Tomorrow is the big day: The 2013 OluKai SUP Race is almost here, with a good chunk of the world’s fastest downwind paddlers set to duke it out on Maui at noon. But while we’re waiting, let’s rewind 12 months and see why this event was so good last year.

Check out these awesome shots from the 2012 OluKai, which saw Connor Baxter and Andrea Moller triumph over a stellar field of paddling talent. There’s just something about the water in Hawaii…

There are more great shots in the official OluKai 2012 album on Facebook…