Select to expand quoteI would like to start by thanking Jim K from Extreme Windsurfing for arranging the importation of this board to Canada. Jim thinks this is one of the first Sunovas on our west coast and definitely the first that I know of here in Tofino. The board arrived in Vancouver unscratched. The packing of this board for transport was excellent. My thanks go out to the Sunova team in Thailand.
I am a novice SUP surfer with about one year of paddling a SUP, 61 year old male 5'9" and 69 kg (about 73 kg with winter wetsuit, boots, gloves and helmet). Ocean background of sea kayaking, surf kayaking, and wind surfing. Started on a 10' 27" wide Laird and a 9' 29" wide Fanatic fly that I could only flat water paddle. Both were too unstable as a beginner in the surf. Spent 8 months learning basic SUP surfing on a Starboard Whopper and two months ago sold the three boards for a 9'5" starboard widepoint. This winter I took two surf SUP lessons from Catherine Bruhwiler of Tofino Paddle Surf that were transformative. Catherine has been the Canadian women's surf champion (short board and long board) many times and is an ambassador for SUP surfing here in Canada.
The 8'10" 2016 Sunova Skate is 141 litres (written on the board), 9 kg (just under 20 lbs) with my luggage scale and 32" wide. It is a beautiful board and the lift handle makes it easy to pickup and carry compared to conventional handles. The fins supplied fit perfectly.
<div>Day one. 15-20 knot side offshore wind. Choppy with 2-4 ft beach break. This board is stable. At least as stable as the 9'5" wide point side to side and a bit more stable front to back. Picked up the small waves easily despite the challenging wind and chop.
<div>Day two. 2-4 ft beach break. Small offshore breeze of less than 5 knots. This board is very stable. Able to paddle it through the beach break. The pointy nose slices through the foam piles. Tracks well with 6-8 strokes per side and pivot turns easily. It picked up the small waves with a couple of strokes, no pearling and I can move around on the board getting my back foot back with little effort. It is fast. Down the line it makes this "sizzling" sound that I have only heard before with my carbon kevlar Murky Water surf kayak. It is easier to turn than the 9'5" wide point. As described on the Sunova website, a lot of fun! For me a great board that I will be able to progress on. I can't wait to get out in the surf tomorrow.
<div>Day three. 3-5 ft beach break. 15-20 knot mostly offshore wind. Yikes! Had to be in fairly late to be able to pick up a wave leading to a few spectacular "over the falls" type wipeouts. The skilled prone surfers were doing ok but I struggled with the wind. Not with stability but with paddle power at take off. Carrying the board in the wind was made much easier with the lift handle. It was good to get out in challenging conditions.
<div>Those are my first impressions. I will try to write another note after a couple of months on the Sunova Skate.
<div>Bob
Welcome to Seabreeze!
(I used to live near Seattle - Bainbridge Island - and visited Tofino once; you live in a beautiful part of the world. Bet the water is cold though! I was always warned about surfing because there could be logs in the water. Ever seen that?)
Thanks for the post.
Talking about logs in the lineup, this photo has always made me snicker:
magicseaweed.com/photoLab/viewPhoto.php?photoId=349496
(although a bit further south)
Great photo! That would get your attention! Imagine that hitting you as a wave broke over your head... 
Yes and yes. Cold water (winter suit 6/5/4, summer suit 4/3) and you do need to be aware of the posibilty of dead heads in the water. However the probability is low. Much more likely is the
new surfers in the water closer to shore learning to surf with one of the many surf schools. No sharks and few rocks just sand. Great picture of the surfer and the log! This is an interesting video that has likely been shown before. It is from Ucluelet just down the road from Tofino. A bit more exposed, lots of rocks and in the video a pod of Orcas hunting seals in the lineup!
I can't believe that anyone in a seal costume would stay in the water with a pack of hunting Orca!
Nah, they are all safe. It's hard to see in the video, but they all have these on the bottom of their boards:
www.amazon.com/Sticker-Repellent-Surfers-Standup-Paddlers/dp/B015T8RHMG
)