Legendary surfer Laird Hamilton endorses stand-up paddling

JORDANELLE STATE PARK — Laird Hamilton doesn't mind looking stupid.

The object of ridicule and racism throughout his childhood in Hawaii, the 6-foot-3 blond-haired, blue-eyed legendary surfer learned quickly not to listen to the doubts of others.

His ability to believe in what he saw, what he felt, allowed him to happen onto an innovation that has changed the lives of millions now taking up the sport of stand-up paddle surfing.

"Fear of failure," he said of what keeps other surfers from embracing the emerging sport. "They think, 'I'm good at something else already, why try to learn something new?' Failure is just part of the process of learning. I was hated for the way I was born. Why would I start to care what other people thought?"

That confidence and focus allowed him to see the potential in an accidental discovery. Hamilton was simply trying to find a way to take his toddler for a ride on a surfboard when he began pioneering the modern use of paddles with surfboards.

"I'd seen a guy in Waikiki using a board and paddle, but he didn't ride any waves, he just took pictures of tourists," said the father of three girls. "Turns out, he had been in a bad wreck and couldn't lay down."

Hamilton began experimenting with ways to either lengthen or shorten kayak or outrigger paddles so he could use them to propel his surfboard. He also started to work with board designers to make a board specifically designed for stand-up paddling. His efforts led to the evolution and really the birth of a new sport.

Hamilton was in Utah on Monday for Demo Days at the Jordanelle Reservoir, where Paddle Surfing products clearly ruled the day. The sport is enjoying a huge surge in popularity as manufacturers scramble to keep up with demand for the ever-evolving products.

"The growth has been about 800 percent in one year," said Reid Inouye, publisher of Standup Paddle Magazine, a native Hawaiian and a surfer for three decades. "We're still in that first level of people finding out about (the sport). We had a competition in Tahoe five years ago, and seven guys entered. This year, there were 400."

Unlike traditional surfing, stand-up paddle surfing is surging in popularity because any body of water will do.

In fact, the largest growth has been inland, away from traditional surfing strongholds.

While some see Laird's innovations and promotions of the budding sport as a betrayal of traditional surfing, he sees it as a way to allow more people to enjoy the sport he loves.