As Surfing approaches two years until its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, the International Surfing Association (ISA) has ramped up the development of its coaching and instructing initiatives to help promote the worldwide growth of Surfing and Stand Up Paddling (SUP), particularly in non-traditional surfing nations.

The 32nd Annual Santa Cruz Paddlefest was one for the books as stand up paddle surfers and racers took to the waters in Santa Cruz, California. The 10k Pro Elite race for both the men and women were the talk of the weekend as the results had everyone buzzing.

At Kite Beach Cafe, located about two kilometers west of Cabarete, world-class water athletes surfed, kite surfed, wind surfed and stand up paddled, to the delight of hundreds of visitors, who came together to show their passion for the ocean, and sports at the Master of the Ocean Festival.

Southern Californian brothers Gavin (14) and Trevor (10) Mencinsky recently took a family trip across the border to Southern Baja to enjoy some sweet swell at Cerritos Beach. As participation in SUP continues to rise, it is awesome to see youth paddlers contributing to this growth and developing a passion for the sport.

Adventures continue for Great Lakes surfer Daniel Schetter, the cold water endurance athlete whose story went viral last month as the “Ice Beard Surfer” who brought -30 F Big Lake surfing to the world.

Following on from the announcement of its official Racing stops, the APP (Association of Paddlesurf Professionals) World Tour is proud to announce two new surfing stops for the 2018 season:

Boardworks is honored to announce the addition of standout waterman and paddle athlete, Mo Freitas, to its Pro Team. Coming off an impressive 2017 season, the 20-year-old Hawaii native is gaining momentum in both surf and stand up paddle (SUP) events and will begin this next competition season as part of the Boardworks family.

The SUP discipline at the 2018 Da Hui Backdoor Shootout took place over the weekend in epic conditions and the boys scored at the infamous Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore. All the Hawaiian SUP shredders were there for the event including Kai Lenny, Zane Schweitzer, Kealii Mamala, Tehotu Wong, Pomai Hoapili and Bullet Obra.

2017 was a year full of adventure, thrills, learning, and more. There were a handful of trends that caught on this year that caught the attention of our editorial staff here at Supconnect. Here are the biggest trends of 2017.

Each year in any sport there are a number of athletes and performances that stand apart from the others. Whether it’s a comeback from behind, world record or dominating performance these achievements don’t go unnoticed. In 2017 there were incredible performances and feats that we didn’t know were possible. Here we list the top 10 most inspirational athletes and performances of 2017.

With just seven days remaining in the 2017 Supconnect Polls competition is heating up and time is winding down for you to nominate and vote for your favorite topics in paddle boarding.

After a long year of both SUP surfing and racing on the APP World Tour the overall champions have been crowned. Say hello to your Overall APP World Champions for 2017…