Stand Up Paddleboarding Is Catching On

Budding Interest: Norcross got into surfing in high school because a girl he liked was dating a surfer. He figured he could pick up the sport, and he did, going on to compete at Eastern Surfing Association events. He surfs as often as he can. “It’s definitely a lifestyle.”

Favorite Board: FIRO, an up-and-coming shaper in West Palm Beach. He prefers a high-performance short board to go fast and do tricks. “I don’t buy boards from surf shops. I go directly to the shaper for a custom board.”

His Custom Board: $300 to $450

First Wave: Clemente rode his first wave at age 10 and got his first board from a neighbor at 11 for mowing his lawn — a 1965 Gordon and Smith that’s a classic squaretail longboard of that era. The board hangs in the front foyer of Clemente’s home. “Occasionally I’ll pull it off the wall, wax it up and go surfing; I’ll never get rid of this one.”

Surf Philosophy: “Florida surfers have always been apologetic for the lack of quality waves, but I’m a firm believer in loving what you got. I would say if I pick my top 10 surfing experiences, half of them are right here in Florida.”

Surfing Since: Age 10

Perspective: “Getting thrown around by Mother Ocean helps you keep a good perspective. My life is about an addiction to the ocean. It keeps me in check.”

Work and Play: Cobb does pro bono work for the Surfrider Foundation and helped them win a legal battle against what he says was an ill-thought-out beach refurbishment project in Palm Beach that would have done more harm than good to the local wildlife and beach.

Cobb’s Ride: A 5-foot Starr surfboard, hand-shaped in Cocoa Beach