Program Background
Stand up paddleboarding can build young people’s coordination, core strength, cardiovascular endurance and reaction speed. It also deepens their understanding of the marine ecosystem and of changing weather and water conditions, and helps relieve academic stress and anxiety and build perseverance.
With this in mind, the Hong Kong, China Surf and Standup Paddle Association has launched the 2027 Youth SUP Promotion Program. The program aims to help more young people understand and enjoy stand up paddleboarding, to identify young athletes with potential, and to develop them systematically into elite athletes who represent Hong Kong at international and local competitions.
Four Core Objectives
- Popularize SUP in schools: promote stand up paddleboarding in secondary schools and universities across Hong Kong, and build an inter-school water sports community.
- Structured, progressive training: a step-by-step pathway from the basics upward, with recognized certification.
- Develop elite sporting talent: identify and train young athletes with potential early, and prepare them fully for the 2027 sprint events.
- Safety and ocean conservation: strengthen young people’s water safety and emergency response skills, and foster awareness of ocean protection and environmental conservation.
Structure and Fees
Program Highlights
- Aim: bring water sports to more young people, discover local talent, and build a youth representative team for the 2027 sprint championships.
- Scale: secondary schools and tertiary institutions across Hong Kong, at least 20 students per class, with a strict 1:8 coach-to-student ratio.
- Progressive pathway: from the Beginner Certificate to Intermediate Bronze and race preparation, step by step, to develop well-rounded water sports athletes.
Participants and Class Size
| Item | Requirement | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | Full-time secondary school and tertiary students across Hong Kong | Covers the key years of young people’s physical development |
| Class size | At least 20 students per class, per school | Keeps the group motivated and makes the best use of resources |
| Coach-to-student ratio | Strictly 1:8 (coach : students) | In line with international safety guidelines; ensures teaching quality and real-time safety supervision |
| Total training | 8 lessons × 2 hours = 16 hours | A compact structure that balances skill learning with physical load |
Fees and What They Cover
Each student pays HK$1,200 (8 lessons, 16 hours of training). The fee is all-inclusive and covers:
- Coaching by professionally qualified Association coaches (1:8 coach-to-student ratio).
- Use of a full set of professional-grade SUP equipment (inflatable or hard board, carbon or aluminum paddle, and safety leash).
- Safety gear that meets required standards (professional-grade personal flotation device and safety whistle).
- Third-party public liability insurance and activity accident cover for the full program.
- Assessment and issue of the officially recognized SUP Beginner Certificate and SUP Intermediate Bronze Certificate (digital certificates).
Curriculum and Certification
The three stages build on one another, covering the SUP Beginner Certificate Course, the SUP Intermediate Bronze Course and race skills, to give students a single, continuous pathway.
Stage 1: SUP Beginner Certificate Course (Lessons 1–3)
Learning objectives: students with no experience learn basic equipment handling, water safety and self-rescue rules, and core paddling technique.
- Parts of the board, and correct equipment set-up and adjustment (paddle length, leash fitting).
- Water safety rules, risk assessment before launching, reading basic weather and tide conditions, and self-rescue after falling in.
- Three paddling positions: prone, kneeling and standing.
- Standing on the board: weight placement, balance and core engagement.
- Standard paddle grip, blade entry angle, the forward stroke, and reverse paddling to brake.
- Basic turning: the sweep stroke, reverse-stroke turns and emergency stops.
Certification: students who complete the lessons and meet the standard receive the Association’s official SUP Beginner Certificate (digital certificate).
Stage 2: SUP Intermediate Bronze Course (Lessons 4–6)
Learning objectives: build open-water handling skills, so students can navigate changing wind, waves and currents and paddle longer distances.
- Adapting to open-water conditions, and long-distance cruising technique.
- Handling choppy water: staying stable and correcting the stroke in side chop, headwind and swell.
- Advanced turning: the pivot turn (sinking the tail to turn quickly) and cross-step turns.
- Stroke efficiency: higher stroke rate, longer reach and efficient pacing of energy.
- Paddling in pairs and groups over distance, supporting one another on the water, and towing.
Assessment: students must paddle 2 km in open water within 45 minutes.
Certification: students who pass the assessment receive the Association’s official SUP Intermediate Bronze Certificate (digital certificate).
Stage 3: Race Skills Training (Lessons 7–8)
Learning objectives: prepare for formal SUP races, covering explosive starts, buoy-turn tactics and racing strategy under the rules.
- Sprint starts: standing starts on the water, and explosive, high-cadence power in the first three strokes.
- Buoy-turn tactics: approach angle at the buoy, tail-sink turns, defending position and planning overtaking lines.
- Finish-line sprinting and line-crossing technique, and anaerobic lactate-tolerance training.
- International race rules in practice: the fall-in rule is strictly enforced (after falling in and climbing back on, no more than five strokes prone, kneeling or sitting; students must stand up quickly).
- Race safety guidance, collision avoidance, and emergency handling of cramps or equipment failure.
- Mock timed seeding heats in groups, and head-to-head sprint races.
Program Timeline
The program runs for 6 months, from March to August 2027:
| Phase | Months | Main activities | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Course training | March – June 2027 | Lessons 1–6 (Beginner + Intermediate Bronze) | Beginner and Intermediate Bronze stages complete |
| 2. Race skills training | July 2027 | Lessons 7–8: race skills training | All 16 hours of training complete |
| 3. Race experience | August 2027 | Take part in a SUP sprint race | Race experience gained; program concludes |
Venue and Safety
Venue
Sha Ha, Sai Kung (the Association’s main training and race venue)
Safety Measures
- All coaches hold International Surfing Association (ISA) professional qualifications and first aid certificates
- The coach-to-student ratio is 1:8, ensuring adequate supervision
- All participants must wear a personal flotation device or leash
- Participants must be able to swim 50 meters unaided
- The Association has purchased public liability insurance covering all course participants
- In bad weather (Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 or above, or a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal), activities will be canceled or rescheduled
Contact Us
For inquiries, to book a school class, or to discuss working with us, please contact the Association’s secretariat:
WhatsApp: 9735 5605
Phone: 3502 1823
Email: info@hksurfsup.org
Social media: Facebook and Instagram (@hksurfsup)
Address: Room 517, 5/F, New Tech Plaza, 34 Tai Yau Street, San Po Kong, Kowloon
About Us
The Hong Kong, China Surf and Standup Paddle Association was established in 2011 and is the 76th member of the International Surfing Association (ISA). This means the Association can send surfers and stand up paddle athletes to represent Hong Kong in ISA competitions against athletes from around the world.
As the founding and leading organization for stand up paddleboarding in Hong Kong, the Association has worked for many years to grow the sport locally and raise its professional standards.
The Association has worked closely with 15 international schools, 20 local secondary schools and more than 40 companies and non-profit organizations on water sports activities and training, and has extensive experience in school outreach and rigorous safety management. This work includes summer stand up paddleboarding training programs subvented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, training sessions with the Hong Kong Playground Association, stand up paddleboarding education with NGOs such as the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and school programs that identify and train young athletes with potential.
Milestones
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2011
Establishment of the Association
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2013
Hong Kong SUP Championship
Our first large-scale competition, with 400+ participants.
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2015
1st International SUP Championship
Our first international competition, with participants from 7 countries.
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2017
Team Hong Kong
Representing Hong Kong at the ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championship in Copenhagen.
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2017
Team Hong Kong
Representing Hong Kong at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in Hyuga, Japan.
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2018
Team Hong Kong
Representing Hong Kong at the ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championship in Wanning, China.
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2019
5th International SUP Championship
Our 5th international competition. Participants included multiple-time SUP World Champion Michael Booth.
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2020
Stand Up for Hong Kong Fundraising
Our team of athletes paddled 180 km across the city over five days to raise funds for Hong Kong's medical services.
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2022
Over 200 Instructors Trained
By 2022, we had trained over 200 SUP instructors in Hong Kong, all certified by the International Surfing Association, SUP's CAS-recognized Olympic governing body.
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2022
Government Funding Support
Since 2022, the Association has received government funding under the LCSD Subvention Scheme for New Sports to promote stand-up paddleboarding and surfing and expand public participation.
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2023
Stand Up for Maui
In support of Maui, the birthplace of modern stand-up paddleboarding, after the devastating 2023 wildfires, we organized a charity paddling event that brought our community together and raised funds to help local recovery efforts.
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2023
Hong Kong Playground Association Collaboration
The Association began collaborating with the Hong Kong Playground Association to organize SUP training sessions that deepened participants' understanding of the sport and gave them hands-on experience. A diverse range of activities allowed people of all ages and genders to take part in water sports and enjoy the ocean.
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2023
Over 130,000 Members Reached
In 2023, the Association's individual members passed 130,000. All of them had successfully completed at least one of our training programs.
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2024
1st SUP Surfing Technical Race
Our first SUP surfing competition, and the most challenging race category we have hosted to date. Athletes navigated a technical course through the surf zone, testing their paddling, balance, and wave-reading skills in demanding conditions.
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2024
Team Hong Kong
Representing Hong Kong at the ISA World SUP & Paddleboard Championship in Copenhagen.
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2025
Collaborated with GO PARK Aqua
Together we hosted major water sports events, including the Hong Kong SUP Championship, helping to promote paddleboarding and bring together athletes and enthusiasts from across the city.
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2026
Additional Sponsorship
Secured additional sponsorship from brands such as Speedo and organized key events, including the Hong Kong SUP Long Distance Race, the Hong Kong SUP Sprint Race, the Hong Kong SUP Championship, and SUP Fest 2026.
