Stand Up Paddle Boarding has no age limits. Take, for example, Pioneer SUP John Zapotocky! Born in Brownsville, PA, in 1913, John began his lifelong love affair with the ocean when he moved to Oahu in 1940. Surfing and canoeing were his favorite pastimes, so much so that he earned a steersman’s certificate, enabling him to operate his canoe within Waikiki’s commercial surfing areas. John was well known in the surfing community and kept company with surfing celebrities like Duke Kahanamoku, Rabbit Kekai, “Pops” Ah Choy, Steamboat, Blue Makua, and many other famed beach boys. They called him “Zap.”
How He Paved The Way For Paddleboarders
John surfed on different surfboards and constructed a surfing canoe christened “Pearl Diver,” later building an unsinkable version in fiberglass. In his forties, John became a supporter of standup surfing and was an acclaimed personality at Tongg Beach. John was one of the first standup paddlers, having first picked up a paddle to use in Waikiki alongside John “Pops” AhChoy, who first stood up to catch better shots of tourists out in the water. John often surfed at Tongg’s, paddled down to Queen’s Beach, catch some waves and then paddle back. In later years, he changed his rides to Queen’s and Canoe’s and grabbed attention with his recognizable white hair (that rarely got wet), muscled physique, and tall paddle, spotted in the early sunup surf all but every day.
The Face of Paddleboarding
John never called himself a legend or to have been the first standup paddle surfer. He was undoubtedly one of its most steady and visible promoters and the topic of many surfing news articles for local, regional, and national surfing publications. John’s story aired on local TV stations and was the subject of many YouTube videos until his passing in 2013; he was 95 years old. John died seven months and one day after the death of his beloved wife Anne and survived by his son John Zapotocky III (Cindy), daughter Barbara Cook (Steve), grandsons Levi Stribling (Kerrie), and Alan, Brian, Christopher and Daniel Zapotocky.
Paddleboards are easy to maneuver on land as well as on the water. They’re not difficult to use when you first get on, but once you gain confidence and get used to using them, you can start to move forward with more skill as you become more familiar with the paddleboard. If you do get a chance to perch on a standup paddleboarder, you may want to take a picture of the whole experience and save it on your computer, so you have a long-lasting reminder of how much fun you had - and of course, how fast you were going!
How He Paved The Way For Paddleboarders
John surfed on different surfboards and constructed a surfing canoe christened “Pearl Diver,” later building an unsinkable version in fiberglass. In his forties, John became a supporter of standup surfing and was an acclaimed personality at Tongg Beach. John was one of the first standup paddlers, having first picked up a paddle to use in Waikiki alongside John “Pops” AhChoy, who first stood up to catch better shots of tourists out in the water. John often surfed at Tongg’s, paddled down to Queen’s Beach, catch some waves and then paddle back. In later years, he changed his rides to Queen’s and Canoe’s and grabbed attention with his recognizable white hair (that rarely got wet), muscled physique, and tall paddle, spotted in the early sunup surf all but every day.
The Face of Paddleboarding
John never called himself a legend or to have been the first standup paddle surfer. He was undoubtedly one of its most steady and visible promoters and the topic of many surfing news articles for local, regional, and national surfing publications. John’s story aired on local TV stations and was the subject of many YouTube videos until his passing in 2013; he was 95 years old. John died seven months and one day after the death of his beloved wife Anne and survived by his son John Zapotocky III (Cindy), daughter Barbara Cook (Steve), grandsons Levi Stribling (Kerrie), and Alan, Brian, Christopher and Daniel Zapotocky.
Paddleboards are easy to maneuver on land as well as on the water. They’re not difficult to use when you first get on, but once you gain confidence and get used to using them, you can start to move forward with more skill as you become more familiar with the paddleboard. If you do get a chance to perch on a standup paddleboarder, you may want to take a picture of the whole experience and save it on your computer, so you have a long-lasting reminder of how much fun you had - and of course, how fast you were going!