The stand up paddle crew down at Sunset Cliffs has all my admiration and respect -- or should I say, "at least for their effort to get to the water"? The Cliffs are already tricky enough for surfers with a shortboard or a longboard in tote. Add to it 10 extra pounds, a paddle, and 5 more inches of width to the board and the task becomes all the more onerous. Maybe the old-school crew is sharing in on my admiration.

Chuck Glynn (below), not a local at the Cliffs by any means but a great stand up paddler, decided to drive down from Carlsbad for a cliff climbing and point breaking session.

North of him, there was an older felow catching some nice cruisers and (while I was there) safely steering clear of the crowd and keeping that good vibe around the lineup.

To his credit, Chuck was not only ripping, but also working the insde and the shoulders of the break, letting the outside and regular-board crew to dominate the main peak -- here is a lesson to learn.

And now since I've touched on the SUP Ethics Manual, here it goes. Stand Up Paddlers! There is absolutely no need for you to stand at the main peak of most (if not all) of the breaks. Your paddling and gliding advantage allows you to have a blast out of the inside and shoulder-waves without having to chip away the wave account of those sitting on the main peak. That's my word of advice for the day.