Paddle surfing interest swells

TACOMA – Megan Adams eyed a 12-foot-long surfboard and a long canoe-style paddle. She watched other stand-up paddle surfers easing over the glassy water just off Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park.

Standing up on a big surfboard and paddling it around looked new, a little scary – and irresistible. “It looks so fun – kinda like a free-spirit kind of thing,” said Adams, 14.

Ken Campbell of Tacoma-based Backpacker’s Supply helped Adams pick out a board, a paddle and a life jacket.

After a 10-minute introduction to the art of standing on a surfboard and paddling, Adams was on her feet and paddling toward the tip of Point Defiance.

Another person, said Campbell, had probably fallen under the spell of stand-up paddle surfing, which is booming in popularity.

Stand-up paddle surfing – like regular surfing – was born in Hawaii. Boys teaching Waikiki Beach tourists how to surf would stand on their longboards and use outrigger canoe paddles to propel the board and catch waves. Hawaii surfers also started stand-up paddling to stay in shape on calm days.

The sport has grown in the past decade. Now, there are stand-up paddle surfing contests and distance-paddling contests.

Regular surfing, where surfers have their bellies on the board, paddle with their arms and then stand to catch waves, is limited to ocean waves. Stand-up paddlers like to catch waves, but they also can paddle on flat water.

Campbell started stand-up paddling about a year ago. He’s since paddled all over Puget Sound and Western Washington.

“I grew up surfing in Southern California, and I’ve paddled kayaks for 25 years or so,” he said. “I saw that this was a big hit in California and Hawaii, but I didn’t see how it was relevant for Washington.

“But I tried it, and, of course, it is very relevant here.”

Stand-up paddling is easier to learn than conventional surfing. It’s easier to stand on the wider, thicker, more stable board, and the long but light paddle helps with balance.

Traditional surfers must find the peak of an incoming swell – then paddle with their arms to hit the sweet spot at the right speed – to catch and ride a wave.

Stand-up paddlers have an advantage, as they can catch smaller, junkier waves – and they don’t need to hit the peak to get the ride.

The long, wide, stable board has a lot of surface area to catch the wave, and the paddle makes it easy to power into the wave.

Standing up also lets surfers see good swells coming over the horizon earlier than surfers sitting on surfboards.

But prone surfers – who usually ride smaller, lighter, more nimble boards – find it easier to turn and maneuver on the wave.

Some conventional surfers, particularly in California, have clashed with stand-up paddlers.

The ability of stand-up paddlers to catch the wave earlier than prone surfers can cause resentment on crowded breaks.

A stand-up paddle board and paddle can cost $600 to $1,200. Some boards are designed for paddling on flat water. Other boards can handle flat water and the ocean surf.

But more people are learning they can handle a stand-up paddle board, and just one trip can turn them on to the sport.

Megan Adams was out on her borrowed paddle board for about an hour, and people on the beach could see her smile from 50 feet away.

“I like it!” she said as her first session ended.

Her second was about to begin.

“Can I go out again?” Adams asked with the brilliant grin of a fully involved teenager.

Campbell gave the OK, and Adams – stoked and paddling hard – set off over the water once again.