Laird Hamilton on CBS News Shows Stand Up Paddling

Laird Hamilton on CBS News Shows Stand Up Paddling - Video


(CBS) Surf-legend Laird Hamilton made a name for himself by taming some of the world's biggest waves - he created tow-in surfing to get to previously unreachable monsters, CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports.

"If you know anything about me, I'm always looking for a new way to cut an apple," Hamilton said.

…or catch a wave. His latest twist on the ancient Hawaiian tradition is called stand-up paddle surfing, and it may seem boring by comparison - but Hamilton says it was the best way to introduce his four-year-old daughter, Reece, to the ocean.

"Standing on a board and being above the water is a very secure position to be in," he said.

It's taking off everywhere. But not everyone sees the point.

When actor Pierce Brosnan tried to explain his hobby to John Stewart on "The Daily Show," he said: "Paddle surfing is like surfing except you use a paddle."

Steward asked: "Is this ultimately to train to be a gondolier?"

But Hamilton said: "Everybody can do it!"

That sounded like a challenge - even to Hughes, who says she's a non-surfing Midwesterner.

With Hamilton's instruction, she found standing up was easy. She said: "Oh my gosh! This is great - I'm doing it!"

But staying up was not quite so simple.

Thanks to CBS News - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/08/eveningnews/main4428308.shtml