The Coast of Origin - Stand up paddle event this weekend
The Coast of Origin - It's on for young and old!
The Coast of Origin isn't a case of NSW Vs QLD - no sir, it's Sunshine Coast Vs. Gold Coast in a bid to see which region produces the best of the best on a longboard, short board and Stand up paddle board.
The Coast of Origin is run by Surfing Queensland, and originally started with surfers. Now the SUP community has muscled in on the action, and of course the rivalry! The Seabreeze forums are a buzz with talk of who's going to win, and no clear favourite has emerged yet which should make for some very close surfing.
The event takes place over this weekend on Saturday and Sunday - but the exact location is still to be decided. Currently it looks like the contest could be held at Duranbah, which is normally a short board only spot.
Famous for the big rock wall that sweeps out through the break, D'bah is normally the most crowded break on the Gold coast when the swell is decent. Stand up paddle surfers very rarely get the chance to ride here because of the crowds and steep, fast waves ideal for short boards. Should the event be run at D'bah, it's going to make one epic SUP final, with the kids on sub 9" boards set to decimate the competition. Aerials will be a plenty, as will short cover-ups and quick slashes; you won't see any Noosa style hang ten's here - the waves are too good for that!
If you won't be near the Gold coast this weekend, chances are you will be near a computer, and that's just as good. Leaked Media is providing live coverage of the event over the entire weekend, streamed live to the internet. These are the same bunch responsible for covering the Parklife and Soundwave music festivals - so if they can handle that, surely they can broadcast some great footage from the Gold coast this weekend. Simply tune in, sit back and watch the action from your lounge room - as Leaked Media are the best in the business, they always put on a good show, which is second only to being there in person.
It all kicks off at 9:00am on Satuday, so check the Leaked Media website on the day to get access to the feed, or you can wait and read all the action reports in the SUP forums.
KIAMA DOWNS, NSW
