South Coast Stand Up Paddle Boarder Nathan Cross, 23, is in Hawaii taking on the world in the sport he has excelled in at the NSW and Australian level.
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Mr Cross flew to Hawaii last Tuesday to compete in a 40 kilometre endurance race on the weekend in the lead up to the 52km Molokai 2 Oahu Paddle Board World Championship event billed as “the world’s most challenging paddle race”.
Mr Cross finished 10th overall and fifth in the unlimited division in what is regarded as the world’s best downwind race from Maui to Molokai
And was really happy with his warm up for the biggest race of his life.
The young plumber only started Stand Up Paddle Boarding a few years ago.
Developing a passion for the sport he entered local competitions and then NSW competitions before making it to the national level and finishing in the top 10.
International sponsorship from Blue Planet followed for Mr Cross and his girlfriend Skyla Rayner to represent the brand in Australia.
Ms Rayner is a Paddle Surfer who recently won the NSW title.
Mr Cross recently finished in the top six and will compete in the next Australian title.
Their sponsorship has just taken them to Europe where they competed in other international events. But racing in Hawaii between islands brings its own challenges such as negotiating very large waves.
“We paddle around 10 kilometres in an hour,” Mr Cross said.
“That means the 52km race will take about five hours to complete in open water”.
The couple have ventured into Paddle Board design and Ms Rayner is now working for Blue Planet as a photographer and posts many of her shots on social media to promote the brand.
Matt Cross, of Wollongong and Dolphin Watch Cruises in Jervis Bay, said his son “travels almost full time for his sport”.