It was early in 2008 when I first tried stand-up paddling while on a trip to Kauai. I was in love with it instantly and have been at it ever since. Back then there was only one place to rent stand-up boards and at that time, they only had two types of boards, the original Lairds, as well as NSP's. And there were only a few other folks trying stand-up in Hanalei Bay. I haven't made it back, but I've heard that's no longer the case.
It was on our last day on the island, bodysurfing after having returned our rental boards, that we saw Laird Hamilton in the Bay, teaching his daughter what he called "Bodyboarding 101". Our exchange was brief. All I knew of him at the time was that he was a big wave surfer. He is now considered to be the father of the modern stand-up paddleboarding resurgence. If, in Hanalei Bay, I could have peered into a crystal ball and seen how very much stand-up paddling would change my life, my relationship with the land I live in, and my passion for being on and near the water, I would have taken the time to say "Thanks."
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