Eight of the world’s best will return to New Zealand in April to compete for the coveted title of The Ultimate Waterman. Now into its third year, this unique event will push the athletes to the brink as they travel and compete in some of the most challenging, yet spectacular conditions in New Zealand.

Get the 2017 Sunset Beach Pro preview, logistics for the new APP World Tour for both Surfing and Racing events, and find out how you can participate in the events and compete at the highest level.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a stable, non-inflatable touring board to paddle mid to long range distances then the Touring Elite by Starboard is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board has the Starlite construction which is durable and has both positives and negatives. Due to its width of 29 inches the board is somewhat stable. The board has 2.79 lbs per foot and weighs a total of 27.9 lbs which is slightly heavy for only a 10ft board. Its shape makes the Touring Elite a touring board best for intermediate paddlers designed with touring in mind. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for recreational paddling between 3 to 10 miles max. Retailing at $1,999, the board is among the high-price point boards but is among the best of what the brand has to offer.

As Starboard SUP ambassadors Donica and Abe Shouse have gotten their hands (and feet) on Starboard’s new GoFoil SUP foiling boards and have gotten some awesome photos and videos of their time experimenting with their new gear. In the video above watch Donica and Abe play with their foils.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a fast, non-inflatable, premium race board to paddle in all conditions then the All Star from Starboard is worth a look. This stand up paddle board (SUP) comes in the Carbon Sandwich construction which is durable and has its ups and downs. Due to its narrow 24.5 inch width the board is very unstable however, the board is very lightweight for a 14’ paddle board having only 1.86 lbs per foot, weighing a total of 26.4 lbs. Its shape makes the All Star a board designed primarily for SUP racing. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for advanced paddlers to be used for all kinds of racing (downwind, flatwater, choppy, etc.). Retailing at $3,399, the All Star is among the high-tier price point but comes with the best that the brand has to offer.

The newly formed Association of Paddlesurf Professionals (APP) announces a big-name line-up for its 2017 APP World Tour, an amalgamation of the Stand Up World Series and the Stand Up World Tour.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a very fast, non-inflatable, premium race board to paddle in sprint races then the Sprint from Starboard is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Carbon Sandwich technology which is durable and has its ups and downs. Because of the extremely narrow width of 21.5 inches the board is incredibly unstable, however, with 1.86 lbs per foot weighing 26.1 lbs total the board is very lightweight for a 14ft board. Its construction and shape combined best fit the Sprint for sprint racing on flatwater. Retailing at $3,399 the board is among the premium price point but is exactly that: a premium board designed to win.

After a spectacular showdown at Pipeline and Backdoor in 2016 that saw Mo Freitas (Focus SUP) put on an impressive display of skill and bravado to take the win, 2017 sees the return of the prestigious Stand Up Paddle component of the Backdoor Shootout in memory of Duke Kahanamoku.

Over 130 international, interstate and local competitors gathered for the World’s fastest downwind paddle race, the King of the Cut Race on Sunday, December 4, 2016 in Mandurah, Western Australia. Near perfect conditions blew in for the 24-kilometre race with southerly winds at 18 to 20 knots.

The International Surfing Association (ISA) is proud to highlight the legacy that the 2016 Fiji ISA World StandUp Paddle (SUP) and Paddleboard Championship, has left on the sports of SUP and Paddleboard as well as the host country of Fiji.

Can you believe 2016 is coming to an end?! With the gift-giving holidays right around the corner, it's time to think about getting something awesome for the SUP'er in your life so here at Supconnect, we've put together a gift/gear guide of the newest and coolest items to have recently hit the shelves and racks on the SUP market.

Australia reclaimed the Team Gold Medal and Waikiki-Peru World Team Champion Trophy at the fifth edition of the 2016 Fiji ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Championship. Australia had won the team title at the first three editions of the event after losing to Team USA at the 2015 edition in Sayulita.