Recently formed Coral Coast Board Riders Club played host to the first stand up paddle board (SUP) competition of the year. A record number of competitors both male and female showed their skills in testing conditions on the Beachouse reef. In the end it was down to the top four male competitors on the day Tony Philp, Andy Eames, Bruce Climo and Sana Kaikai and in the female category Alana Tilly, Matisse Brown, Serena Talei Lovell to compete it out to see who would be this year’s male and female king of the waves?

A 20 minute heat saw Bruce Climo taking out the 2014 King of the Waves competition in the male category and Alana Tilly female.

Competition was not just restricted to the waves, with no time to rest over night seven male competitors an four female jumped in the boat and headed 10 km up the reef to kick off the 2014 beach house Battle of Paddle, a race that would test the endurance of all of those that compete in it.

With only like 10 knot trade winds blowing the male and female competitors got underway. It was soon became clear that it would be a two way race between old rivals Bruce Climo and Tony Philp. With only 500 m out of the 10 km race to go Tony Philp found some extra energy and slowly started to put metres on Bruce to take out the 2014 Beachouse Battle of the paddle by only 70 metres.

The Fiji Surfing Association like to say huge thank you to Coral Coast Board Riders for hosting the first stand-up paddleboard event of the 2014 calendar.