SeeCalifornia.com

Tomorrow, Sunday, June 10, 2012, is National SUP (Stand Up Paddle) Day. If you have passed by nearly any body of water in California lately, chances are pretty good that you’ve seen a stand up paddler, unless you’re in those whitewater rapids where paddleboards don’t to well.  Pictured is a paddleboarder with his Hang Ten dog in Newport Beach Harbor.

Stand up paddling is the rage in California, though it has been around in Hawaii ever since The Beach Boys sang their original hits.  If you don’t know why some of the SUP races in California have names such as “Hoe he’e nalu”, that’s because the term is Hawaiian for stand up paddleboarding. It has only taken 40-50 years for this craze to hit the mainland (Hawaii is truly the trendsetter in this arena,) but now you can’t stop SUP from growing and hitting our California coast like a tsunami.

Stand up paddleboarding is easy to learn. Within an hour you can become very comfortable in the water and on your board. Stand up paddleboarding appeals to girls and women because of their lower center of gravity.  Sometimes they even paddleboard better than men!

Stand Up Paddle Races are the hot ticket item. This weekend alone there are several–Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard & Ocean Festival race takes place today,  Saturday, June 9, 2012. Also this weekend as part of the Carlsbad Beach Festival there’s a 6 Mile SUP Race at Tamarack Beach (carlsbadbeachfest.com).

Amd for those who want to try it out, Newport Aquatic Center, 1 Whitecliffs Dr., Newport Beach, is hosting a clinic where you can come out and try stand up paddling free on June 10, 2012. This event is a celebration of the SUP culture, and also a charity event to raise awareness and help children affected with Cystic Fibrosis. The event will feature professional SUP athletes, SUP clinics, contests, food, drinks, and much more. The famous NSP SUP, Coco Mat SUP, and Trident paddle rentals will be provided on site by Global Surf Industries from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. For details see: nationalsupday.com  for details.