Taken from Pacific Longboarder News.

Surfing’s watermen and waterwomen have extra incentive to flex their paddling muscles this month, with the return of the third-annual Honolua Ocean Paddle Race. A record field of elite board paddlers are expected to engage in surfing combat in the eight kilometre race, which starts at Snapper Rocks and follows the coastline north, before finishing at Currumbin Creek on Saturday 30th May, 2009.

“Honoula is delighted to be sponsoring its third consecutive paddle boarding race with the added support of Connecting Southern Gold Coast and Hawaiian Airlines,” he said. “The guys from Dakine and XCEL have come onboard as well, so this year’s race is shaping up as the biggest and best yet.“

Paddle boards are streamlined, specialised boards that are designed to ride open ocean swells. They are paddled surfboard style in either prone or kneeling position. Stand up paddle (SUP) will again be an integral component of this year’s race.

This division includes the use of a board and a paddle for use while standing up. This style is a throwback to the Beach boys who used to surf in Waikiki, Hawaii using canoe paddles to power themselves into the waves. Adding to the event’s already high stakes is the newly-added OC1 Outrigger division (1 person).