Surfed shortboards almost exclusively for the past 43 years but recently got shoulder issues and struggled to get any waves if there were amped up hungry groms or greedy longboarders around (no shortage where I surf).

For the first 6 months of supping I felt my shortboard surfing improved and I loved getting back on the 6'4". In the past 6 months its almost been 100% sup and the last time I took out the shorty I had to bust open the frozen board bag zip, could hardly sit on the fr!gg@n micro chip and kept trying to stick my arms in the wave to help me turn.

Got the scary feeling I'm approaching the point of no return

goatman said...

Took up SUP 10 months ago and ridden a shortie twice since I think - but that is
the nature of an obsessive personality

Mind you I am just getting back into the Mtn Bike so am thinking about the shortie
again as well, plus going to the Maldives in August so could be a good excuse.

I'm very similar. I've SUPed a bit longer but only prone surfed a handful of times in
2009. I'm off to the Maldives as well and will only take the SUP and a 6'0" Fish. I'll SUP
the good waves and surf when I need a change or conditions are a bit average.

My ediction to SUP really started after I snapped my archillies. It was great rehab and
progressing kept me keen. Then I finally went surfing and got about 6 pretty crap waves
in an hour session.

When in August you going Goatman?

Put the nose of my shortboard through my throat 14 months ago.Truckload of stitches.
Bought a SUP and havn't been on a shorty since. Been gettin more waves than ever on my SUPs with no crowds on our outer reefs.
Somehow it does'nt seem as spooky bein a couple miles out on your own as it does on the shorty.
W

Only ride my 6'3" in my local boardriders comps - once every two months (would be every month but it clashes with the Sydney Paddle Surfing Club comps every second month - and I'm not missing those).

I find there is always somewhere suitable for SUPing in Sydney regardless of the conditions.

surfydad said...

100% SUP!!! Wouldn't have it any other way.

better let go of that 7s then, give you a yellow one for it

MIKO said...

surfydad said...

100% SUP!!! Wouldn't have it any other way.

better let go of that 7s then, give you a yellow one for it

Might have to. Need to finance my next SUP. I think I have convinced the wife, or is she just humouring me.

Scotty Mac said...

How skinny does the shortboards feel after 3 months straight on a sup! Blew me away, my old trusty shortboard felt like a needle and I didnt know what to do with my arms......

ha, that's what i was saying about the paddle pop stick. notice the muscles being used aren't quite the same either
cheers

Back on the shortboard today at Big Groyne Kirra. Not quite the Kirra of old but still super fun. Ran around 4 laps, 3 waves down the point per lap. Hit it early enough so that most people wrote the day off. Strong sweep but paddleable.

Today was one of those days that a shorty was the best choice. The pro's and cameras are already here........

CNC, what time did you hit it and how big was it
It looked messy on the cams,I logged on early and not
much happening and checked though the day,it looked
bigger and messier as the day rolled by.

The last time i surfed my performace mal 9-0 x 22 x 23/4 i found it harder than the 5-8 fish,quickly back to normal after a few waves,but it was weird after mostly sup the last 12 months.I kept thinking i wonder how this fish would go with a paddle?

Scotty Mac said...

How skinny does the shortboards feel after 3 months straight on a sup! Blew me away, my old trusty shortboard felt like a needle and I didnt know what to do with my arms......

Gotta have a shorty on hand for when the conditions are right, or wrong, as the case may be. These days I live for the Stand Up and would rather be doing it than just about anything else but on days like last Sunday on West Coast Vicco with Northerleys so strong it could blow your eyelids inside out it was either the shorty or a quick downwinder to Tassie.
The two following photos were taken by Ed Sloane who is one of the staff photogs at Foam magazine in Vicco. Top bloke, passionate about what he does. Slightly off topic but how good is this mag? Showing my age but it reminds me of the days when "Breakaway" was a mid seventies publication based solely on the Victorian surf scene and featured the best and worst of Victorian surfing.
I posted the first one a month or two ago under the heading "wheres the paddle". Seems I've developed a subconscious death grip since taking up SUP

The second one was taken on Sunday and Ed was using a fisheye, the upshot being that West Coast Vic gets to look a lot like Tahiti

Still got the death grip and how bloody warm is the water!
Apologies for posting surf shots but not a lot of people keen on shooting SUP in this neck of the woods.
CHEERS
Sparx

i didn't know vicco had barrels, nice shots

CMC said...

No apology required Sparx. Good Barrel shots and you don't learn positioning like that in 3 years of surfing......

Classic paddle arms still, been surfing Kirra and Lennox the last few days definite no chancers on the SUP. I maintain, the best choice of equipment for the day is the best choice of equipment full stop.

Just loving surfing at the moment, all the OC paddling and SUP while it's been flat has got me pumped.........

Am with you on that. The more you're in the water the more you want to be there. Good waves this morning and looks like it's on all the way into next week. Yeeehah!

laceys lane said...

i didn't know vicco had barrels, nice shots

Here's one from down here yesterday Lacey,
you should be able to slot in nicely,
cheers.

I think I know where your heading 62mac