With just the quarters thru final remaining for the Men's division and just the Final left for the women here at the 2017 Sunset Beach Pro, tension is mounting as we build up to what promises to be a spectacular final day of action at Stop #1 of the APP World Tour.

Carlos ‘Coco’ Nogales is used to being challenged on a grand scale, but Mexico’s big wave surfing ace is expecting his first visit to New Zealand to provide as tough a test as any he’s faced in the water.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a very stable, non-inflatable, all-around paddle board to paddle short distances, then the Flow from SIC Maui is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Full Carbon Innegra (FCI) construction, which is very durable and has its ups and downs. Due to its 34 inch width the board is very stable. Its construction is moderately heavy, coming in at 2.68 lbs per foot, weighing 28.1 lbs total. Its shape makes the Flow an all-around board that can be used by everyone and is designed primarily for recreation. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for short distances, around the beach or dock. Retailing at $1,349, this board is in the popular mid-tier market in terms of affordability.

Blue skies, clean conditions and high performance surfing was the order of the day on Day 3 of the 2017 Sunset Beach Pro, as we completed the repecharges for both Men & Women, as well as Round 3 of the Men, and Semi Finals for the Women.

23-year-old Floridian Robert Norman is a relative newbie to the stand up paddle (SUP) world only having been introduced to the sport two short years ago but he just accomplished a monster of a task earning the new Men’s and Overall World Record for distance paddled in 24 hours.

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.

Seychelle Hattingh and Kody Kerbox have signed on to SIC’s Global Team, joining existing teammates Lina Augaitis, Caio Vaz, Andrea Moller, Livio Menelau, Jeremy Riggs and moving from the National Team to the Global Team, former Olympian Tamas Buday.

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 a variety of conditions then the FX Pro from SIC Maui is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Single Carbon Composite (SCC) construction and has its ups and downs. Due to its width of 25 inches the board is very unstable however, the board is very fast. Its construction is very lightweight having 1.72 lbs per foot weighing 24.1 lbs total. Its shape makes the FX Pro an all-around race board that should be used only by advanced and lightweight paddlers and was designed primarily for competitive racing. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for long-distance paddling between 5-10 miles plus. Retailing at $2,899, the board sits at a premium price point but comes with the best that the brand has to offer.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a fast, non-inflatable, all-around race board to paddle in races with a variety of conditions then the X from SIC Maui is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Tuff Carbon Wood (TWC) construction which is durable and has its ups and downs. The X is 29.5 inches wide making it a pretty stable race board and it weighs 2.76 lbs per foot, 34.5 lbs in total, which is moderately heavy for its length of 12’6”. Its shape makes the X an all-around race board that can be used by intermediate paddlers in most racing conditions. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for sprint or long-distance racing. Retailing at $1,699, the board is in the high-tier price point but comes with some of the best that the brand has to offer.

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.