It鈥檚 an interesting sensation the first time you find yourself standing out on the calm, glassy waters of Howe Sound a few metres off the shores of Nexen Beach.
It鈥檚 a novel perspective to be upright, knees bent, feet spread wide apart just an inch or so from the still ocean on a stand up paddleboard (SUP). It offers a different way to relate to the scenery than when seated in a canoe or kayak, and unlike sports such as kiteboarding, you don鈥檛 need the help of wind.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the closest thing to surfing in this area,鈥� said Taylor McKechnie, a 麻豆社国产local who, along with fellow paddlers Jay Butler and Diana Frederickson, is going out on on a SUP tour from Nexen to Britannia Beach.聽
You have to get out early, even before the sun peaks out from behind the Stawamus Chief, if you want calm waters on the ocean, though.
The three have tried the sport before, and are now here at 7:30 a.m. trying to make up their minds about SUP.
鈥淭he goal is to see if it鈥檚 worth buying one,鈥� said McKechnie.
While they start their journey down Howe Sound with Ico Schutte, a guide from Sea to Sky Adventure Company,聽 Jessica (Jessi) Stensland, the company鈥檚 director of adventure, stays behind to chat about the growing popularity of SUP.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great sport that鈥檚 easily accessible,鈥� she said. 鈥淎lmost anyone can get on a board and experience SUP. And people these days, especially in a place like Squamish, are always wanting to try new things.鈥�
But SUP is anything but a new sport.
The history of stand up paddling is hard to confirm. There鈥檚 evidence that for 3,000 years Peruvian fishermen have used a small woven reed craft propelled with a long bamboo shaft shaped like a kayak paddle. In fact, many ancient cultures from Africa to South America used boards, canoes, and other watercraft moved with a long stick to fish, travel or make war.
But it鈥檚 generally accepted that the first stand up paddlers to hop on a board for the sheer joy of it were Hawaiian. Though Hawaiians have probably been stand up paddling for centuries, the earliest photographic evidence is only about 75 years old. Duke Kahanamoku, an Olympic swimmer and the man responsible for popularizing surfing off-island, was said to use an outrigger paddle to help propel his heavy board into Waikiki鈥檚 world-famous waves. In the 1940s, Kahanamoku and other Waikiki Beach Boys (instructors) like Leroy and Bobby AhChoy would take paddles and stand on their surfboards to get a better view of the other surfers in the water and incoming swells. They would also paddle out to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf, which is where the term 鈥淏each Boy Surfing鈥� originates, also known as stand up paddle surfing.
鈥淵eah, I鈥檝e heard the stories that Duke Kahanamoku was one of the people responsible for starting SUP,鈥� said Stensland.聽
Stand up paddling didn鈥檛 really come into vogue until the early 2000s, though, when Hawaiian surfers such as Dave Kalama, Brian Keaulana, Rick Thomas, Archie Kalepa and Laird Hamilton started SUP as an alternative way to train while the surf was down. It wasn鈥檛 long before SUP spread across the ocean to the mainland.
鈥淚 first got into SUP after moving to San Diego, Calif., which was one of the first places to adopt SUP,鈥� said Stensland, who is originally from New Jersey. 鈥淚 was a professional triathlete, and someone gave me a board and I took it out on the ocean.鈥�
She then move to Colorado, but continued to enjoy SUP.
鈥淭here was no ocean in Colorado, so we went out on reservoirs and lakes,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 another one of the great things about SUP. You can do it anywhere there鈥檚 water鈥� rivers, lakes, the ocean.鈥�
It鈥檚 also great and low impact exercise for your core muscles.
鈥淚鈥檓 a movement expert,鈥� Stensland said. 鈥淚 have a degree in exercise science. I find today, we spend so much of our time sitting 鈥� at our computers, in our cars, in front of the TV 鈥� and SUP gives us the ability to use our bodies from a fully standing position. It also works your arms with that vertical pulling motion.鈥�
聽She said the sport offers full hip extension, and gives your feet a good workout.聽
鈥淥ur feet are often stuck in shoes,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd feet are a big player in SUP.鈥�
鈥淲e often get the comment that people didn鈥檛 know SUP was such a workout on their feet,鈥� said Jeff Levine, who originally started Sea to Sky Adventure Company in 2010 as a bike rental business in the 麻豆社国产Adventure Centre.
That same year, they added SUP rentals to the mix.
鈥淲e started renting out stand up paddleboards, but they kept coming back dinged up and in bad shape,鈥� Levine said. 鈥淲e thought the construction of the boards wasn鈥檛 all that durable. Those boards were designed by surf companies in nice tropical areas. So, they were made for use on nice sandy beaches and in nice warm water.鈥�
The Brackendale resident said he was faced with what he started calling 鈥渢he Canadian challenge.鈥�
鈥淗ere in Canada, we have rocky shores and cold water,鈥� Levine said. 鈥淲e needed to have boards that could stand up to our somewhat harsher conditions.鈥�
Finding nothing around to suit the rental company鈥檚 needs, he had special boards designed just for Canadian conditions.
鈥淲e went with old school fiberglass surrounded by a bamboo layer,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat makes them easier to fix, and
more stable.鈥�
The people renting these new boards liked them so much, Levine was inundated with requests to purchase the specially made items. Eventually, he relented and helped found Beaver Boards, a family business based in Brackendale that designs stand up paddleboards for both adults and kids.
鈥淲e now sell our Beaver Boards all across the country through Canadian Tire,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e expanding our markets now to places like Mexico.鈥�
All the boards 鈥� like the Sea to Sky Cruiser 鈥� made specifically for paddling in Howe Sound, are designed in Squamish, but manufactured in China.
That鈥檚 something Levine wants to change.
鈥淎s we are expanding our markets and growing our numbers, we want to eventually move the manufacturing to Squamish,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ince about 2005 the sport has been increasing in popularity. It used to just be the fastest growing watersport in the world, but now it is the fastest growing sport in the world. It鈥檚 because anyone can do it. I suffered neck and back injuries and couldn鈥檛 sit in a canoe or kayak anymore. I still wanted to do something on the water, and SUP let鈥檚 you do that, and it鈥檚 a phenomenal workout.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 also the serenity of being out there,鈥� said Stensland. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 a very versatile sport. People are finding new ways to use the boards, like for yoga.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 walking on water,鈥� said Levine.
So despite murky origins in the distant past, SUP looks to have a promising future, especially in Squamish.
