At only 14 years of age, Dave de Armas has a lot to be proud of. Not only is Dave an excellent student but he is bilingual and a world traveler. Oh, and did we mention a two-time National SUP Surf and Race champion in his home country of Puerto Rico? Dave has also been honored with a nomination by the FSPR (Surfing Federation of Puerto Rico) to represent Puerto Rico as a SUP Surf and Race Athlete to compete in the ISA SUP Worlds in Fiji in November, 2016. With aspirations to be SUP World Champ and to have a career as a chiropractor, this kid has a big and bright future.

One SUP up and comer who stands out is 17-year-old Max Fleming from Dana Point, California. What makes Max so special? Not only is he an excellent SUP surfer and SUP racer, but Max is setting his sights high as he has ambitions to become an orthopedic surgeon and he’s already well on his way to making this dream a reality. We caught up with Max to chat about his ambitions, how he first discovered SUP and where he sees the sport in 5 years.

You might have been introduced to or heard the story of 30-year-old Jonas Letieri during the 2015 Payette River Games where he stole the show and made headlines as an inspiration to the spectators and fellow competitors of the event when he displayed an incredible performance during competition. Since the PRG’s, Jonas has been keeping busy training and perfecting his paddle technique and he’s so good that unless you knew otherwise, you wouldn’t know he lives and paddles with a disability.