness came from seeing him paddling out more than matching the fast lip from under on my fresh glassed SUP. This happy meeting makes me think that the SUP is the next step of Surfing which needs decades like it has been done to make my son surfing at his level by now.
IMO, SUP is a transmission of the surfing act, it needs time to be