Standup Journal associate publisher Steve Sjuggerud became the first standup paddler to surf the waves at at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon wave pool.  While the wave is not exactly Jaws or Pipeline, it is another small first in our sport.

"The wave is much more fun that I expected," Steve said.  "The takeoff gets your heart beating, as you don't see the wave.  You just listen for the "thunder" and then start paddling blind."

During the day, Typhoon Lagoon is a kids waterpark, with crumbly weak waves.  But at night, Disney cranks up the wave pool and rents it out to surfers.  Steve and a dozen or so other surfers rode it on Saturday night.

"I was the guinea pig.  I caught the first wave of the night.  I rode a 6'6" quad fish shortboard, just to get a feel for how the wave acts.  Wow it was fun!  I hit the lip once or twice, then I couldn't believe the speed I got flying down the line."

"For my next ride, I brought out an old 9'8" x 30 Starboard standup board.   It's a nice all around board and pretty stable.  We had a few standup paddlers in our crew, so I brought this one that's easy to balance on so they could give it a go too."

"The takeoff is the only tricky part on a standup board here.   The water is moving all around under you.  You have to make sure you maintain your spot in the pool, even though you don't see a wave coming.  For my first wave [note: the sequence is below] I was too far "over" from the peak on the takeoff.  That made getting into the wave a little tougher."

"Once I was in, it was a perfect wave.  I was really overamping on that wave... just so stoked to be standup paddling there."

"This is the only standup wave we caught on film... The guy who took the photos was nice to me here... he lost his place in the wave line to shoot me on this wave.  Since it's the only wave he shot, I'm glad I didn't blow the wave!"

"The whole crew was stoked on the quality of the wave.  I switched back and forth between the fish, the standup board, and an alaia board.  It turned out that I was the only one to ride the standup board... the all-Florida crew was so stoked to have a rippable shortboard wave that none of them wanted to "waste" their turn falling on the standup."  

Typhoon Lagoon can be set up for rights, lefts or a center peak, where two guys can go.  The pool is heated, and it's only you and your crew when you rent it out.

As Steve said, the wave is much more fun than you expect.  It's definitely worth doing if you ever have the opportunity.

Congrats Steve, for tackling it on a standup board for the first time...

Here's the sequence of his first wave: