Chris de Aboitiz, one of Noosa's top stand up paddle watermen and the man credited with bringing the sport to Australia, is set to leave the Noosa area after his company failed to win the permit for Stand Up Paddleboarding at Noosa Beach, awarded by the Sunshine Coast Council.

Chris has been teaching SUP at the Noosa Heads Lions Park for over six-years, but failed to secure the only permit that the council made available for teaching on the beach.  Chris's father explained that, "Chris is pretty well gutted. He's out - we've lost him to the town, he's pretty well had enough." He went on to explain that, "It's more than a business to Chris, he wanted to promote stand up paddling and Noosa."

In addition to not being awarded the permit, Chris de Aboitiz also raised concerns that locating the stand up permit to the open beach between the Noosa groynes could be dangerous.  Chris' father also questioned the logic behind the entire permit system, with the council offering several permits for surf schools and other beach activities, but limiting the stand up operations in Noosa to just one operator. "Why is there now a monopoly - monopolies are a bad thing."

The council defended the tender process, claiming it had been "extensive and transparent", but the frustration expressed by local beach users and business owners suggests that the matter may yet run on...

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