In the midst of national conversations surrounding gun control legislation and the NRA following the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida in February, several large retailers have cut ties with the NRA or partners that are associated with the NRA in response to consumer boycotts.

Kokua Trading Co is excited to officially welcome World Champion and the Queen of Sup/Candice Appleby to the Kokua team. With countless accomplishments, and a genuine spirit of aloha that precedes her, it’s easy to see why many refer to Candice as the “GOAT” (greatest of all time). Here at Kokua Trading Co. we are humbled and honored to partner with such a talented and well-respected athlete.

Sian Sykes from Psyched Paddleboarding explains what everyone can do to help and how making small adjustments in your every day life will make a huge difference in a massive plastic pollution problem that we're currently facing. In a short documentary called Plastic Tide: Clean Up Documentary Ms. Sykes walks us through the problem and what we can do as a water-loving community to help fight it.

Stand up paddle environmentalist Bob Purdy has sadly passed away after a battle with cancer. Purdy lived in Ucluelet, British Columbia and had a deep connection to the natural world and its waters. He dedicated several years of his life to stand up paddling and was the founder of Paddle for the Planet and World Paddle for the Planet Day, a global initiative to send a “Wave of Change” around the world.

Welcome to the Supconnect Weekly Recap, our countdown of the biggest news, reviews, interviews and features surrounding the world of Stand Up Paddle Boarding. This week we’re bringing you another sample of the best stories covered by ourselves and other publications.

In 2014, local Southern California Stand Up Paddle pioneer, Will Schmidt, successfully attempted what is now historically the first and only solo and largely unassisted stand up paddle of the Pacific Coast of the United States from Canada to Mexico. Armed with an assortment of video, global positioning, and audio equipment, he was able to document this extraordinary journey that is told through his own eyes.

Behind the excitement and acclaim of a broken world record, lies a story that lead to that one victorious moment. A story oftentimes of hardship, persistence, overcoming. A story that impresses us and inspires us. Guinness World Records recently announced a new broken record for the longest SUP ride of a human and dog pair, and the story behind it, although not painfully rigorous nor of epic proportions, is an especially heartwarming one.

I was delighted to be part of the first group to join the Water Skills Academy (WSA) SUP Expedition Guide Training Course which was the first course of its kind! The course has been designed to give people the skills and confidence to lead commercial and personal expeditions on a paddle board on big open water in remote and wilderness environments as part of multi-day journeys.

Boardworks is honored to announce the addition of standout waterman and paddle athlete, Mo Freitas, to its Pro Team. Coming off an impressive 2017 season, the 20-year-old Hawaii native is gaining momentum in both surf and stand up paddle (SUP) events and will begin this next competition season as part of the Boardworks family.

2017 was a year full of adventure, thrills, learning, and more. There were a handful of trends that caught on this year that caught the attention of our editorial staff here at Supconnect. Here are the biggest trends of 2017.

See ya later 2017, hello 2018! Another year has flown by and a new year is ready to kick off. 2017 was filled with dozens of stories of triumphs, tragedies, and more and all around the world. Here are the top stories of the year.

On September 10, 2017, people of the Vladivostok SUP community came together to participate in a massive mile-long SUP parade off the coast of the Sea of Japan in an attempt to set a new world record.