Mike McCune first time stand up paddlesurfing Alaska!

The surf report between May and September in Homer, Alaska is typically pretty bleak. It’s actually sort of a wonder that we get waves here at all considering that Kachemak Bay is completely sheltered from any open ocean swell. In the Summer this is excruciatingly apparent.

The tide has changed here though, with the launch of the Surf Alaska stand up paddlesurfing division bringing a sudden influx of stand up paddleboards we’re not planning on leaving our wetsuits to dry for 3-4 months this summer. We have a new motto we repeat with great satisfaction as we look out at the shin high wind chop breaking on the Homer Spit – ‘we could surf that’.

Ty Gates stand up paddlesurfing in Alaska

It was felt appropriate that our first summer stand up paddlesurf session was yesterday, on July 4th – Independence Day. We celebrated our independence from our dependence on winter storm systems to bring us waves. They may not have been the most awe inspiring rides we’ve had, but as most of us are just learning to drive these tankers, it was plenty of fun to go around.

Now for the record . . . Homer is not the only place to surf in Alaska, it just happens to be where Surf Alaska is based. Cordova, Kodiak, Yakutat, Sitka, Montague Island and many other known surf spots have great surf potential year round. Getting there is not always easy or cheap so us Homerites are stoked to have an option for us to play surfer during the summer now too.

If you can tell how much fun this is and want to try this stand up paddling thing out yourself, let me know in the comments or contact me. I’m offering free demos with the paddleboards and plan to be driving up and down the road between Homer and Anchorage. No wetsuit, no problem, got those too. The boards are fun on flat water too.

Matt James surfing through another yard sale.

Matt James standup paddlesurfing Alaska

Wendy Toymil heading out for her first stand up paddlesurf session.

You might expect that such a big board would be easier to stay on. Some things just don't make sense.

Matt James and Stephanie Dickerson

Ty Gates stand up paddling Alaska.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 7:47 am. It is filed under Blog, Stand Up Paddle, surf session and tagged with Alaska, photos, stand up paddle, stand up paddlesurfing, surfing alaska. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.