So it looks like the Battle of the Paddle crew updated the official event website a couple of days ago. Finally. That old design had been around for years aaaages and was getting very stale… The new BattleOfThePaddle.com design looks fresh, clean and makes the event way easier to navigate. But even if you’re not a design snob like me, today’s news isn’t totally irrelevant: With the updated site design comes a lot of new info about this year’s race, including a first look at the 2014 BOP course maps.

As we announced a few months back, the 2014 Battle of the Paddle is at Salt Creek, moving a few miles up the coast and away from its traditional home at Doheny. The new location has generated plenty of debate, with a focus on how organisers would deal with Salt Creek’s heavier surf.

The new venue of Salt Creek isn’t the only major change though, with radically redesigned Elite Race, Open Race and Distance Race courses on offer. Let’s take a closer look at what we can expect on the first weekend in October…   → READ MORE

After months of rumours, whispers and behind the scenes negotiating, it’s now official: The 2014 Battle of the Paddle will not be at its traditional home of Doheny State Beach, but instead will move five minutes north to Salt Creek.

The Battle of the Paddle California, which for the past six years has been the biggest race of the season and the only race that’s been able to attract virtually all of the world’s best, will also be on a new weekend this year: October 4th & 5th, one week later than its usual last-weekend-in-September time slot.   → READ MORE

Remember the big fuss about drug testing at the Battle of the Paddle this year? It caused quite a debate when the news was announced a few months back, but since the event finished we haven’t heard a whole lot about how it went and, more interestingly, what the actual test results were…

And while there’s been no formal announcement, we’ve learned that the official results are in and can confirm NO athletes tested positive. Every athlete passed. That’s obviously very good news for the BOP event and the sport of SUP racing in general – the last thing a sport this young needs is a drug scandal.   → READ MORE

This is a public service announcement for all die-hard Stand Up Paddlers… Put a hold on your bookings for Dana Point in September 2014: Next year’s Battle of the Paddle California has not yet set its exact dates and may actually be moving away from the traditional “last weekend in September” time-slot.

In a sport that has more event changes, postponements and cancellations than a nervous bride, the Battle of the Paddle California is generally one race that locks in its date more than twelve months ahead. That’s not the case right now though, as the organisers are still working (or rather, battling) with the local authorities to get the right weekend set in stone.

The event is definitely happening, no question, it’s just a matter of which weekend. For the past few years it’s been held the last weekend in September, which has given paddlers a rock to anchor their entire season around. But next year it might have to move…   → READ MORE

As our coverage of the 2013 Battle of the Paddle presented by Starboard winds down, it’s time to look back at some of the great images from the weekend. Whenever you say “great images and “Battle of the Paddle” in the same sentence, one thing jumps straight to mind: The Hammer Buoy.

That infamous buoy turn where so much drama happens, where so many boards have been broken, where so many races have been won & lost and where almost all the action shots from the BOP originate. Here are four of the best from 2013…   → READ MORE

It’s on! After a whole month of hype and anticipation, we’ve finally reached Battle day. In a few hours the world’s finest SUP racers will line up on Doheny State Beach to duke it out for $27k in prize money and some priceless bragging rights.

And, thanks to Starboard, you can follow the whole thing LIVE here on SUPracer.com…   → READ MORE

The countdown is almost complete: 24 hours until the Battle of the Paddle Elite Race lights up Dana Point, California and we get to see who has bragging rights for the next 12 months.

Yes, it’s just a race and there are more important things than winning. But it’s still a race, which means somebody’s gotta win… Who will that be? Click through for some semi-bold predictions and find out who made the cut into the Fantastic Four, the Ten Contenders and the Fighting Fifteen…   → READ MORE

Three days and counting til the Battle of the Paddle…Three days until the world’s best converge on Doheny State Beach, Dana Point for the biggest SUP race of the year. While there will be 500 – 1,000 individual competitors racing across several different events on Saturday and Sunday, all eyes will be on Saturday afternoon’s main event, the Elite Race.

In terms of prestige and level of competition, this is the big one. The Elite Race is the single toughest race of the year to win, with paddlers from all around the world converging in Southern California to battle it out around the (in)famous M-shaped course. But if you’ve never seen the Battle of the Paddle in person you might be confused when paddlers throw up terms like “Hammer Buoy” and “The Chicane”… so let’s take a closer look at the BOP Elite Race course and see what’s in store this weekend.   → READ MORE