The APP World Tour 2017 season has officially come to a close and the 2017 World Racing Champions have been crowned.

The World’s best male stand up paddle boarders all gathered on October 20, 2017 for one of the biggest races of the year: the Red Bull Heavy Water. In it’s second annual event the Red Bull Heavy Water provided paddlers the opportunity to win the biggest payout in the history of SUP: $20,000 to the first place finisher.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about how the race scene is dwindling. The sport grew way too fast, way too quick. No sport can sustain this kind of growth for very long. But, the sport isn’t necessarily dwindling. It just isn’t growing as fast as it did in the previous years. So, what are the obstacles of getting to and competing in a big race like the Pacific Paddle Games (PPG), Carolina Cup or the George Paddle Challenge?

The highly anticipated Pacific Paddle Games is back for it’s 3rd annual event and the weekend is shaping up to be quite a doozy. With all of the top athletes from around the globe expected to be in attendance the competition is going to be action packed. Here are 5 things to know about the 2017 Pacific Paddle Games:

Coming into the Final day of competition in Vorupør, located on Denmark's northwest coast, Australia held the overall lead in the team points ranking. Their fate was in their hands, as a win in the Team Relay Race would cement their Gold Medal position at the top of the podium.

Hawaii's Mo Freitas earned his first-ever ISA Gold Medal over the weekend to become World Champion in the SUP Technical Race at the 2017 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship in Vorupør, Denmark.

The Stand Up Surf Shop King of the Cut is the first major international Stand Up Paddle (SUP) event in Australia to offer equal prize money for male and female competitors.

Red Bull Heavy Water, arguably the most intense stand up paddling event in the world, will return as part of the 2017 APP World Tour circuit, with an event window from October 16th - 31st.

European nations take top honors at the 2017 ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championship. Host nation Denmark and Slovenia win Gold Medals.

An epic set of 18km SUP and Paddleboard Distances Races led to inspiring performances and photo finishes on the first day of competition at the 2017 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship.

The 2017 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship, taking place in Denmark from September 1-10, is set to gather the world’s top SUP surfers, SUP racers, and paddle boarders for a historic edition of the event, the first to ever take place in Europe.

The 2017 ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship is set to take place from September 1-10 in Denmark, marking a historic gathering of the world’s best SUP racers, SUP surfers, and paddle boarders in an edition of the event that is set to break participation records. Here are the ten things you need to know about the upcoming competition.