Stand Up Paddleboarding Latest Water Sports Craze
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Photo courtesy George Gesner |
While in Subic Bay ten days ago, along the beach near The Lighthouse Marina Resort, I met Ari Bradley and George Gesner preparing to go windsurfing, they asked me if I had been "to SUP in La Union or Pangasinan"? My first thought was that they meant, had I eaten in one or both of these provinces: "yes, of course" I replied . . . what they really meant was, had I been Stand Up Paddleboarding ("SUP").
Stand Up Paddleboarding is the latest water sports craze to hit the Philippines. It appeals to surfers (and windsurfers and kiteboarders) when the wind and or the waves are otherwise not conducive to exciting tubes and breaks or other rapid transits.
The paddleboard is essentially a long surf board; the paddle handle is long enough to allow you stand up on the board and still get traction. It is claimed the equipment for the sport originated in the early days of competitive surfing in Hawaii, where the surf instructors would paddle out past the breaks to identify incoming wave sets so that they could call them to their students – standing up gave the best view of the size, frequency and duration of an approaching wave set.
As a sport, stand up paddleboarding has great application for endurance racing on relatively flat bodies of water – waves up to two feet are considered good – with almost any wind conditions, except during typhoons. As a fun way to go exploring waterways, the stand up paddleboard is convenient because you can explore rivers, cross lakes and estuaries and rest whenever you feel tired or when you just want to imbibe the view. As a way of keeping fit and improving stamina, the stand up paddleboard is excellent for core strengthening and overall aerobic exercise.
The first paddleboard was brought to the Philippines in 2007 by champion windsurfer, Manny Cabili. More recently, the equally avid windsurfer, George Gesner has taken up the baton and is actively exploring the beaches and rivers of northern Luzon to find the really good, tropical destination paddleboarding venues.
So far George has given the thumbs-up to: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; Claveria, Cagayan; San Fernando, La union; San Fabian, Pangasinan; Caliraya Lake, Laguna; Subic Bay Freeport, Zambales; Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales; one hundred islands, Lingayen Gulf/Pangasinan.
Philippine Stand Up Paddleboarding events planned in 2009, include the "trans Laguna de Bay paddleboard rally" – you couldn’t do it on a windsurfer or a kiteboard because of all the fish pens, but "on a paddleboard it is easy to navigate". Event dates to be announced soon.
For more information on Stand Up Paddleboarding in the Philippines contact George Genser: g_gesner @ yahoo.com