Want to leave Melbourne's cold water and weather and paddle in some warm water? Then head to the Byron Bay Ocean Paddle on the 17th and 18th of July. To fine out more info....

SUP video

Australia top 14 at Molokai. Clint best paddler ever after winning 2010 Molokai.

MEDIA RELEASE Bass Strait, Everest of the Sea Eight surf ski paddlers to cross Bass Strait in world first First leg complete – Flinders Street station to Burke, via Swanston street. Eight daring Melbourne paddlers are attempting a World First next week and crossing Bass Strait on racing surf skis.

The final race of the 2009/10 Outlaw Ocean Series was held at Barwon Heads in calm conditions, with a small wave that provided conditions that suited all classes of paddlers. Click here for further details....

With the last race coming up tomorrow, those who may be wondering how they are going on the point score for the Outlaw 2010 Ocean Series need not wonder any longer. Full progressive points for all classes are listed here. Some categories are extremely close. In fact, Michael Leverett and Tim Altman are tied for the lead in the open men's ski category, with Ivor Morgan following very closely. Also, in the mens open OC1, only three points separate Jason Shepherd, Wade Vautier and Paul Nottage. Other category leaders include Kim Willocks and Bryan Thomas in the open women's and 45+ men's ocean ski respectively, and Rod Clarke and Yvonne Stansfield in the men's and women's 45+ OC1. So the pressure and excitement will be HUGE at Barwon Heads. Who will go down in history as the first winners in their categories for the Outlaw Ocean Racing Series?

Check out the new Stellar Surf Skis brochure. Stellar has just released two new skis to complement the SE high-performance ski currently available. These include the lower volume high-performance ski (SES or Elite Small model) and a more stable intermediate ski (SR or Racer model). With the Stellar range of sea kayaks, these new additions mean that Stellar now has a fantastic range of skis for all standards and weight ranges. Stock of both of these skis is on a container as we speak, and should be available in Victoria by Easter. Organise a demo paddle, or make a purchase by contacting Wade, Tim or Jarad at Outlaw. Alternatively, check out our online shop, which will go live on www.outlawpaddling.com by Easter.

We are in for great event conditions this Sunday, 28 March at Barwon Heads. COAST WATCH SAYS: Sunday: Start N swinging to SW swells crossing over with an E wind swell. Peaky 1-3ft surf. High tide around 10am, water temp 19.5 degrees; air temp 25-30 degrees.

To all of those paddlers who have slogged their way up and down the Yarra River over the years, here is a chart from Parks Victoria (adapted by Mercantile Rowing Club near Princess Bridge) that gives their interpretation of the distances between landmarks. GPS now differs slightly with some of these distances, but it is a great guide nevertheless.

After the 2004 Olympics, the great Sean McGee from Ocean Grove did an analysis of stroke rate, split times, speed in metres/sec etc. for the top five males in each K1 distance at the kayak regatta. It makes for fascinating reading and gives a very accurate indication of the required stroke rates and speed to be at the highest level in world paddling. Most paddlers I have seen or worked with at national or international level find it very difficult to maintain or achieve these stroke rates over these distances, suggesting that kayak sprint technique is less of a pull of the paddle back past the hip (in other words a hard GRIND), but more of a fast catch and release out in front to the toes/knees with massive acceleration and rotation. In other words, it requires fast water work and controlled and relaxed time in the air. Food for thought. Get on Youtube and type in Knit Holmann, Adam Van Koeverden or Erik Veras Larssen and watch their techniques on video to verify.