Pacific Paddle Surf | Paddle Board Rentals in Puerto Vallarta

Pacific Paddle SUP Series Season Finale introduces the “Watermans Challenge”

Posted on May 16, 2012 by pacificpaddle

photos by Graham Mattock

It was an exiting finish to the Pacific Paddle SUP Series ending the 5 stop tour around the Bay of Banderas with a new race – the “Watermans Challenge” consisting of swimming, prone paddling and SUP, mixing up the field and giving an edge to the strong swimmers of the bay.

Copa Mexico Windsurf Champion Fede Ortiz came out of the water from the swim leg in 2nd place forcing Ryan Helm to turn on the speed in the prone leg to secure his victory. Felix Garcia came off the swim looking strong but could not hold off the charge from Horacio Garcia and Geovanti Cervantes. It was a great format and challenging for the athletes and we look forward to more challenging races for next seasons race series.

The tour has elevated the SUP presence in the Bay of Banderas by moving the SUP Races from El Baracuda in Puerto Vallarta, to Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerias, Punta Mita, and back to El Baracuda for the final round. With over 50 participants at most of the events the race series has been a great training ground for local paddlers and a fantastic reunion of the SUP Community in Nayarit and Jalisco.

At the end of the 5 stops it was Ryan Helm of Sayulita who won the 2012 Surftech Bark 12’6 Competitor race board for the mens division. Ryan has proved himself to be a solid competitor on the international scene with a top three finish in Punta Sayulita Classic and more recently a top ten finish at the Waikiki Paddle Festival against the fastest paddlers in the world.

In the women’s division it was Veronica Nava standing out with her consistent wins in the long distance races, and her fortitude in the Elite and technical races. Vero is a great athlete and Pacific Paddle is proud of all she has accomplished this season in SUP, Kite, Windsurf, and being a great Mom and role model. Surftech was proud to award her a brand new 12’6″ Bark Competitor race board, and hopes that she continues to draw more women into the sport.

Pacific Paddle has been very pleased with the response of the series and the growth that SUP has seen in our area this season. We look forward to next seasons SUP series that will start in December 2012 and will be even bigger!

If you are looking to get in to Stand up paddle surfing in Mexico, don’t hesitate to call Pacific Paddle, we have the best selection of SUP’s in Mexico for sale, and a huge fleet of paddle boards boards for rent and demo. We also deliver throughout Mexico and have a network of qualified Certified SUP Schools, so if your planning on coming to Mexico on vacation or you live here and are looking to buy a stand up paddle board, be sure to give us a call!

322 123 3034 cell or office 329 298 1057

Posted in Paddle Safari's | Tagged pacific paddle, pacific paddle surf, ryan helm, Stand Up Paddle Mexico, starboard, sup, sup bucerias, sup mexico, sup puerto vallarta, sup race mexico, sup rentals, sup rentas puerto vallarta, sup sales, sup sales mexico, sup sayulita, surftech, used sup | Leave a comment

Pacific Paddle SUP Race Series FINAL round and awards set for this Saturday May 12th at El Barracuda in Puerto Vallarta

Posted on May 8, 2012 by pacificpaddle

El Barracuda in Puerto Vallarta will bring race fans an exiting new format for the Pacific Paddle SUP Race Series Final round. The Watermans Challenge will highlight the athletic ability of the participants as they swim, prone paddle, and finish the race stand up paddling.

“This race will be very exiting to the spectators as all three legs will happen right in front of El Barracuda” says Veronica Nava from Pacific Paddle.

“We want to maintain a high standard of competition and provide a good training ground for the local athletes who are beginning to travel and compete on an international level.” says Adam Finer from Pacific Paddle.

Schedule of Race for Saturday May 12:

9am – 10 am registration El Barracuda Centro Puerto Vallarta (Calle Nicaragua y Paraguay)

10:30am – Distance Race (8km)

11:30am – beginner and intermediate race

12:30am - Watermans Challenge

1:30pm – kids race

2:30pm – Technical SHORT format race

3:00pm - Team RELAY Race

The Sayulita contingency is in fine form with Ryan Helm leading the points race and looking like a strong contender to take home the Mens Championship and brand new Surftech PRO ELITE 12’6 Bark Race Board, that will be given away by the series sponsor Surftech Mexico.

Pacific Paddles own Veronica Nava remains on top of the Women’s category with her sights set on the other Surftech PRO ELITE 12’6 Bark Race Board, and is very exited to have qualified into the SUP Nationals in Sayulita June 8 – 10th. This weekends SUP Series will also be used as a qualifier for the state of Jalisco, to decide who will represent the Tequila State in the SUP Nationals in Sayulita.

Be sure to invite your friends and check out the new format of exiting races that the Pacific Paddle SUP Series Final will offer the spectators and participants alike. Come and join us for at El Barracuda for some great food and drink, and live entertainment and check out the SUP’s that will be available for sale during and after the event, as always Pacific Paddle remains Mexicos #1 dealer of new and used SUP’s! come and check it out!

“Come and race in the last leg of the Pacific Paddle SUP Series 2011/2012 where it all started in Le Barracuda in Puerto Vallarta. The event will include awards for the overall winners of the Series, as well as a party afterwards. Competition will be tough as our local pros come back hot from performances in France and Hawaii to compete in this last local event of the season prior to Mexico’s Stand Up Paddle National Championship to take place in Sayulita in June.” Chachin Garcia, Director of Competition Pacific Paddle.

Posted in Paddle Safari's | Tagged pacific paddle, paddle board rentals, paddle board sales, sup races mexico, sup sales mexico, sup sales puerto vallarta, sup sales sayulita | Leave a comment

Bucerias Classic to select fastest paddlers in Nayarit for National SUP Games in Sayulita.

Posted on April 26, 2012 by pacificpaddle

The Nayarit Surfing Association and the Sayulita Surf Club in conjunction with Pacific Paddle and the Bucerias Classic have just announced that this years Bucerias Classic will qualify the “fastest paddlers in Nayarit” to represent the state of Nayarit in the first National SUP Games to be held in Sayulita June 8th, 9th and 10th.

“The Sayulita Surf Club is proud to host this first SUP National Championship in June, come and participate with the top paddlers in Nayarit this weekend in the Bucerias Classic as they fight for their spot on the Nayarit SUP Race Team.” says Horacio Garcia - Director of Competition Mexico SUP Championship 2012.

“The competition will be fierce as several newcomers look to set their place representing the state. There will be ample racing for beginners and experts alike, and we are looking forward to everyones participation in the Relay race on Saturday, no experience necessary and as usual we will have boards on hand for everyone who wants to enter.” says Adam Finer – Pacific Paddle.

We will also look at using Pacific Paddle SUP Race Series Final – set for May 12th at El Baracuda in Puerto Vallarta to qualify paddlers from the state of Jalisco.

“We are exited to see SUP in Nayarit and Jalisco growing so fast and are very focused on providing the best new SUP inventory available for sale in Mexico, most complete rental fleet, outstanding excursions and and top notch instructors. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Bucerias Classic this weekend, the forecast looks like there will be top notch racing in all categories: Wind Surf racing, Kite Surf Racing, and Paddle Surf Racing.

See you there!!

Posted in Paddle Safari's | Tagged bucerias classic, pacific paddle, pacific paddle surf, paddle boarding bucerias, rentas sup mexico, sup mexico, sup sales mexico, ventas sup mexico | Leave a comment

Punta Sayulita Classic 2012 – Pacific Paddle team brings home the “wood!”

Posted on March 29, 2012 by pacificpaddle

Another great year at the Punta Sayulita Classic, a spectacular showing of some of the worlds best SUP’ers, an opportunity to learn from the very best, and step up our game!

Congratulations to all the Team Pacific Paddle athletes for keeping a pile of trophies here in Mexico!!! Veronica Nava takes home the Women’s Masters Elite race Victory, and wins the 2.2km race, Adam Finer for wins the 2.2km race, Felipe Rodriguez 4 place in the 10km race, Sergio Gonzalez 2nd place in the longboard division, Patricio Gonzalez 3rd place longboard division. Way to go team!

Check out the photos taken by our team photographer “Nacho” Davalos, and come and check out our great inventory of rental SUP’s and the biggest inventory of new paddle boards for sale in Mexico. Pacific Paddle has three locations with SUP’s for rent and for sale in Nayarit – Bucerias, Punta Mita, and now in Sayulita with the Sayulia Surf School.

Competition Results

2012 MEN’S SUP SURF

(1) Zane Schweitzer (HAW)

(2) Kai Lenny (HAW)

(3) Ryan Helm (MEX)

(4) Tigre Cadena (MEX)

2012 WOMEN’S SUP SURF

(1) Candice Appleby (USA)

(2) Vanina Walsh (HAW)

(3) Jen Lee (HAW)

(4) Jenny Kalmbach (HAW)

2012 MEN’S LONGBOARD DIVISION

(1) Darren Eudaly (USA)

(2) Sergio Gonzalez (MEX) Team Pacific Paddle!!

(3) Patricio Gonzalez (MEX) Team Pacific Paddle!!

(4) Trae Candy (USA)

2012 WOMEN’S LONGBOARD DIVISION

(1) Karina Rozunko (USA)

(2) Mary Osborne (USA)

(3) Jen Lee (HAW)

(4) Candice Appleby (USA)

SUP RACE COMPETITIONS

ELITE RACE TOP 20

MEN

*1 CONNOR BAXTER 41 min. 58 sec.

*2 KAI LENNY 42 min. 03 sec.

*3 RYAN HELM 42min. 48 sec.

4 ZANE SCHWEITZER 43 min. 03 sec.

5 FERNANDO STALLA 44 min. 23 sec.

6 MATT BECKER 44 min. 28 sec.

7 AARON NAPOLEON 45 min. 06 sec.

8 BRENNAN ROSE 45 min. 37 sec.

9 HECTOR GONZALEZ 46 min. 09 sec.

10 RIGGS NAPOLEON 46 min. 21 sec.

11 FELIPE RODRIGUEZ 46 min. 58 sec. Team Pacific Paddle!!

12 ANTHONY VELA 49 min. 38 sec.

13 ALFRED VAN GIESEL 50 min. 46 sec.

14 JIM TERREL 51 min. 24 sec.

15 ADAM FINER 53 min. 35 sec.Team Pacific Paddle!!

16 GERRY LOPEZ 54 min. 13 sec.

17 DIEGO MARTINEZ 55 min. 03 sec.

18 STEVEN WINIARSKI 55 min. 29 sec.

19 KEVIN ROBERTS 59 min. 41sec.

20 JONATHAN HOLLIES 1 hr. 02 min. 43 sec.

WOMEN

*1 CANDICE APPLEBY 48 min. 28 sec.

*2 JENNY KALMBACH 50 min. 07 sec.

*3 TALIA GIANGINI 50 min. 08 sec.

WOMEN MASTERS DIVISION

*1 VERONICA NAVA – Team Pacific Paddle!!

10K – PUNTA a PUNTA SUP RACE

MEN

*1 CONNOR BAXTER 1 hr. 14 min. 42 sec.

*2 RYAN HELM 1 hr. 16 min. 32 sec.

*3 KAI LENNY 1 hr. 17 min. 07 sec.

4 FELIPE RODRIGUEZ 1 hr. 18 min. 39 sec. Team Pacific Paddle!!

5 ANTONHY VELA 1 hr. 15 min. 27 sec.

6 JIM TERREL 1 hr. 16 min. 54 sec.

1WOMEN

*1 JENNY KALMBACH 1 hr. 24 min. 19 sec.

*2 BRITT OLIPHANT 1 hr. 40 min. 26 sec.

*3 SOFIA DE WOLF 1 hr. 43 min. 40 sec.

2.2K SAYULITA FUN RACE

MEN

*1 ADAM FINER 19 min. 37 sec. Team Pacific Paddle!!

*2 DAVID ANDRADE 21 min. 05 sec.

*3 CHUCK PATTERSON (with a kid on his board) 22 min. 06 sec.

WOMEN

*1 VERONICA NAVA 23 min. 17sec. Team Pacific Paddle!!

*2 ALEJANDRA FERRIS 26 min. 26 sec.

*3 MARTHA DIAZ 29 min. 47 sec

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Starboard Stand Up Paddle Demo Center offers SUP’s for sale and rent in Sayulita.

Posted on March 1, 2012 by pacificpaddle

Pacific Paddle and Starboard have partnered up with Sayulita Surf School to open the Starboard Demo Center Sayulita. This beachfront location will offer the new 2012 Starboard SUP lineup for rent, demo and purchase on site, in the sand of Sayulita!

Congratulations to Sergio Gonzales for joining the Pacific Paddle/Starboard Mexico SUP Team 2012, Sergio has proven his ability ripping up the waves in Sayulita and is a great ambassador the the sport in Mexico! Congratulations and we look forward to hearing how you like the 8′ x 28″ Pro Carbon model just in time for the Sayulita Classic!!

Make an appointment at the Starboard SUP Demo center to rent top quality paddle boards in Sayulita with Sergio, Patricio, Chachin, or Adam, and get on the water today!

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Paddle For Peace!! SUP Race Series comes to Banderas Bay!!

Posted on December 1, 2011 by pacificpaddle

This event is open to the public – there will be SUP events for all ages and ability levels, Paddle Board demos, and certified instructors on hand to introduce you to SUP!

Fantastic prizes from event sponsors – GoPro, Surftech, Peace and Pacific Paddle will be awarded each Sunday to the following classes:

SUP Fun Relay

Sprint Race MEN

Sprint Race WOMEN

Distance Race MEN

Distance Race WOMEN

There will be a total of 5 Race Sundays from December 11 – February 26 2012. A championship format for the Elite Sprints and Distance race will award accumulating points for the 5 race days. On February 26 2012 the Paddle for Peace Champion Man and Woman will be awarded new SURFTECH SUP Boards and Paddles. So show up for all the races and GOOD LUCK!!

Race #1 Sunday 9am December 11, 2011 El Baracuda Puerto Vallarta

- other dates and locations will be announced soon.

Elite SUP Sprint race – This exiting race will take the racers from a Gran Prix beach start thru a short 500 meter course marked by buoys. 3km Paddle

SUP FUN Relay Race – Teams of 5 people will share one SUP Board and Paddle, One by One the team will navigate a very short, 200 meter paddle. Send an email to afiner@mac.com to register your team and reserve one of 15 Demo boards – free of charge!! Beginners and first timers welcome!

SUP Distance Race – Participants will paddle up along the stunning shoreline of Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon to Olas Altas and back to El Baracuda. 7km Paddle

All proceeds from this event go to Peace Mexico - PEACE works hand in hand with communities in Mexico to provide holistic education combined with community action programs that enable people to improve their quality of life as well as their financial stability. http://www.peacemexico.org/

Posted in Paddle Surf Events | Tagged pacific paddle, paddle for peace, peace, sup banderas bay, sup race series mexico, sup vallarta | Leave a comment

Los Arcos SUP Safari – with Pacific Paddle

Posted on November 23, 2011 by pacificpaddle

The Whales are back and they are hanging out in the cool water of the Los Arcos shelf. Yesterday’s Los Arcos SUP Safari was amazing as we paddled with several Whales, giant Manta Rays, Turtles, and so many more sea creatures!! So don’t wait any longer reserve your SUP Safari today with Pacific Paddle – You won’t forget it!!

call us at 329 298 1057 or cell 322 123 3034

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West Coast Trail – 15,000 km from Vallarta to the Gorge…

Posted on October 31, 2011 by pacificpaddle

The family Odyssey 2011, now an iPhoto album of great memories…

Returning home and pouring thru the endless photos was a such a great way to relive so many great moments that have already been relegated to memory… a snapshot of our growing family, our beautiful little girls growing up…preserved in time…can’t help but share a few…

The adventure began with a Baja Ferry ride from Mazatlan to La Paz, 18 hours on a overbooked Ferry full of semi trucks and the Mexican Harley Davidson contingency….it wasn’t until the last moment, when i walked the breakfast buffet line, land was in sight, and i was convinced that a swimming the rest of the way after a sleepless night would do me some good…

A quick stop in La Ventana and a reunion of our favorite surf breaks reminded us of how much we love Baja. The van was our Sherpa, braving sandy roads scorching heat and washed out arroyos. The North winds started to blow after El Guerro Negro and we opted for a Windsurf session in the warm waters of Bahia de Los Angeles. The family quickly recognized an SUP opportunity and another Pacific Paddle Surf first was in the making… SUPing with Whale Sharks…

We paddled onto a group of 4 fascinating creatures within a few minutes… My first encounter i could hear the Jaws music rumbling in the background as i approached a dark ominous object under the surface, and Vero yelled out to me “get yourself right in front of its open mouth and then slip into the water” i was like… really?? OK! I paddled out in front of the supposedly docile beasts and the face off began…. i remembered my previous encounter on a documentary shoot “Search for Nacho” , as our host mentioned if we should be accidentally swallowed, to make an escape before passing by the giant gills by tucking and rolling… I slipped into the water and was so overwhelmed trying to switch my Go Pro to record mode, that when i looked up all i could see was a dark chasm of the sharks wide open mouth…. it was a moment of tranquil panic… and in a blink of my eyes (i may have shut them for longer…actually) the shark disappeared beneath me….wow what a rush… OK your turn Vero!!

A similar bout of “frozen anxiety” left Vero almost riding bareback, after falling off the board directly overtop the spotted caetesion. To our amazement upon returning to the boat our daughter Sofia was eagerly waiting her turn to swim with the Whale Sharks!! Unable to come up with a good reason why she should not.. and without any hesitation she slipped into the water and swam towards the whale with her goggles on and hand extended.. Wow the adventure is ON…..

Heck of a start.. After arriving to Hood River we reunited our palettes with the delicacy of hi wind windsurfing. 30 m/hr conditions of the river and sails in the 4.0 meter size range..Vero had her first ripping reaches on tiny gear, and i hit a windsurfing career landmark…the forward loop.. i can’t believe it took me this long…

Next thing we know the Big Winds SUP event was upon us, and Kai Lenny, Dave Kalama and Connor Baxter were leaving us in there wake as I tried to analyze their stroke techniques and learn any possible tricks. I decided that intestinal fortitude is the critical element of SUP racing. and MEGA condition..these guys hold down a stroke rate that the average person would consider torture…NEXT stop Battle of the PADDLE!!! stay tuned.

Enjoy the photos!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bucerias paddle, bucerias paddle surf, bucerias sup rentals, mexico paddle club, oc4 mexico, pacific paddle, paddle board rentals, puerto vallarta sup, puerto vallarta sup rentals, sayulita sup sales, starboard mexico, starboard SUP, sup dealer mexico, sup mexico, sup sales mexico | Leave a comment

Battle of the Paddle 2011 “Elite Race” – Conner Baxter takes victory for Starboard!!!

Posted on October 11, 2011 by pacificpaddle

Congratulations to Starboard team rider Connor Baxter for his amazing ”down to the wire” victory against Danny Ching and Jaime Mitchell, passing them on the last wave up to the finish line for the closest BOP elite race finish ever!. The new Starboard 12’6 BOP Race board looks like its going to the board of choice for the 2012 season!!

Another great performance by Sayulita’s Fernando Stalla, who put on a stellar battle and was being touted as an “underdog” pre race, but an unfortunate pile up in corner 3 of the first lap where Fernando was in the top 3rd pack and advancing quickly, left him knocked off his board and out of contention.. but he still finished very well! way to go Fernando! we will be watching for you at future races!!

read full article here.

Check the photos for more details on Fernando’s corner 3 pile up…

: Gerry Lopez has his game face on moments before the elite race begins…

: Fernando gets a great start..

: pile up in corner 3…

: Conner wins!!

Pre Order your Starboard 2012 race board today!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adam finer, battle of the paddle, bucerias paddle sports, bucerias paddle surf, connor baxter, fernando stalla, pacific paddle, pacific paddle board, pacific paddle surf battle of bucerias, paddle baord rentals, paddle surf excursions mexico, starboard, sup rentals, sup rentas puerto vallarta, sup sayulita, veronica nava | Leave a comment

Pacific Paddle Surf has a great selection of stand up paddle gear for sale, come and check out our new showroom!

Posted on June 21, 2011 by pacificpaddle

Pacific Paddle Surf is filling up its new Paddle Surf showroom with SUP’s of all shapes and sizes, so come and visit and try one on!… from beginners to experts, we have the right board for you. Chat with our expert staff and take a board for a spin in the calm waters of Bucerias, right in front of our shop!