#1 in Surfski News and Reviews2025-12-31T20:30:22-05:00

  • On Downwinding: You’re Not Surfing

    Most paddlers learn to think about downwind paddling in terms of waves.  You catch a wave, you ride the wave, and you look for the next wave.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  That model works well enough [...]

  • On Training: Stress and Adaptation

    Nothing in training happens without stress.  In the absence of a stressor, our system remains exactly as it is.  But stress alone is not improvement, and in an ocean environment, misunderstanding that difference is one [...]

  • On Racing: Starting Right

    Most races are decided long before the first buoy or the first run.  They begin in the final minutes before the start, when paddlers are already spending physical, mental, and emotional energy, whether they realize [...]

  • Blackburn Challenge to host 2026 National Championships

    The American Canoe Association has selected the Cape Ann Rowing Club's Blackburn Challenge as the host venue for the 2026 USA Canoe Ocean Racing National Championships, placing one of America’s most iconic open-water races at [...]

  • USA Surfski Paddlers @ 2025 ICF COR World Championships

    The 2025 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing (COR) World Championships were held in Durban, South Africa this past October.  Worlds is the pinnacle international competition for surfski paddlers all over the world, in addition to World Cups [...]

Latest News

On Downwinding: You’re Not Surfing

Most paddlers learn to think about downwind paddling in terms of waves.  You catch a wave, you ride the wave, and you look for the next wave.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  That model works well enough at first, but it starts to fall apart as conditions get more complex.  Many of us [...]

On Training: Stress and Adaptation

Nothing in training happens without stress.  In the absence of a stressor, our system remains exactly as it is.  But stress alone is not improvement, and in an ocean environment, misunderstanding that difference is one of the most common ways capable paddlers stall or break down. Stress is simply load applied [...]

On Racing: Starting Right

Most races are decided long before the first buoy or the first run.  They begin in the final minutes before the start, when paddlers are already spending physical, mental, and emotional energy, whether they realize it or not.  The start line is not a pause before the race.  It is the [...]

Giant Fish Closing, Offering 75% Archive Sale

A letter from Scott Darling, founder of our community's much-loved brand, Giant Fish, states: A CLOSING NOTE As we begin 2026, I’ve found myself slowing down and thinking about what really mattered along the way. Not the plans or the outcomes, but the people—the conversations, the notes that landed at the [...]

Blackburn Challenge to host 2026 National Championships

The American Canoe Association has selected the Cape Ann Rowing Club's Blackburn Challenge as the host venue for the 2026 USA Canoe Ocean Racing National Championships, placing one of America’s most iconic open-water races at the center of next year’s ocean racing calendar. Long known as the “Boston Marathon” of open-water [...]

USA Surfski Paddlers @ 2025 ICF COR World Championships

The 2025 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing (COR) World Championships were held in Durban, South Africa this past October.  Worlds is the pinnacle international competition for surfski paddlers all over the world, in addition to World Cups and (for us) Pan American Continental Championships.  The venues for these international competitions are fantastic -- [...]

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Epic V10L Ultra Review – by Wesley Echols

For several months I paddled a fiberglass ‘performance’ layup V10L. What immediately struck me back when I owned that boat was how comfortable the cockpit is. The bucket is very shallow compared to the other High Performance Skis (HPS), however, your feet are below your seat. Because of this, leg [...]

2014 Surf Ski Reviews and Comparison Chart by Wesley Echols, SurfskiRacing.com

This is a comparison and review chart based on 12 years of paddling surf skis with GPS recorded time trials with all the 25 skis listed on the chart over the same four courses since 2002 as explained below. I added 10 new skis to the comparison chart since last time [...]

Huki S1XL Surfski Review by Wesley Echols

History with Huki My history with Huki dates back to 2004 when I got my  first  Huki S1X(orange in pic below) with a fix leg length.  That was my second surf ski after a 3 month stint with my first surf ski, a Mako XT.  As I have told the [...]

Stellar Introduces New 18S Surfski, 18R Performance Sea Kayak

Review Update of 18R by Joe Zellner, Winner of the Dakota 72 Mile Race.  June 1, 2012 Here are my thoughts on the S18R in Excel  layup.  When I first saw the boat all I could think was “Wow, what a fast, pretty boat. I always liked the color orange. [...]

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