Epic conditions at Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu yesterday allowed the Stand Up World Tour to resume the action through the Repercharge round. Stay tuned for more coverage and the crowning of the 2012 Sunset Beach Pro champion.

Also check out our friends at the Waterman League and Stand Up World Tour

As I took off, it literally felt like I jumped off a cliff. The fins didn’t connect until I was about mid-way down the face of the wave. I had always wanted to paddle in out there—for some reason it just seemed really appealing—and after I rode that wave, I knew that was the feeling I had been looking for.”  -Kai

BOB BANGERTER
Kai Lenny, Jaws, March, 2011
“It was like jumping off a cliff”

Read more in the upcoming Spring 2012/Photo Annual, Part II of Standup Journal the original AND only sup mag that "lives on peoples coffee tables for months".  Subscribe by February 25th and get the March 2012 issue hand delivered to your door and save 32%... Don't get left out! Go to Standup Journal Magazine

Suzanne Yeo Newport Harbor CA

If you are reading this, you probably already know that Stand Up Paddleboarding is the hottest new trend in watersports and is gaining mainstream exposure FAST. It is hard to pick up a magazine like Shape, Outside, Men's Fitness or any other active lifestyle publication without seeing an article talking about all the core strengthening and calorie burning beneifts that stand up paddle boarding provides.  Paddle boarding has also been featured on primetime TV shows like Hawaii Five-O, Modern Family and Love in the Wild and in Motion Pictures like Adam Sandler's Just Go With.  Due to the increasing exposure, more and more people are discovering just how cool, healthy and incredibly addicting the sport of paddleboarding is. Far from the surf breaks, people are finding new, fun and innovative ways to use paddleboards.  From racing, exploring lakes and rivers to cross-training for other sports paddleboarding is evolving and branching out in new and exciting directions.

One of those directions is gaining popularity almost as fast as the sport itself...  YOGA!  That's right... besides being an amazingly fun workout and great way to explore nature while getting in shape, paddleboarding is also an amazing way to relax, stretch and meditate by taking your yoga practice to the water. New and long time yogis alike are looking to get outdoors with their yoga practice and doing Yoga on a paddleboard is a perfect way to do it.  Nature replaces your studio, the board becomes your platform and the pad becomes your mat.  Yoga students from begginer to advanced can all enjoy doing Yoga on a paddle board and with the right equipment their workouts can be as mellow or as challenging as they want it to be.  Certified Yoga Instructors like Suzanne Yeo (pictured above) and Julie Roach have been pioneers in creating Yoga routines and Yoga Classes on SUP boards and are now even organizing Yoga Retreats in exotic places centered on the theme of doing yoga on the water.

Suzanne Yeo Newport Harbor CA

Choosing the right paddleboard for doing Yoga on the water..

You want to choose a SUP board specifically designed for flat water paddling, not surfing.  What makes a board handle well in the surf, makes it tippy and unstable while sitting still or paddling flat water.  You want a board with enough bouyancy (volume) and stability for you to do your poses comfortably and confidently on without worrying about falling off. Also one that is both durable and lightweight so it will last and be easy for you to carry to and from the water.

Traditional Paddleboards do not work very well for Yoga since they are intended to be surfed and not sit still or paddle on flatwater.  Those that work OK are really long (11'+) and wide which usually makes them very heavy and very hard to handle.

Yoga students and instructors have been looking for a board that is more stable, lighter weight and easier to carry.  EDGE listened and created the EDGE Lagoon Fit board.  The Lagoon is designed to be a great flatwater cruiser, cross-trainer and Yoga/Fitness board.  What makes the Lagoon board unique is its more compact easier to handle size and its thicker (5") profile.  At only 22lbs for the 10.3 size and 24lbs for the 10.10 the EDGE Lagoon sets a new standard in compact, lightweight, very stable fitness boards that are also very easy to get to and from the water. 

Julie Roach H2YO Workshop Florida

Paddle Surf Warehouse has the new EDGE Lagoon boards in stock and ready to ship today.  Whether you are looking for a super stable board to learn on, cruise around on, cross-train on or do Yoga on, you will LOVE the EDGE Lagoon!  100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!

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Here is a MAP

Ching completed the 10 miles from Dana Point to San Clemente and back in one hour and 17 minutes; one minute and 12 seconds ahead of Rob Rojas (San Clemente, CA). Third place on equal time of 1:20:23 were Australian pair Travis Grant and Jamie Mitchell.

Above: Ching rounds the 5-mile halfway buoy. Photo: Pat Huber.

Appleby, who finished in 43rd place overall, did so in a time of 1:30:11 - 13 minutes behind Ching. New Zealand's Annabel Anderson, who finished second to Appleby yesterday, was second again with a time of 1:32:22. Third was Brandi Baksic (San Clemente, CA, 1:32:44).

Conditions for today's race were calm seas and a light side-onshore wind that offered no free rides. Air temperatures were cold - low 60s - as a cold front moved in from the North.

"This was definitely a tough race," said Ching. "You had to work every inch of the way - no bumps or glides like you get in the Hawaii Battle. But after losing yesterday in the Elite race, I was pumped to get out there and make it happen today. It feels good to finish up with a win." 

Appleby can return to Hawaii with the satisfaction of eclipsing the world's best SUP women in both of this weekend's key races:

 "This is the best way to wrap up the weekend," said Appleby. "It's been a great two days of racing and I think this is the strongest turnout ever for a Battle of the Paddle event, so to win means even more. It's very satisfying." 

In the prestigious Team Relay, a record 44 4-person teams take to the water. The winning team was C4 WATERMAN: Travis Grant (Australia), Noa Ginella (Hawaii), Mariko Strickland (Hawaii), and Georges Cronsteadt (Tahiti). Second place was TEAM NAISH #1, and third was TEAM HOBIE #1.

Offering an eye to the future, the top five athletes in the Kids Race were: Mo Freitas (Hawaii); Christopher Bluthardt (Hawaii), Nick Scheel (San Clemente, CA), Vanina Walsh (female, Hawaii), and Connor Marland (Malibu, CA).   

The 4th annual Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle was the most successful ever. A big thank you to all who made it memorable, and especially for the support of the sponsors: Rainbow Sandals, California State Parks, Clif Bar, DSBIA, Patagonia, Riviera Paddlesurf, Longboard Lager, Maui Jim, Duke's and Hobie. 

Author: Jodi Wilmott  email: oceanpromotion@hawaii.rr.com  phone: +1.808.258.8533 

Watch HD video highlights of Day 1 of the 2011 Battle of the Paddle presented by Gerry Lopez and Rainbow Sandles from Donheny State Beach, Dana Point California. See the epic battle between Connor Baxter, Quickblade Paddle and Surftech Team Rider Jamie Mitchell and 404 SUP and Riviera Team Rider Danny Ching in the exciting finish of the Men's Elite race as well as the winners and competitors the Open Race and Women's Elite.