Retrofuturism
I've dabbled in all things related to the oceanic lifestyle over the past 27 years, from the start of my ocean journey as a 13-year-old bodyboarder to ocean photography to wing foiling, but what gets me most excited these days is SUP longboarding. This niche yet growing discipline of SUP surfing encourages experimenting with traditional moves such as cross-stepping, nose riding, and paddle placement, engaging my imagination like nothing else. To SUP longboard invites instinct to take over, to enter a creative dance with the ocean that at its finest is light-footed and smooth, progressive yet classic and versatile. And, at the ripe young age of (almost) 40, I have decades ahead of me to surrender to its flow.
I was hooked on SUP longboarding from my very first experience at Waikiki in 2010. My education in SUP continued, watching YouTube clips and reading magazine stories, and frothing on images of Hawaiian legends Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama, and New Zealand's Daniel Kereopa. I grew up respecting and admiring the accomplishments of Australia's Jackson Close, Roger Saunders, and Emma Webb, yet I never imagined where it would take me or where the sport would go.
Swimming out to an emptying lineup in Sanur, Bali,on a global scale. After whispers in the wind of “stand up paddleboarding is dead,” SUP longboard surfing has reignited new territory and is now moving forward into the unknown. Let we, the torchbearers, continue to carve a path and build momentum into the future.
