The History of Paddle Boarding

Paddle Boarding has become a well-known activity today, but it wasn’t always that way.  Not until early 2000s did the Paddle Board gain wide popularity.  Believe it or not, Paddle Boarding’s earliest roots actually trace back thousands of years to individuals in rafts and punts .  However, it wasn’t until the 1900s when its current form originated in Hawaii. 

3,000 B.C. – Ancient History of Paddle Boarding

It is believed that some version of paddle boarding and standup paddle boarding has been around for thousands of years.  Ancient cultures would use some floating vessel to ride on and would use a long stick to propel themselves forward.  This is believed to have been the case in a few ancient cultures with roots dating back to Peru, Italy, and China.   

1778 – First Known Instance of Surfing

In 1778 Captain James Cook sailed in Hawaii and was the first European to witness surfing.  It is widely regarded that modern surfing first started with origins from Hawaii. 

1930s – Who Created Paddle Boarding? (The Modern Paddle Board)

Thomas Blake is believed to be the creator of the paddle board in the 1930s.  He is one of the most significant figures in the history of surfing and paddle boards.  He was known as one of the central figures who pioneered surfing bringing it into the 20^th century lifestyle.  Thomas was a man who did many things.  He started as a competitive swimmer, then became engrossed in surfing, created the patented hollow paddle board in 1931, created the stabilizing fin to be used on boards, and also was one of the first surf photographers who took underwater photographs of surfers.  Needless to say, he was instrumental in the establishment of surfing and paddle boarding.  

What Was the First Paddle Board?

In 1931 Thomas Blake created his patented hollow board.    He did this by hollowing out the boards and drilling hundreds of holes.  Afterwards, he’d put them back together resulting in a much lighter board than the standard ones at the time. In doing this, he cut the standard boards weight in half to as little as 40lbs.  This made surfing more accessible to the masses and helped fuel the boom in popularity for surfing.  To get a sense of what this sort of board looked like, the National Museum of American History has a Blake Style hollow paddle board made in the 1940s for viewing on their site.

1940s – When Standup Paddle Boarding Started

Modern Standup Paddle Boarding traces its roots back to Hawaii as well.  Specifically in Waikiki where surf instructors first began standing on their boards as a way to keep an eye on surf students and the incoming waves.  From time to time, the instructors would ride the waves in shore while standing on their boards.  This ended up gaining popularity giving rise to the beginning of the modern version of standup paddle boarding. 

1950 – The First Paddle Board Marathon

In 1955, the Manhattan Beach International Paddle Board Race was created.  The race was a 32-mile marathon from Catalina Island to Manhattan Beach Pier in Los Angeles, California.  The original event was only held five times before it was abandoned due to the death of one of the main promoters of the race.  However, in 1982, the race was revived by an LA County Lifeguard Lieutenant, Karl “Buddy” Bohn.  The race officially became to be known as the Catalina Classic 32 Mile Marathon.  Some rules were changed such as changing the board length from 14 feet to 12 feet.  Today this race is still going on, August 28^th, 2022 will mark the 45^th year of the Catalina Classic Paddle Board Race. 

1990s – The Paddle Board World Championships Began

In 1996, paddle boarding became more prominent to newer paddlers.  Within the shores of Oahu and Honolulu paddlers grew interested in the sport.  Part of this was due to Hawaii’s top paddler, Dawson Jones.  He completed the 32-mile Catalina Classic race and returned to Hawaii afterwards with the intent to create a new race.  This new race would be set in Hawaii.  It would cover the Ka’iwi Channel.  After talking it over with some of his partners, the Molokai-2Oahu was born.  This race later became to be known as the world championship and is still ongoing today. 

2000s – Paddle Boarding Gains Popularity

In 2004, standup paddle boarding was added as a category in the Buffalo Big Board Contest.  Paddle boarding spreads in popularity, especially to those in California.  By 2007, the first touring board for standup paddle boarding gets introduced.  This board differed from the traditional standup paddle board in that it included a displacement hull.  This allowed the board to glide on the water more similar to canoe.  In 2009, standup paddle boarding became the single fastest growing part of paddle sports in North America. 

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Today – Paddle Boarding is Here to Stay

Paddle boarding has expanded and transformed since its beginnings.  Paddlers use their paddle boards for a variety of activities now.  This ranges from SUP surfing, SUP touring, SUP yoga, to SUP fishing and more.  The sport will continue to grow.  Evidence of this is that paddle boarding may be added to the Olympics.  It may be too late for addition to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but many are hoping it’ll debut in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.  In 2019, it was estimated that 3.5 million Americans participate in Standup Paddle Boarding according to ACA Paddlesports, special report on paddle sports.