Durban, South Africa - A strong reaction has followed the news that ace Tahitian paddler Lewis Laughlan has pulled out of the ARB Surf Ski World Cup in Durban later this month.

The quietly spoken star who hit the headlines a few weeks back when he won the Molokai title in brutal conditions said that he had opted to stay in Tahiti to honour commitments to a local RAI event rather than make the trip to South Africa for the year's only ICF Sanctioned Surf Ski World Cup. He was the highest placed international at last year's successful inaugural ARB Surf Ski World Cup.

A recent press release by Gameplan Media came close to saying that Lewis Laughlin cheated at Molokai by riding the wakes of the escort vessels that accompanied the paddlers across the Kaiwi Channel.

We spoke to some of the competitors who took part in the race to find out what they thought.