Troubled waters–San Diego Union Tribune

The San Diego Union Tribune published a very interesting article about SUP and the backlash to it in Southern Cal. Read the full article here: Troubled waters.

Here’s an excerpt:

The sport originated in the South Pacific and briefly flourished in Hawaii a half-century ago. In Southern California, stand-up paddle surfing was almost unknown until just a few years ago. There has been friction between traditional surfers and stand-up paddlers ever since.

Practitioners of the sport use extra-thick surfboards from 10 to 12 feet long, which they propel with a long-handled paddle that, from a distance, resembles a broom.

It’s the paddle that prompts some traditional surfers to derisively refer to their brethren as “sweepers” or “janitors.”

“I wish they’d get them out of here. They’re mostly kooks who don’t know how to surf,” said Richie Cravey, 20, who surfs regularly at Cardiff Reef in Encinitas, a spot that attracts legions of stand-up paddlers.

Well, it’s not necessarily true that they don’t know how to surf.

Surfboard shaper Ron House, 61, surfed the traditional way for more than 40 years before switching completely to stand-up paddle surfing.

“I’m not inclined to lay down and wallow on my stomach anymore,” said House, who lives in San Clemente. “The stand-up thing is way more comfortable.”

The most pervasive complaint about stand-up paddlers is that they can dominate the water. By standing rather than sitting to wait for waves, they can spot swells before traditional surfers and then use their superior paddle power to catch waves first.

“If there’s a sweeper who’s pretty good at a reef or point break, nobody gets waves except the sweeper,” said veteran long board surfer Joe Ditler, 57.

“For a surf break to function properly, people have to share. Sweepers don’t share.”

Stand-up paddle surfers say they try to practice the “aloha” spirit and often let waves go by that they could easily take.

But the temptation to grab the wave is almost irresistible when one has such an overwhelming advantage, said Scott Bass, a former professional surfer, author and filmmaker who helped popularize stand-up paddle surfing at Cardiff Reef.

“The animosity out there is pretty thick and it’s understandable,” said Bass, editor of Surfer magazine’s Web site. “And it’s because, no matter how hard we try to share, we’re almost always catching another wave.”

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