Ah, the Bay.

Not necessarily the inviting waters of Waikiki. But chilly waters, strong tides and errant tanker captains aside, inviting nonetheless.

So we found an activity short of joining the Dolphin Club that’ll get you flirting with the sparkling waters east of the Golden Gate in no time...

Welcome to the sport of Stand-Up Paddle Surfing, an ancient Polynesian form of surfing just washing up to our NorCal shores.

The obvious close cousin to surfing and big brother to kayaking, SUPing lets you bridge the gap between yachting and swimming (a gap you know well) and get to know the waters of the bay between the Golden Gate and Alcatraz like only a few escapees from the Rock have known before you.

Of course, attaining Zen-like status on the board comes faster with lessons, and with a few balance and paddling tips, you’ll graduate from touring to surfing techniques like actually riding the waves. Which means, in no time you’ll be able to detect incoming swells and ride those in before the regular surfers out at Fort Point even see them coming.

Think of it as pre-surfing.