Do you ever get bored of playing in the ocean?  Just find yourself spending too much time surfing, sailing, paddling or swimming?   Na, didn’t think so…

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A waterman’s life.  Sean and friends during a recent trip to the islands.

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Tyler Anderson’s road to victory in the 2009 Catalina Classic was not as linear as one might expect.  Not so long ago Anderson, at the time an aspiring wrestler, was forced out of his sport of choice by an accident that left him unable to fully extend his arm.  Shortly there after, his baptism in the chlorinated waters of the lap pool gave birth to a love of the water and the sport of swimming.  Now the Long Beach City College student and local lifeguard sits on the verge of paddling greatness.  Having won the National Championships by almost two minutes and concurring the Catalina Classic in only his second year (he beat his own 2008 time by over 48 minutes) he now finds himself one win away from being crowned an international champion.  Rumors of double days and 100-mile weeks are already circulating and with big names like Jamie Mitchell and Mick Dibetta in the mix there are no sure things.  However, True or not, one thing is for sure; all eyes will be on the big man next weekend in San Francisco.

Tyler took some time out of his busy schedule as a student and lifeguard to fill us in on what it takes to train, prepare for and win the Classic and give us the scoop as only he can tell it. (more…)

On July 26th over 100 athletes headed out to paddle across the Kaiwi Channel to Oahu.  For some it was a race to set a record, or defend their title, and for others it was a personal challenge to cross one of the roughest channels in the world.  And for me?  My goal was to just finish the race feeling good. (more…)

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For more videos and all of your paddling needs visit www.ultimatepaddler.com!  Those guys rock

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Congratulations Conner.  This is just the beginning!

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Interviewed by Maria Brophy

Congratulations Jenny!  2009 Rainbow Sandals Molokai to Oahu Champion.  Could this be a preview of 2009? (YES)

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The Molokai channel delivered again this year for the paddleboard crossing, with 15-20 mph east trade winds and a solid south swell coming across our right shoulder from the middle of the channel to the opening of Manalua Bay.

With all of the Kaiwi channels water moving in all different directions and a falling tide through out the whole race, reaching low at 1:30pm, the conditions were to be testing for every paddler and craft.

The unlimited solo paddleboard battle for the top 10 spots was on this year more than ever, with top paddlers from Hawaii, California, France and our small group from Australia. Just to make it across the channel and be competitive is an achievement on its own but to make the top 10 finishers in the superbowl of paddleboarding is what every serious paddler wants to achieve.

The race has many personal stories and we hear them all as the days after roll by. But its all about whos the best padsdler on the day and that honour stays with Jamie Mitchell again this year and the rest of the field followed him across and filed into the finish line for hours later into the day.

The channel looked friendly for the first two hours with good wind swell and some form of organisation until we hit the mid channel and the current put its spin on things. From there on most of the top 10 paddlers had a similar story of south swells knocking them off wind swells and the current turning their boards to the north but this is why its the toughest paddleboard race in the world.

Some things dont change and Jamie finished under 5 hours again for his third fastest time and the rest of us in the top 10 filed in for the next 45 mins. Jamie again maintained a 20 minute buffer between himself and second place but for second to tenth the paddlers came in one after the other to take their places in the top 10 finishers.

I for one was proud to finish again and to hold a place in the 10 but stoked to see the level of paddlers raised again with 5 of our trainig squad finding spots in the 10. Some of our guys moving up from last year and now setting their sights on placings in the years to come.

Congratulations to everyone that paddled and thanks to waterman sunscreen for keeping the sunburn off me this year

Aloha

Mick Di Betta

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New review posted on-line at http://www.coastalhealthandfitness.com/page12.php?post=14

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