Stand-up surfing.....YEA or NAY?

I'm on the Virginia coast right now, and the surf was up yesterday following an east wind. I head out for some nice lines, but I notice two stand-up surfers in the line-up.

These guys look gay as hell standing up on a surfboard about the size of a windsurfer....sorta like a mono-skier. Just something odd about seeing someone standing up STATIONARY on a board....like seeing one of those far-side cartoons of the standing-up cows.

But this is the east coast....so we're talking rideable waves only every 7 or eigth wave.

So when I think about it....waht's cool about sitting on a board like sunning turtle, waiting for the perfect wave...getting sunburnt as hell???

The thing is, those two dudes on their stand-up boards GOT more rides than ANYBODY out there including the one hotshot (who was NOT me, believe me).

So....gay-looking or not....stand-up surfers get more waves (but as they're the nerds of the surfing world, they probably don't get more girls, though).

It still seems like cheating to me, though.

What's your take on it?


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gay.

....especially when its some beerbelly'd beginner, with knock-knees in a shorty wetsuits. It's real stupid looking.
...And the reason they get so many waves is they are stealing them from the surfers closer in who are patiently waiting for the wave, which some dork paddles out and takes everytime

If I had to choose between the two, then I would prefer to get a big ole long board and not SUP.

I think I could paddle battle with a 11' if I had too, but that's not what thrills me. I prefer to drop in late with a 5'10" and try my best to hang on for a inside pocket to open up so I can find some shade.

I don't hate on anyone in the lineup giving waves up to the pack to keep the peace. If it's their home break then it's obvious they pay their time in the lineup and know which waves they deserve and are in position for. They know how to back door it to close everyone off by showing left and then going right or vice versa. It's easy lineup strategy to anyone with a lot of foam and skills. I don't have either, lol

Since i am landlocked and have the glenwood wave, i love suping on the river, upto class 3.
The standing wave in the springs is pretty sick and i love being in the water, even in the dry suit because the runoff is in the low 50's.
As for being in the lineup, it is fun to mix it up, but still love suring more.

I don't know much, and I have the luxury of surfing alone or with only a handful of other people most times...

I figure at some stage you have to decide what your goals are: if you want to ride a lot of waves, or ride really really small waves, or go explore some coast...SUP seems like a good way to do that. It's not cool, you're not going to be cool. But somebody like me is never going to be cool anyway. I'm never going to be some young charger on a shortboard. Riding a giant longboard prone is more fun. More waves, more fun. A lot of times I'm out with guys on short boards who can't get a ride because we're in tiny powerless shitty waves. I'm always really happy I have my 12' glider on those days, because I'm riding waves.

I figure being considerate of others is the main thing. I do my best to take smaller waves that other people can't/won't try for if I'm sharing the water.

Skidee, that sounds fun on the river. I also have a Hyudge amount of respect for the SUP racers that paddle from Molokai to Oahu every year. Heavy trade wind in open ocean would put it pretty high on the gnar factor considering it's about 32 miles. Other guys do island hopping for fun and have probably gone further.

Yeti, it's obvious you know whats up in the lineup and I'm sure you would rarely encounter hostility for what you ride. It only takes 1 guy to throw off the rotation and it really doesn't matter what they ride, it's just an egotistical person on some form of transportation screwing up the lineup.

Lame. Though it would be interesting to try. In all fairness, everyone should be allowed to do their own thing. But if they're taking all the waves, someone should tell 'em to get the fuck out. So sick of longboarders paddling around everyone and hogging all the waves. They should realize they're being pricks, but then again most people don't realize this in every day life so I shouldn't expect them to while surfing.

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Originally Posted by Microcosm

So sick of longboarders paddling around everyone and hogging all the waves.

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I guess the opposite of this is shortboarders sitting in the takeoff for 15 minutes waiting for the perfect wave because they've brought a shortboard to a small, mushy wave and now the only waves they will try for are the biggest waves of every third set.

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Yeah - "stand-up surfing" is gay as hell. Standing up on a surfboard is pretty much the whole point of surfing.

AK - can you get anything right??

If you meant to say stand up paddleboarding, I don't think there's anything wrong with it - especially if you end up pissing off a bunch of douchebags who are having trouble catching waves. Plus Hugh hates 'em, so they gotta be rad.

Oh - and thanks for the millionth "What do you guys think of SUP?" thread. Search function, kook.

And there you have it.

if the boating industry could have made a reasonably low priced easy to transport, store, and paddle craft that's good for dicking around in the water the sup Jer-otion would never have happend. But they suck, like the rest of outdoor sports, so it did. And it's awesome. Even Sunny Garcia feels the love. When he's not in court or jail.
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Down here in Cardiff it's an effing mess! So many inexperienced sweepers in the lineup. That's the main thing. People get all confident in themselves. dont wear a leash. next thing you know you've got a 10 foot SUP board bouncing through the inside and a D-bag with a paddle swimming after it. If they're on the peak and get the wave first, I could care less. But when they shoulder hop and drop in on you... that's just fucked etiquette and they know they're doing it.
I typically just hang on the inside and try to grab the scraps but lately there's a sketchy sweeper that likes to turn around and try to catch waves on his way back out, and the fuckin guy is always on top of me.

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Originally Posted by YetiMan

I guess the opposite of this is shortboarders sitting in the takeoff for 15 minutes waiting for the perfect wave because they've brought a shortboard to a small, mushy wave and now the only waves they will try for are the biggest waves of every third set.

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Hahaha, I see your point. Consider this: What if said shortboarder doesn't have the funds for that new longboard, or that in between board, or whatever? What if their shortboard was a generous gift from someone who no longer uses it, and it's all they have? Is it still okay for those longboarders to dominate the peak? Hell, I'm not askin for every wave!

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Originally Posted by Microcosm

Hahaha, I see your point. Consider this: What if said shortboarder doesn't have the funds for that new longboard, or that in between board, or whatever? What if their shortboard was a generous gift from someone who no longer uses it, and it's all they have? Is it still okay for those longboarders to dominate the peak? Hell, I'm not askin for every wave!

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Totally. Sitting in the takeoff is an at-bat. Three rideable waves and you're OUT! :) Same thing goes for jumping the line though...if there's 9 players on the team you don't just bat every other time because you have the best average. You have to let people go up there and strike out.

That's the way I see it anyway. Again, WTF do I know. I'm pretty new.

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Originally Posted by YetiMan

Totally. Sitting in the takeoff is an at-bat. Three rideable waves and you're OUT! :) Same thing goes for jumping the line though...if there's 9 players on the team you don't just bat every other time because you have the best average. You have to let people go up there and strike out.

That's the way I see it anyway. Again, WTF do I know. I'm pretty new.

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Heh, oh yeah that is very true. I know I play that game when I see someone who sucks miss more than once. It's rare I'm the one who gets to jump the line with any consistency. I would really have to be among a bunch of noobs to do that. Though I'll usually wait until I know (read:think) I can get the wave, especially at the beginning of the season with jelly arms. (Knowing you could be doing better, but are physical held back SUCKS. Would be my biggest problem surfing.)

I distinctly remember being 12, when I still bodyboarded most of the time, and bailing out of a huge (at the time) wave after seeing the drop. Got yelled at by a guy who must have been 70.. "Why the FUCK didn't you go for it!!??" He must have had small balls to yell at a preteen, but had hudge balls for dropping into some of the gnarliest close outs I've seen. Getting props for a wave from those dinosaurs was always enough to make me feel awesome for a few minutes.

Bringing this back to SUP, what's the maximum amount you've seen in the lineup at any one time? I've only seen one, or maybe two, at most. Maybe it hasn't blown up in New Jersey yet, or maybe I haven't been out during the most crowded (of this summer) days yet?

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Originally Posted by Microcosm

I distinctly remember being 12, when I still bodyboarded most of the time, and bailing out of a huge (at the time) wave after seeing the drop. Got yelled at by a guy who must have been 70..

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Ha ha......someone who looks 'seventy' to a twelve-year old is probably about thirty-five.