If you live on the South Shore and you haven’t heard of Stand Up Paddle surfing, it’s clear you’ve been holed up in your house too long this summer and it is time to get to the beach!

Seriously, Stand Up Paddle (SUP) is all the rage, mainly because you don’t have to be a skilled surfer to do it. This sport is for anyone who has some balance, a little coordination, and a love of the water.

SUP started in the 1960s in Hawaii where locals would stand on their long boards and paddle out to take pictures of tourists learning to surf. Within the last decade, however, SUP became an alternative way to train while the surf was down. Now, it has become its own sport, which is basically surfing without the wave.

“It’s not dangerous,” says Bobby Fenton, owner of East Coast Hui Surf & Stand Up Paddle Tours in Scituate, noting that while “any water sport has an element of danger, paddling is done in a more controlled environment that takes place on flat water,” he says.

Of course, in the open ocean it can get choppy, so before you go out and buy the board (ranging in price from $800-to-$2,000) and the paddle ($100-to-$400), take a lesson and rent a board for $60 an hour from East Coast Hui (ECH). You are guaranteed your money’s worth as Fenton, a patient and professional instructor, has been surfing since he was 10 years old. He’s lived on the west coast, he rode the big waves in Hawaii, and he has surfed competitively around the world. But Scituate is home for Bobby and his wife Tina, so this is where they are raising their ‘hui’. (Hui, in Hawaiian, loosely means ‘family’ or ‘clan’.)

The Fentons quickly make you feel like family, too: With their easy-going encouragement, this South Shore Woman was ready to get on that board! But, because I was a beginner, and the waves were a bit rough that day, we decided to take to the calm waterways on the back side of Peggotty beach.

As instructed, I started out on my knees, using the enormous paddle to work my way through the water. It felt very much like kayaking. But then you stand up. There is definitely a technique and a skill associated with paddling, which is why it is recommended that you take lessons before launching yourself out there on the water.

Bobby has had to use his own board to tow many of his students in because they were getting swept too far out to sea, he says. And, aside from understanding the elements of your surroundings, there are also things to know about how your positioning will influence the way the board responds in the water, as well as different paddle strokes that you can use to control the board better.

SUP gives you a great overall workout that you can feel mostly in your upper arms and core, but your legs, too, are firmly planted to hold your stance. It also gives you a new view of the water and your surroundings. You’ll see things (fish in the water or incoming swells) that you wouldn’t see while sitting in a kayak or lying on a board.

Once you are comfortable maneuvering the board, don’t stop at lessons. Bobby also offers paddle tours around the cliffs and Scituate harbor. So, before summer ends we recommend you give Bobby a call, and give SUPing a try!

Bobby Fenton                                                                                                  

617-548-7988

Bobby@EastCoastHui.com

www.eastcoasthui.com

Or, become a Fan of East Coast Hui Surf & Stand Up Paddle Tours on Facebook!

By Stephanie Neil

Stephanie Neil is a journalist. Her business, technology, and human interest stories have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines including eWeek, Managing Automation, The Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Huggies Baby Network, South Shore Woman, and The Boston Globe.  She lives on the South Shore with her two kids, two cats, and a dog. Contact info: stephanieneil@comcast.net  or 781-378-1652. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieNeil