When the history of stand up paddle surfing is written, Dave C. will be noted as one of the founding fathers of SUP in Santa Cruz, Cali. A lifelong surfer, who popped up on his first longboard 38 years ago at the age of 12, Dave started doing stand up paddle board surfing almost four years ago, paddling and surfing his home breaks on the Eastside.
Dave, an independent business owner/operator and family man, took to stand up paddle surfing instantly. An athlete who's credits include a stint in the professional basketball leagues as well as AAA rating competition in the California Beach Volleyball Association, Dave says he hasn't been back on a lay down longboard in years. This
aligns with his philosophy that in order to be good at stand up, you have to have commitment (number one) and good equipment (real close to number one). Although his very first borrowed board wasn't an Angulo, it didn't take him long to realize that Angulo stand up paddle boards were the good equipment he was looking for."Back in the day," Dave says, "there weren't many people around who knew how to build a good stand up paddleboard that could be surfed and paddled well," which were his specifications. But with his many connections in and around the Santa Cruz surfing community, it didn't take him long to find someone who could build what he was looking for, Ed Angulo. "I spend 80% of my time surfing, and 20% paddling, so I wanted a board from a shaper who knew about surfing, and could design something new (stand up paddleboards) that would rip in the surf."
Dave's first custom Angulo was a 12-footer affectionately nicknamed, "Big Gray." It fit the bill
for his first "learning" board. "Ed made me my first custom boards," he says. "I haven't owned anything but Angulo's almost from the beginning." He learned how to paddle and surf on that big board. "I wish I still had that board," Dave laments, but he was on to "smaller" and better things.Dave's second custom was a big step down in size and fin array. He went from the 12-foot Big Gray, to a 10'10" quad fin. "Those first two were epoxy boards", says Dave, but when the production models came out, and Angulo expanded his line to three good all-rounders, "I went for the 10'4" as soon as I could get my hands on one." The rest is history, and Dave has been
riding the 10-4 Olohe since they were issued several years ago. The only caveat to that is when the waves are super small. "I like to take the 11-9 out when it's small," he says, "because it catches everything!"With Dave's history and background, it's not surprising that Andy Whitman (West Coast distributor for Angulo Stand Up Paddleboards) enlisted him to be the first Angulo "Team Rider." Says Whitty, "Dave's been riding Angulo's from the start, so he was a natural to do some equipment testing, and consulting regarding ideas for future Angulos." Dave played a role in
developing the 2009 Angulo models, which will see fine tuned improvements to the current line-up of three solid all-rounders.How long will Dave keep doing stand up? "Stand up paddle surfing was a reprieve for me. I was getting bored with longboarding and was developing neck problems. Stand up kept me surfing and the workout is fantastic."
It's probably safe to say that Dave will be a major SUP player in the NorCal area, and Angulo rider for many years to come.
Surf Photos Credit: Paige
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