We share with you here the history of surf kayaking competitions, as the Santa Cruz event has played a major roll in that history. The event started off life as the Santa Cruz Kayak Festival in 1985 and was renamed the Santa Cruz Paddlefest (SCPF) in 2011, in order to add SUP surfing and ocean paddle racing. The Cowell’s Classic intermediate surf event was added to the SCPF in 2013.

Early Years: Prior to 1988 The earliest surf kayak contests occurred in the 1960’s in Great Britain and on the U.S. east and west coasts. Countries in the British Isles (England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Jersey) competed among themselves in British Canoe Union (BCU) events.

Early 1980’s: There were a few contests each year in the U.S. Oregon held regular events beginning in 1980.

1985: The Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival, organized by Adventure Sports Unlimited, of Santa Cruz, has been held in March of each year since 1985 at Steamer Lane, a world-renowned point break.

1988: A U.S. team selected at the Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival traveled to Ireland to participate in the British Canoe Union Home Open Competition. Competing in plastic Perception Dancers and Sabers designed for whitewater slalom racing, the U.S. team won the kayak portion of the event.

1990: The Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival hosted international competitors from countries in the BCU.

1991: Thurso, Scotland, was the host for the world event, but the U.S. nabbed the world team title for the first time on foreign waves.

1993: Santa Cruz and Adventure Sports hosted their first official World Championship. Costa Rica brought a team for the first time to join teams from England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Jersey, and Canada. The U.S. won the team event. England took second, paddling a new fiberglass surf kayak from England’s Mega Kayaks.

1995: Costa Rica hosted the world championships. The warm waters and sunshine of Boca Barranca were a hit with competitors from the British Isles, Brazil, and the U.S.. The U.S. fielded both an East Coast and a West Coast team for the first time. England won the 1995 world team crown.

1997: Thurso, Scotland was once again the host for the world championships. Brazil, Spain and France sent representatives to the event, along with US, Costa Rica and BCU teams. Fiberglass surf kayak designs from WoldSki, Mike Johnson Boats, and Necky Boats gave Mega stiff competition. High Performance boats (any size or shape and fins allowed) were added as an Exhibition class. England retained the world team title.

1999: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was the site for the world surf kayak championships. The event was one of a series of three international surf events – kayaks, waveskis, and surfboards – held over a three-month period on the beach in Rio. Teams competed from England, Jersey, Scotland, Wales, Costa Rica, Spain, Argentina, U.S. East, and U.S. West. High Performance events were officially added to both team and individual competitions. The U.S. West team claimed the world title.

2001: Santa Cruz hosted the 2001 World Surf Kayaking Championships. Teams from England, Scotland, Ireland, Jersey, U.S. East, and U.S. West, along with individuals from Northern Ireland, Germany, Wales, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and Costa Rica competed. The tiny island of Jersey claimed the team team title in a tightly contested competition over U.S. West.

2003: The northwestern coast of Ireland was the setting for the World Surf Kayaking Championships,held at Easky reef break in the shadow of the 15th century Rosslee castle ruin. Host teams Ireland and Northern Ireland welcomed teams from England, Scotland, Jersey, Wales, U.S. East, U.S. West, and the “Rest of the World” team made up of partial teams from Spain, Austria, Costa Rica, and Brazil. The Republic of Ireland claimed the team crown for the home country.

2005: At Esterillos Oeste Beach in Jaco, Costa Rica, hosted the 2005 Pura Vida Campeonato Mundial de Kayak Surf. Costa Rica and the World Surf Kayak Association hosted teams from Basque Country, England, Jersey, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, U.S. East, U.S. West, and a “Rest of the World” Team with participants from Brazil, Japan, Costa Rica, and Argentina. A Grand Master’s team event debuted. The U.S. West reclaimed the world team title.

2006: The first World Cup of Surf Kayaking was held in Portugal in October, featuring individual men and women who qualified through five events held during 2006 in Brazil, Santa Cruz, Spain, Ireland, and North Carolina. Santa Cruz’s Dave Johnston took the Men’s cup and Sacramento’s Kate Smith the Women’s cup.

2007: Basque Country, Spain, hosted the 2007 World Championships in Bakio-Mundaka, October 19-28. The largest team event ever drew nine full teams: Basque Country, U.S. West, U.S. East, England, Jersey, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and N. Ireland. Individuals from 17 countries competed, including Sweden, Australia, Japan, Canada, France, Portugal, Costa Rica, and Brazil. The contest traveled between Bakio and the famous Mundaka break. The Basques claimed the team trophy by a healthy margin.

2008: The 2008 World Cup of Surf Kayaking was held at Ile D’Oleron, France in September. Edu Exteberria of Basque Country claimed the men’s cup. England’s Tamsin Green and Sam Davenport took home the women’s and junior’s trophies, respectively.

2009: The 2009 Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival was host to the U.S. West Team Trials for the 2009 World Surf Kayak Championships held in Santa Cruz, Portugal, July 23-August 2. The event drew 157 kayakers representing 15 countries. Only seven members were able to represent US West in Portugal, but placed 7th out of 12 teams. England squeezed out Basque Country (Spain) to claim first place, with Northern Ireland taking third.

2010: As a ranking event for the 2010 World Cup, the Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival drew every reigning world surf kayaking champion. Other World Cup Events were in Australia, Mundaka (Euskadi), Portugal and Outer Banks US. 2010 World Cup champs were Edu Etxeberria (Open) and Garazi Ituralde (Women) of Euskadi, and Portugal Junior Miquel Carvalho.

2011: Santa Cruz Paddlefest celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a new name, new SUP flatwater race, a huge party and a huge storm that closed down Sunday events for the first time ever. About 150 paddlers from Australia, Costa Rica, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Brazil, and the US joined the celebration. It was a ranking event for surfers seeking spots on the U.S. West Surf Kayak Team to compete at the 2011 World Championships hosted by the U.S. East Team at the Outer Banks, NC, in October. Basque Country (Spain) retained first place in the Worlds, England captured second, and U.S. West third. Locals capturing an Individual World Title included Dave Johnston (Masters HP) and Buck Johnson (Grand Masters IC).

2012: After Paddlefest 2011’s tumultuous weather, 2012 was ecstasy. Every day had classic smooth and glassy swells of eight to 12 feet. The last day made the locals happy with the giant 10 to 15-foot Steamer Lane. Darren Bason of Australia shined with a win in the High Performance Class; apropos as Australia was preparing to host the 2013 world championships. It truly was an international stage as Stefano Bellotti of Italy won the International Class. Matt Becker beat out a local favorite, John Griffin, in the Surftech SUP Shootout, and Ken King, a perennial winner, won the wave ski category.

A new west coast U.S. Pacific Paddle Surfing Series (PPSS) was started to select a U.S. West Team. The series consisted of the Pacific City Surf Off in September, Hobuck Hoedown in October, Ventura Paddle Surfing Championships at “C” Street in October, Davenport Paddlesurf Classic in November, and finished at the Santa Cruz Paddlefest in March. The first winner in the SUP category was Dave Boehne, of Infinity Surf Boards.

The event was handed off by Dennis Judson of Adventure Sports Unlimited, the founder, to Dave Grigsby of Kayak Connection. Kayak Connection employee Mathew Hoff took over much of the event organizing duties.

2013: PaddleFest 2013 was blessed with unilaterally unblemished surf, with sizeable 10 to 15 footers all weekend. It was sunny and smooth for the SUP racers but classic Steamer Lane waves for the surfers - it was wonderful. Sean Morley won the coveted HP event. Kate Duncan won the women’s HP, putting a scare in the competition before the world competition later that year in Australia. Jim Grossman won Masters and men’s IC. Devon Barker won the women’s IC. Tyler Lauston, a local shaper, topped the world class Wave Ski competition. The burgeoning Elite SUP surfing event was dominated by Dave Boehne, of the San Diego Infinity Surfboards family. Candace Appleby claimed the women’s SUP Surf crown, becoming a perennial winner at this event. A new laid-back intermediate surfing event, the Cowell’s Classic, was added and a total success, with many new paddle surfers sensing the thrill of harnessing the energy of waves in a user-friendly atmosphere.

2014:

2015:

After the 2015 event, Kayak Connection handed over the event to Mathew Hoff to run.

2016:

2017:

2018:

2019: The 33rd annual SCPF. For the first time at the SCPF, there was a SUP Film Fest (Sponsored by Boardworks), held at the Rio Theater.

2020: The SCPF was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mathew and Tiffany Hoff handed off the SCPF to Melissa DeMarie at California Watersports Collective.

2021-2024: The SCPF did not happen for various reasons, from the COVID-19 pandemic to issues securing the necessary safety personnel to greatly increased costs.

DeMarie handed off the event to Bryon Dorr and Julie Mitravich in August of 2024.

2025: The Santa Cruz Paddlefest is scheduled for March 28-30, 2025.

If you have any information to share regarding the history of surf kayaking and/or the SCPF (results, photos, stories, etc…), please reach out and share (surf@santacruzpaddlefest.com). This is a living document that we plan to update and refine.

(A huge thanks to Mary Armon, Rick Starr, and Buck Johnson for helping compile the early history of this sport.)