Stand up paddle boarding stems back to ancient Polynesian culture. Stand -up paddle boarding is when you stand on a surfboard and paddle. It requires some balance, but it's not all about catching waves. It can be done on totally flat water and since you are standing up, you are able to get a much better view of what is going on in and out of the water. In the 1940 and 50's long board surf instructors actually used this technique to keep an eye on their entire group of surfers in the lineup. In early 2000 when professional big wave surfer Laird Hamilton and a few other surfers started stand up paddling again it sparked a tsunami effect on the sport. Since then a new surf culture has taken over the beaches in Hawaii, California and now it's spreading rapidly all over the world.