Out with the old and in with the NOW.
'Surfanimals' – a moniker I've used for some eleven years now being a combination of my love of the surf and Tam's love and passion for animals.
NOW being the realisation that I am no longer a 'surfer' rather a SUP'r in 2011 and beyond.
A fortnight ago, I rode my Mickey Munoz Longboard at Austinmer on a beautiful peeling right hander on sunrise all to myself and even during and immediately after that session all I could think was 'well, that may well have been my last prone surfing session' and since then I've sold the last of my surfboards and the passion for Stand Up is 100% as it has been for some 18 months now.
The transition has been hard at times, surfing for some 25 years and with expectations and assumptions that I'd ALWAYS surf and amongst most, only a basic understanding of SUP with no knowledge of the variables making conversation difficult at times.
It's totally captivated me, primarily small wave riding, flat water cruising and also the racing component but what I love more than anything is the friendship, the lack of ego, the willingness to share and the opportunities to explore and share cherished moments in nature.
Come join me, it'll change your life as it has mine. And as such, www.surfanimals.com is no longer and for now a search for 'surfanimals' will lead you to the new horizon that is; www.SUPAnimal.com
i think i'm going that way too. i still have my 6'4 but sometimes i think i might sell it, i know once its gone that will be it for me for surfing, may leave it for a year or two. It is great to meet so many great people suping
I believe I'm in a transitional phase what with the crowds, the egos and greed involved in surfing souring what was once an all consuming passion.
I'm still learning the ins and outs of paddling, primarily spending my time on flatwater but with an eye on the open ocean with a 14' Bark expedition I've just bought.
The one thing that strikes me about paddling sup's is the peaceful nature of the activity.
An aspect hard to find riding surfboards.
Still haven't sold off my beloved Michael Cundith 7T 7'er or my DVS 6'6" carbon weiner egg (the rest of my up to 8 or so board quiver is gone) but I now don't mind when the surf is flat or junky.
Which happens to be 80% of the year living on the Sunshine coast.
I also no longer seem to search through the surfboards for sale on Ebay.
Have been witness to Brett unloading his surfboards on there to make room for sups and dissapear from the surfing forums he once frequented though.
OK, so I'm not alone huh ?
Felt 'wrong' for a while but now I'm just stoked with the decision and rather than wondering about wind on the beach, crowds, which board for what swell etc as a surfer, I'm looking at wind and swell for ocean runs and inshore peeling runners / waves, onshore days become river paddle training sessions and big swell days open up any number of possibilities - usually with no one else about.
Drove down Bulli Pass yesterday afternoon, Sandon Point was 3 foot, glassy conditions, went past Sharky's Reef which was head high but about 25 people in the water and rather than the 'damn, wish I was out there' I just laughed and thought SUCKERS as I'd had 3 hours in Port Hacking and was both exhausted and totally stoked on the session I'd had with years of it to come and enjoyed a coffee with my wife and daughter and we organised our next 'family' SUP which is another thing that just doesn't happen surfing.
Enjoy guys....the dark side is so damn good isn't it ? 
I still surf more than I SUP, but I love to do both. I enjoy getting out in all surf conditions on all types of craft.
I find it amusing that I still cop crap from my purely surf mates about selling out etc... but when the surf is too small to shortboard on, they are sitting home whinging while I am catching waves all the way to the shore.
Just hope that when we SUP we remeber to share the waves around. I see too many wave hogs that take every set and cause alot of tension in the water.
And Chris, reading your blog and seeing how many SUP's you have owned I totally agree with the name change.....you truely are a SUP Animal. haha
I still am about 50/50 longboard/sup and if my body is working then more longboard probably.
The thing with longboarding is - those that can do, and those that can't sup
