The 2016 Santa Cruz Paddlefest presented by Starboard is about to kick off this Friday, March 18th and the event is going to be epic. With an excellent forecast of head-high to overhead surf and an athlete list of BIG names in the sport, this event is going to be huge.

In the first discipline of the 2016 Ultimate Waterman event, Californian paddler Danny Ching (USA) dominated the 16 km Outrigger Canoe Race held at Takapuna Beach. The following day, Starboard SUP athlete Zane Schweitzer (HAW) paddled his way to a significant win in the Prone Paddleboard race held at Piha Beach, Auckland, New Zealand. See the recap of the two events so far…

Smiles, surf and sun were prescribed to kiwi kids with Cystic Fibrosis today as The Ultimate Waterman kicked off its official events at Orewa Beach, Auckland. All eight international watermen who are here to compete in the multi-discipline surf competition took part in the one-on-one sessions with the kids aged between five and sixteen years old.

The sun is starting to shine, ice is melting and spring is starting to peek it’s head around the corner. With temperatures rising and waterways defrosting into lakes and rivers again, it’s time to start getting geared up and ready to get back on the water and out of the winter hibernation. Here, we’ve put together a list of SUP gear, SUP accessories, SUP boards and all the must have's for everyone from a beginner to the advanced SUP'er for the 2016 Spring SUP season, so there's sure to be something in this guide for everyone!

One SUP up and comer who stands out is 17-year-old Max Fleming from Dana Point, California. What makes Max so special? Not only is he an excellent SUP surfer and SUP racer, but Max is setting his sights high as he has ambitions to become an orthopedic surgeon and he’s already well on his way to making this dream a reality. We caught up with Max to chat about his ambitions, how he first discovered SUP and where he sees the sport in 5 years.

Need help getting your new deck grip installed on your SUP? Ryan from North 2 Board Sports shares some quick installation tips using the FCS SUP deck grip for your stand pp paddleboard. FCS Pads are used on all North 2 Boards Made in the USA "Gulfstream" boards for 2015.

Once again, Mission Bay in San Diego hosted the 20th Annual Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge and the event did not disappoint. With gloomy skies for the majority of the day, the attitudes and demeanors of the athletes and spectators were anything but. Every direction you looked you saw smiles and heard laughter and cheers. The Hanohano is notorious for being a classic event with nothing but fun on offer and this year it once again lived up to that reputation.

Australian Jamie Mitchell will line-up against the world’s best watermen in a quest to win the 2016 Ultimate Waterman title. Mitchell will join eight other athletes from around the world, including fellow countryman and waterman Mark Visser, in New Zealand from the 12-20 March, 2016. They’ll compete in eight surf disciplines to decide who is the best overall waterman.

Can you believe 2015 is almost over?! With the 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.

In the world of standup paddle board racing, the name Travis Grant is synonymous with speed and ocean endurance. Grant is considered to be the "best paddler in the world", though his rankings currently (while writing this) place him at #2. But for this Australian, life on and off the water, is about balance.

It was an epic close to the 2015 season at Turtle Bay, as we saw extremely competitive racing and dramatic finishes in both the long distance and sprint racing that led to the crowning of 2 new World Champions for 2015.

Candice Appleby finished the season unbeaten after another win, but she had to work hard here in Hawaii after being pushed all the way by the rising young star Fiona Wylde. For the men, it was ratings leader Kai Lenny who was able to secure his third Stand Up World Series Title after winning Stop #4 on the 2015 World Series with a win in the Sprint racing in a climatic finish at Turtle Bay Resort.