Longest Stand Up Paddle board journey
- world
record set by Justin DeBree
COCOA BEACH, FL, USA
-- Justin DeBree
, a 27-year-old surfer from Cocoa Beach,
entered the dock in St. Marys, Georgia, after paddling all
the way up from Key Biscayne, Florida, a total of 420 miles-setting
the world record for the Longest
Stand Up Paddle
Board journey
. He did this for awareness to the World
Skin Cancer Foundation
.
Photo: "This journey was done completely
on the board you see in the picture, all while standing, and
all under the power of nothing but me and my single bladed
paddle. "
( enlarge
photo
)
He also set the new world record for the
most miles paddled in 24 hours: 49 miles
from Stuart,FL, to the Sebastian Inlet,FL (between 0800 June
23 - 0900 June 24, 2008).
Photo: Craig Rubadoux/FLORIDA TODAY ( enlarge photo ) |
---|
( enlarge photo ) |
( enlarge photo ) |
“I
couldn’t think of a better way to bring attention to the World
Skin Cancer Foundation, the Beach Signage Sun Safety program
or this great sport,” said DeBree, a lifelong surfer and a
sales representative for DeWalt
power tools
, who used his work vacation time and donated
his salary from DeWALT
for each day of his journey.
The biggest problem Cocoa Beach's Justin DeBree
has faced is weather. "The weather's been so unpredictable,"
said DeBree, who is making the journey without support on
the water.
When he has been on the water, anywhere from 50
yards to three miles offshore, with just his feet on the board
and a three-gallon pack on his back, he's basically at the
mercy of the ocean.
"I've seen so much wildlife," said DeBree. It's
been completely entertaining. I've seen tiger sharks. I've
seen tons of tarpon and cobia, I actually had four schools
of cobia follow me. I can't tell you how many turtles I've
seen. It's been unreal."
Over one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed
every year and over 10,000 people die from skin cancer annually.
DeBree's mother, Diana Feast of Jupiter, said
she is proud of her son for promoting skin-cancer awareness
and an active, healthy lifestyle. She admits to being just
a little worried but expected him to complete the trip.
Stand up paddle surfing, or SUP, is a surface
water sport, a variant of surfing where the surfer uses a
paddle to move through the water while standing on a surfboard.
( enlarge
photo
)
Besides promoting our beach signage, raising
awareness and a little bit of funds, there was something obvious
that supports the feelings of the World
Skin Cancer Foundation
. Justin's normally dark tan
was gone. After two weeks of being on the water, Justin had
no evidence of any sun exposure. By using the Slip, Slap,
Slop rules, Justin was able to enjoy the outdoors safer than
usual.
World
Skin Cancer Foundation
: "We don't want to scare
people from using the outdoors. We just want people to be
smart when they use them."
Justin DeBree
:"Sometimes when you go do
challenges like this, it makes me think everybody can make
a difference, even my little self," he said. "I think it's
going to make me do other things to help the world, as lame
as it may sound. It just makes me want to do more."
Justin’s Journey Sponsors: The
World Skin Cancer Foundation
, Kialoa
Paddle Company
, DNA Energy Drink, Clif Bars,
Black & Decker, Brighthouse
Networks
, The Beachside Resident, Sungrubbies.com, DEWALT
Industrial Power Tools
, Volcom, Wayfast Signs, Currentcy,
Island Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, Mainsail Realty, Williams
Edward Construction, The Cottage Pub, Rusty's Seafood, Smith
Barney, Meyers Cabinetry,
16 streets.com, 2ndlight.com & Jobbeedu Body Protective Wear.
Stand up paddle surfing is derived from its
Polynesian roots. The Hawaiian translation is Ku Hoe He'e
Nalu; to stand, to paddle, to surf, a wave. The popularity
of the modern sport of SUP has its origination in the Hawaiian
Islands.
In the early 1960s the Beach Boys of Waikiki would
stand on their long boards and paddle out with outrigger paddles
to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is
where the term "Beach Boy Surfing" originates, another name
for Stand Up Paddle Surfing.
One difference between the modern idea of surfing
and SUP is that the latter does not need a wave. In SUP, one
can paddle on the open ocean, in harbors, on lakes, rivers
or any large body of water. One of the advantages of Stand
Up Paddle Surfing is the angle of visibility. Because of the
standing height over the water one can see both deeper into
the water and further across the surface of the water, allowing
better visualization of features others lower above the water
may not be able to see, whether it is the marine life in the
harbors, lakes and coves or the incoming swells of the ocean
marching on the horizon
Wednesday,
July 16, 2008
Related
:
Most
miles paddled in 24 hours on Stand Up Paddle Board
- world record set by Justin DeBree
Longest
paddleboard journey set
three
world records
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