LAGUNA BAY LONGBOARDS STAND-UP PADDLE DIVISION NOOSA'S BIGGEST EVER

"War on Water"

Noosa's own Laguna Bay Longboards will sponsor the biggest ever stand up paddle
division at the 2011 Noosa Festival of Surfing. In a joint announcement,
Laguna's Tully St John and festival director Phil Jarratt said the expansion of
the division was in keeping with the tremendous growth of stand up around the
world.

The four-year-old Stand Up Paddle Pro surfing event will be joined by amateur
divisions for seniors (over 45) and women, plus a 5-kilometre "loop" race on
Laguna Bay prior to the Festival's opening ceremony on Sunday, 13 March.

"We wanted the SUPS at the Noosa Festival to reflect what's happening
everywhere in the world of stand up," said Tully St John. "That is, everyone is
doing it, from surfers of all ages to serious watermen and surf paddlers, from
kids to mums who see it as a great workout. Laguna Bay Longboards SUPS will
cater to all of them, and we expect to attract stand up paddlers from all over."

Festival director Phil Jarratt said he was delighted that a local surf company
had come in as sponsor. "Under his various surfboard brands, Tully has been a
major player in the local industry for quite a while now, and it's great to see
him developing SUPS alongside traditional surfboards. While stand up has
developed a life of its own in many land-locked places, on our coasts we want
to see it grow side by side with surfing, and so does our governing body,
Surfing Australia. We're all from the same tribe, and the Laguna Bay SUPS
division at the Noosa Festival will demonstrate that."

Tully said he had been inspired by recent stand up paddle races, such as the
Battle of the Paddle in Hawaii and California, to work with surf club officials
in creating a loop course close to the beach, so that spectators could watch
the entire race "up close and personal". Competitors will paddle five times
around a one-kilometre triangular course, punctuating each circuit with a beach
sprint. "Racing is always thrilling when you've got the paddle in your hands,"
Tully said, "But we want to make it just as exciting for the spectators." The
Battle of the Paddle at Doheny Beach, California in early October, broke
spectator records with almost 10,000 people gathering to watch a thrilling
race, with more than 800 competitors in the water.

Entry forms for the Laguna Bay Longboards Stand Up Paddle division are now
available on-line at the festival site, or you can download the attached form
and fax to 07 5473 5974. For further information phone the hotline.



Other divisions now open are:

Fin-Free Pro, Noserider Pro, Tandem Open, Family Challenge

www.noosafestivalofsurfing.com HOTLINE: 07 5473 5676