„SUP is about the only thing that I do these days, unless it’s something huge. No one can get me off these things. I even tried to put it down for a couple of days, but I couldn‘t. SUP‘s just too much fun! It‘s too much fun!“ says Laird Hamilton, the man who made Teahupo‘o world-famous when riding its monster waves. He is also the man who made Stand Up Paddling popular.

While doing Stand Up Paddle Surfing one stands on a surfboard and uses a long paddle to push oneself forward through the water. What might sound sort of weird and unspectacular to some people, is a new U.S. American trend sport. The variation was born in the surf Mecca Hawaii. At the beginning Stand Up Paddle Surfing had a practical reason; the Hawaiian surf teachers came up with it to reach the farther reefs more quickly. In the meantime, it has become a fascinating facet of surfing.

Not only in the USA, the number of companies, which proverbially have jumped on the wave, is growing. “A-class celebrities“ do their bit to popularize “SUP” surfing. People like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Lance Armstrong, Matthew McConaughey and others already use SUP as an effective power workout and as a possibility to relax. All of them appreciate the easy practicability.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a lake, a pond or a river – you can SUP anywhere as long as there’s some water under your prow. What is more, it’s super-easy: the platform feels wobbly at first but after a few strong paddle strokes it stabilizes and you take up speed. Whether done as a family excursion, competition or slalom parcours – SUP is versatile and a lot of fun.

Fun with great side effects: SUP is also a great body workout on the water. Body tension results in the necessary balance and the paddle strokes train the arm, breast, belly and back muscular system. Paddling helps strengthening your shoulders and Arms, especially the triceps. The body posture on the board builds a tension from your feet ankles to your neck – this helps working out the abdominals. The balancing supports the legs and the intrinsic muscles of the torso, therefore SUP is also good for people with back problems. (Source: www.nalani-supsurfing.com)

But of course, SUP is not all you can do with the new boards ! Most new SUP boards offer a crossover function: when there is little wind, just do your SUPing and enjoy. When the wind picks up, however, mount your sail and off you go – they are perfect windsurfing boards at the same time.