Surf or SUP
People may be familiar with surfing but what’s this SUP all about?, Is it a way to say hello in slang, could be, but in this case it’s an acronym for Stand Up Paddle. SUP is the fastest growing water sport in the world at the moment with its wide range of recreational uses including fitness, fishing, yoga & yes surfing. It might be going back in the opposite direction surfing has come with modern surfers wanting shorter boards but the SUP board normally ranging around 9-12 foot in length allows surfers to experience a different style of surfing not to mention being able to surf in areas where short boards can’t.
Typically when I ask surfers do you SUP, their face scrunches up with an awkward smirk replying, narrr that’s for girls or that’s boring. I found SUP 3 years ago, it was wave season & to my surprise was not that easy to ride waves on. The surf season finished for that year & now I was bored. I kept borrowing a friends SUP for something to do & each time I took it out I became more & more in love with it. I paddled further & further & discovered a side of Phuket that the every day person wouldn’t. Not to mention that the SUP is a great off season core workout keeping me fit for those sneaky surf trips. I have also come to find that SUP is a great social activity which lead to Phuket seeing its first SUP event last year put on by standupprojects.com
SUP has allowed me to still be in the ocean everyday & with its many different benefits keeps the fun alive throughout the flat season. With the sport being fairly new in Phuket I was stoked to find Jim from LongTAIL Watersports in Cherngtalay who not only had gear but was a frother for SUP himself. I no longer get depressed wave withdrawals now knowing that there is still a high season ocean activity to do that doesn’t cost an arm or leg.
Skyla’s Surf & SUP Club on south Bangtao beach offers rentals, memberships & tours for all abilities. If your interested contact surfsup@skylaphuket.com
Tim Campbell
