Stand up paddle boarding on flat water is a lot easier than SUP on the sea.  Off the south shore of Kauai we can launch the board through the surf and head out through the waves past all the breakers to the rolling ocean, but its not easy to stay on top.   From the shore, we can watch the skillful paddlers cut through the waves, making it look easy.

On my first attempt last year in windy conditions, I was launched a few times.   Since then, I took a lesson, bought a board and went out to practice on flatwater a few times.   But the ocean is different.   In my first two times, I needed to kneel to get out and back, though I could stand up and paddle out past the breakers.   On this last day, I stood up to paddle out, sat down to take some pictures (not easy to do), then stood up to paddle back.   The prevailing winds from the southeast moved the board downwind if I sat or stopped, but the zone out past the breakers is a great spot to paddle, swim, or SUP.

Photography from a SUP is always a bit of a challenge on rolling, changing seas.   Sitting own is the safest way not to sacrifice the camera to the sea gods.

Each day I try to stand up for more of the SUP-on-the-sea challenge.   For athletes who surf, snowboard, and skateboard, SUP comes more naturally.   For the rest of us, SUP on the sea is an incremental process of improvement.   Soon we will heading down the coastline and back.