posted by admin on Apr 4
Stand up paddle boards are not always popular with the surfers out in the lineup. I have even heard them referred to as SUKs, meaning stand up kooks. Surfers call people in the water that they do not like, “kooks”. SUKs is kinda funny, but it is unfortunate that there is ever any bad will out in the water. Waikiki surf is not any different. There are locals that have been out there for years on their surfboards and they don’t like to share the waves with stand up paddlers much. The ironic thing is that Waikiki is where stand up paddling got it’s start when the Waikiki beach boys grabbed outrigger canoe paddles and used them with their long boards and that was over 50 years ago. I must admit that there is less tension then there was a few years ago. Just as short boarders came to see long boarding as a smart choice, surfers are seeing that stand up paddling makes a lot of sense and they are more welcoming than before. If you want to get a surf rental in Waikiki, you’ll be in good company out in the Canoes surf break. If you are a progressive thinker, perhaps you’ll be interested in stand up paddle lessons in Waikiki where there is miles of beautiful beach to paddle around. Either way, there should be less aggressiveness found in these areas where there are many beginners.
