Stand up paddlesurfing or stand up paddleboarding as it is also known is a modern take on an acient polynesian form of watertransport.

In modern history it can be traced back to the 'beach boys' of Waikiki in the 1940s. The beach boys were the surf instructors who would stand on a bigger surfboard and use a paddle to get on the water with their clients holding a camera to take pictures of them , hence the need to be standing out of the water rather than lying prone on a regular surfboard.

The better visibility granted by standing allowed them to keep an eye on their students and call when the waves were coming in from the distance.

The following years saw the loss of the paddle amongst surfers with just a handful of diehards keeping the tradition alive in Hawaii. Fast forward to the turn of this century and the paddle made a return to some of the island's premiere watermen.

Surfers such as Rick Thomas, Dave Kalama, Archie Kalepa, Laird Hamilton and Brian Keaulana popularized the use of a paddle while surfing and took the idea to mainland USA and then onto the rest of the world where it became a distinct watersport in its own right...

Stand Up Paddlesurfing was born!