There’s nothing quite like seeing the Mad Hatter, Buzz Lightyear and an octopus battle it out in a Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) race. Yet many visitors were lucky enough to witness just this spectacle last weekend at Lake Illawarra, with more SUP action following at Warilla Beach.
On Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, SUP Shellharbour hosted the second Shellharbour SUP Festival with jam-packed days of competitive and just-for-fun distance races, surfing events, market stalls and live entertainment.
The event was first held in March this year – during NSW's wettest March on record. This time, SUP Shellharbour owner Rebecca Dunning says weather conditions exceeded expectation and made for a sensational two days on the water.
“November's a great time of year for the weather, but March is a great time of year for waves,” Rebecca said.
“It was really fun… We had the perfect weather for it and we had some good little waves, so everything came together.”
There were over 80 entrants across more than a dozen events, including men and women’s surf comps, a 9km distance race, an all-ages and all-abilities 2km costume novelty race, and SUP morning yoga.
Rebecca says the SUP community throughout the Illawarra region is strong and growing in numbers. Shellharbour SUP Festival has even grown since March, with the help of Destination NSW and Shellharbour City Council sponsorships, and attracted competitors from as far as Queensland, Newcastle and Sydney determined to take out SUP race and surf titles and be in the running for thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes donated by several local businesses.
Rebecca, who is also an instructor for SUP Shellharbour, speaks passionately about getting people of all abilities involved in the sport. She coaches would-be paddle boarders alongside her equally enthusiastic husband Justin, who is president of the I-SUP Illawarra SUP Surfing Club.
“We're trying to make sure everyone gets out there and enjoys it,” Rebecca said.
“Everyone finds that once you jump on a SUP, it's pretty easy to do [though] it's a little bit harder to master, especially once you get out in the surf.”
There couldn’t be a more perfect place than Lake Illawarra to jump on a board and learn the ropes of the sport, Rebecca said.
“The Illawarra – what's in the middle of it, this massive lake [with] 38 square kilometres of water. It's there to utilise, and it's the most beautiful place.
“I think it's an untapped little piece in the Illawarra. Little hidden gem.”
Rebecca said the SUP community welcomes all newcomers regardless of ability or age – the most popular division over the weekend was the 40 to 55s age bracket, closely followed by the over-55s.
Photographer Phill McCudden of PM Ocean Images was impressed by the local SUP community, Rebecca said: “He was in the water, just taking photos, and he goes, 'I've never seen such camaraderie in the water where other competitors are cheering on someone catching a wave. That just doesn’t happen in any other sport.’”