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Aloha, I'm "suplicious" from beautiful Kailua, Oahu.
I drove through Waikiki late in the afternoon one day, and as I glanced out toward the shimmery blue water I saw, in the distance, someone standing on a surfboard and paddling with what looked like a long canoe paddle. It looked so cool and at that moment I thought, "Wow! that's something I want to try!". It looked so serene, relaxing and definitely something I knew I could do, especially since all my body parts are out of the water, thus not having to worry about "Sharks!" Exactly the reason why I never took to water sports earlier in my young life.
Since that first encounter with Stand Up Paddling, each and every time I passed a body of water I would always look out to see if there were SUPers cruising and if there were, I would always say "That's what I want to do!". One day I read the newspaper and I came across an article written by Ron Mizutani. This article was about long time surfer China Uemura and what he's been up to. Well, among other things, China's been Stand Up Paddling at Ala Moana Beach. The article also went on to say that China gives free lessons to anyone interested.
Finally my chance, so the VERY NEXT DAY I headed to Ala Moana Beach and looked for China. I saw him, introduced myself, and explained about the newspaper article. No sooner were we out on the water. At that very moment I was hooked.
The board I rode was huge, very stable and it had a hawaiian flavor design to it. Everything that appealed to me. I was not interested in surfing the board, but rather a board I could cruise and be active with. China gave me the information about the board, which led me to Jim at Tropical Blends.
I absolutely love, love, love, my board! Jim was wonderful to me and Kumau was also very helpful and friendly. I also got a Kinimaka Ku'iluna paddle from him as well. I don't see very many people with wooden paddles, but I absolutely love mine. It feels good in my hand and it gives my arms a good workout. Did I mention that I love my board?
I'm married to a loving husband and I have 2 awesome teenagers. At times things can get pretty hectic, so Stand Up Paddling is my "ME" time. When everyone is taken cared of, I grab my gear and go, go, go! When I am out on the crystal, blue water or sometimes even in the dirty, filthy canal I am just so blessed by all that surrounds me.
Stand Up Paddling is like taking a step back to take inventory of all the beauty in my life. When I'm in the canal, I see the beauty of the Ko'olau Mountains, when I'm at Kailua Beach I'm mesmerized by the islands off shore, and the turtles that come up right next to my board to take a breath (and scare the beejibbies out of me). Stand Up Paddling also helps me to reflect on the beauty of my family. When I am done enjoying my "ME" time Stand Up Paddling, I always go home with a super, huge smile on my face and what family doesn't appreciate a Happy mom!: - )
Since purchasing my board, there are a few thing since that have made my Stand Up Paddling experience much more enjoyable. Carrying my board and my paddle at the same time from the car to the beach and vice versa was "no joke".
So one day I see a guy walking to his car with his SUP board and somehow his paddle was attached to his board. I went up to him to inquire and he had these special suction cups that attached the paddle to his board. I now have these suction cups and they are awesome. I sing my heart out on the ocean, where no one can hear me, with my H2O Audio waterproof iPod case and headphones. Although, once a one man canoe snuck up behind me when I was belting out a tune and I was so embarrassed.
Evan from StandUpPaddleSurf.net introduced some booties on his blog. He said they helped his feet cramp less and protected his feet from sharp rocks. My feet would always cramp, and rocks are no fun, so I got me a pair and now it's so much better. It's worth every penny. And finally, reading all the informative blogs and visiting SUP websites have kept me "in the loop" of all that is Stand Up Paddling!
Mahalo,
Suplicious
Thanks for sharing your stoke with us all, Supilicious! It's truly is a magical moment when you're able to find traquility and get some "me" time. Here's to many more years of stand up paddling.
If you'd like to share your experience with us, email
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. We can't wait to hear from you.
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