On a recent San Diego Union-Tribune piece, Terry Rodgers ventured into the troubled waters of the SUP debate, trying to present arguments made by both sides of the aisle. The accepted premise of the article was that SUP surfers have a wave-catching advantage. From there, three solutions (or at least three suggested solutions) were proffered to ease the tensions between SUP and regular surfers.

Representing the pessimistic outlook, Richie Cravey, 20, an Encinitas local and noserider extraordinaire, said: "I wish they'd get them out of here. They're mostly kooks who don't know how to surf.” On a more positive note, Scott Bass, editor of Surfer Online and an avid SUP rider, argued that considerate SUP surfers should avoid the most popular and crowded surf breaks altogether, adding that they should also refrain from attaching an ankle leash to the board.

The premise on which these solutions were offered seem to be unwarranted, at least based on the posts of users on this site, many of whom do not claim to be SUP surfers. But provisionally accepting the premise, there are a few notes to be made on the (suggested) solutions above.

First, although Cravey's wish might be the ideal solution to the SUP problem -- at least according to some -- it's a wish and not a viable option to ease the tensions in the lineup, especially given the growing popularity of the sport. Second, the suggestion to avoid the most popular and crowded surf breaks does have some merit, particularly in light of the SUP's ability to reach remote breaks. But if the higher quality waves are usually in the more crowded breaks, sending SUP's to distant spots presumes their inability to civilly share waves with their fellow watermen. Now before assigning this leprosy status to SUP surfers, a case must be made against their capacity to be cordial members of the lineup and that is a tough hurdle to jump. And lastly, the suggestion of not wearing a leash, so that others can have a chance to catch waves is flatout absurd. A 10-12 ft. board can seriously injure others, undermining their ability to catch waves thereafter.