Buy Local Shop Profile: Surftech Santa Cruz
Location
912 41st Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
What board companies do you carry?
BARK, Surftech, NSP, Channel Islands, Robert August, Takayama, Munoz, McTavish, Bear, Softop, and Blacktip.
What paddles do you carry?
Surftech and Kialoa
Do you have Paddleboard Rentals?
Yes
Do you offer lessons?
Yes
What other services do you provide?
Race specific training, prone paddleboard lessons and training, SUP yoga, paddle fitness classes, downwind clinics, paddle meet-up groups, surfboard demos and MORE!
What is your biggest challenge as a retailer?
Time!! We offer the largest selection of prone, SUP and surfboards on the West Coast and want to be out on the water paddling and surfing all of them! But… we have a shop to run, so from 10am – 6pm you’ll find us at Surftech SC talking all things SUP, prone and surf! The Monterey Bay is one of the most beautiful paddle locations on the planet to paddle. On any given day we’ll paddle alongside dolphins, watch whales breach outside the kelp beds while otters feed on crabs. It doesn’t get any better!
On a scale of 1-10, how healthy is the sport?
7
On a scale of 1-10, how likely will the sport continue to grow in this next year?
9
Where will we see the growth if any?
Prone paddling has huge potential for growh in the Santa Cruz area due to our rich surfing history and culture. SUP racing and downwind will see significant growth in the coming years as events like the Jay Race and Downwind Ryders Cup continue to grow.
Do you have any advice for manufacturers?
Surftech utilizes the Surftech Santa Cruz showroom to test out retail strategies and programs that we can potentially roll-out to our dealers world wide. In the year that we have been opened, we’ve discovered several beneficial POP concepts and hope to implement those into our dealer support programs in the near future. We love working face-to-face with our customers, identifying their needs and relaying that info back to our marketing team.
What kind of paddling settings and conditions are near your shop? Remember – we need all the details!! Make us want to paddle there!
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of the most spectacular paddle and surfing locations in the world! While out on the water paddlers will experience world class wildlife activity and stunning coastal views. Whether exploring the calm waters inside the Santa Cruz Harbor, the picturesque paddle zone by the Capitola Wharf or exhilarating downwind runs just north of town, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the most incredible place on the West Coast to paddle!
What is it about paddling that gets you up in the morning? That gets you excited? We REALLY want to know!
Well, as mentioned above, we have one of the worlds most beautiful bodies of water two blocks from the shop. We love not only the beauty of paddling on the Monterey bay National Marine Sanctuary but also the simplicity that paddling offers. All you need is a board, paddle and boardshorts (just the board and boardies if prone paddling!). We have an incredible paddle community here in Santa Cruz so it’s always fun to run into other paddlers out by the “mile-buoy” or up north on a downwind run or just off the beach in Capitola… Paddling around here is always a fun adventure.
Describe your local paddle community. When do you get together and what are they like?
We have an incredible paddle community here in Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay! From hard-core soloists who paddle across the Monterey Bay ALONE to super stoked moms who paddle after morning drop-off at school, we have a wide range of paddlers here in town. The GhostRyders Waterman Club (GRWC) is a local paddle club which hosts a few paddleboard races and group paddles every summer. They raise funds for the Santa Cruz City Junior Lifeguards. The Santa Cruz Paddleboard Union is one of the older paddle clubs in town and started the Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race.
What local events do you have and what are their dates and locations?
15th Annual Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race June 18th at Capitola Beach
Downwind Ryders Cup May 14th at Davenport Landing
Best piece of SUP advice you give to paddlers?
Before attempting to surf your SUP out at our local surf spots, first learn to surf in the traditional manner (without a paddle) so you will better understand the surfers and surf etiquette.
What are your must-have accessories for every paddler?
Polarized sunglasses, GPS devise, proper fin for the conditions that you’re paddling in, waterproof blue-tooth headphones, waterproof iPhone case and water.
Website
http://surftech.com
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/SurftechSantaCruz
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/surftechsc/
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