Why surf when you can skim?

Megan Adams eyed a 12-foot-long surfboard and a long canoe-style paddle. She watched other stand-up paddle surfers easing over the glassy water just off Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park.

Standing up on a big surfboard and paddling it around looked new, a little scary – and irresistible. “It looks so fun – kinda like a free-spirit kind of thing,” said Adams, 14.

Ken Campbell of Tacoma-based Backpacker’s Supply, helped Adams pick out a board, a paddle and a life jacket.

After a 10-minute introduction to the art of standing on a surfboard and paddling, Adams was on her feet and paddling toward the tip of Point Defiance.

Another person, said Campbell, had probably fallen under the spell of stand-up paddle surfing, which is booming in popularity in Puget Sound and along the Washington coast.

“I’m seeing more and more people doing this out here at Owen Beach, in other parts of the Sound and on the coast,” he said. “It’s another way to be on the water and have lots of fun.”

Stand-up paddle surfing – like regular surfing – was born in Hawaii. Boys teaching Waikiki Beach tourists how to surf would stand on their longboards and use outrigger canoe paddles to propel the board and catch waves. Hawaiian surfers also started stand-up paddling to stay in shape on calm days.

The sport has grown in the past decade. Now, there are stand-up paddle surfing contests and distance-paddling contests.

ANY PLACE WITH WATER

Regular surfing, where surfers have their bellies on the board and paddle with their arms, is limited to ocean waves. Stand-up paddlers like to catch waves, but they also can paddle on flat water.

Campbell started stand-up paddling about a year ago. He’s since paddled all over Puget Sound and Western Washington.

“I grew up surfing in Southern California, and I’ve paddled kayaks for 25 years or so,” he said. “I saw that this was a big hit in California and Hawaii, but I didn’t see how it was relevant for Washington.

“But I tried it, and, of course, it is very relevant here.”

Stand-up paddling is easier to learn than conventional surfing. It’s easier to stand on the wider, thicker, more stable board, and the long but light paddle helps with balance.

Sandra Starr of Tacoma was out at Owen Beach recently for her second stand-up paddle trip. Her husband, a veteran surfer, was there with his new board.

“I thought this would be a lot more difficult than it is,” she said. “I thought it would be like standing on a balance ball at the gym, but it wasn’t.”

Starr, a veteran runner who enjoys half-marathons, said stand-up paddling is a great upper body workout, and the sense of gliding over the water was addictive.

She kneeled on a board, paddled it out to deeper water and then rose easily to her feet. She was soon well down the beach – almost to the Anthony’s at Point Defiance restaurant.

Stand-up paddling is fun on Puget Sound – especially on calm days – because it’s less complicated than kayaking. Standing on the board also gives paddlers great views of what’s going on above and below the water, said Tacoma kayaker Ryan Spence.

Spence, who has surfed before, said he’s eager to try out his board on some coastal waves.

TAKING TO THE SURF

Puget Sound stand-up paddlers do find waves every now and then.

Sometimes paddlers ride the wakes of large yachts, ships or ferries. Campbell paddled to catch the 2-foot-high waves peeling off a yacht’s wake.

“I’d like to get to the point where I surf with the board,” Spence said. “It’s nice that a paddle surfer can catch even the smallest wave.”

Stand-up paddle surfers hit Westhaven State Park near Westport, especially on days where the swell is small and clean.

Traditional surfers must find the peak of an incoming swell – then paddle with their arms to hit the sweet spot at the right speed – to catch and ride a wave.

Stand-up paddlers have an advantage, as they can catch smaller, junkier waves – and they don’t need to hit the peak to get the ride.

The long, wide, stable board has a lot of surface area to catch the wave, and the paddle makes it easy to power into the wave.

Standing up also lets surfers see good swells coming over the horizon earlier than surfers sitting on surfboards.

But prone surfers – who usually ride smaller, lighter, more nimble boards – find it easier to turn and maneuver on the wave.

An increasing number of surfers use both methods.

But the two methods don’t always get along. Some conventional surfers, particularly in California, have clashed with stand-up paddlers.

The ability of stand-up paddlers to catch the wave earlier than prone surfers can cause resentment on crowded breaks.

That hasn’t happened in Westport, said Al Perlee, a veteran waterman who owns The Surf Shop and has surfed the area for decades.

“People on stand-up paddle boards are staying away from surfers, and they’re staying away from the peaks,” Perlee said. “There haven’t been any problems, and everyone is sharing the beach.”

BACK TO PUGET SOUND

Backpacker’s Supply, a longtime stronghold of kayaking, now also sells stand-up paddle gear, Campbell said.

A stand-up paddle board and paddle can cost $600 to $1,200. Some boards are designed for paddling on flat water, such as Puget Sound or lakes. Other boards can handle flat water and the ocean surf.

But more people are learning that they can handle a stand-up paddle board, and just one trip can turn them onto the sport.

Megan Adams was out on her borrowed paddle board for about an hour, and everyone on the beach could see her smile from 50 feet away.

“I like it!” she said as her first session ended.

Her second was about to begin.

“Can I go out again?” Megan said with the brilliant grin of a fully involved teenager.

Campbell gave the OK, and Megan – stoked and paddling hard – set off over the water once again.

Chester Allen: 360-754-4226

callen@theolympian.com

if you want to try it

Boards: Backpacker Supply has demo stand-up paddle boards. Representatives will be at Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park on July 12 and Aug. 15. Backpacker Supply’s corps of stand-up paddlers also plans to offer free demos and lessons at Owen Beach at least once a month during the summer.

Other gear: Stand-up paddlers, especially those who will surf the board on the coastal beaches, should invest in a good wetsuit.

Information: Backpacker Supply, 253-472-4402, www.marmotmountain.com/store-tacoma.htm; www.supsurfmag.com.

Ken Campbell’s stand-up paddle and kayaking blog is at lastwilderness.blogspot.com.

Chester Allen, The Olympian thenewstribune.com Go to our Web site to see a video of stand-up paddle surfers in action.