Oahu, Hawaii - Debate is raging in Hawaii ahead of the Molokai Challenge surfski ultra-marathon this weekend at which Oscar Chalupsky is aiming to win a 13th title, as weather forecasts point to the winds and swell drying up just before the scheduled start at 11am local time on Sunday 19 May.

Durban – Surfski icon Oscar Chalupsky is planning to extend his own record in the tough Molokai Challenge in Hawaii on 19 May by winning his 13th title in the 52km crossing, and in the process explode the myth that athletes cannot remain competitive as they get older.

The monthly paddling magazine show Best 4 Beyond the Paddle is broadcast on SuperSport to its subscriber base and is now partnered by a monthly live web streaming chat show that is designed to compliment the satellite broadcast. Largely talk driven, it features a studio guest and the opportunity for viewers to interact with the studio panel via Twitter Facebook or email. Catch all the details at www.beyondthepaddle.co.za

This video just popped up on Youtube - it's a team Epic Kayaks clip put together to celebrate their achievements (first double; first, second and fifth singles)...  Some nice footage, showing what the conditions were like on the day.

Fresh from his win at the Hekili Great Barrier Reef Ocean Challenge on Sunday, I caught up with Dean on his recent fantastic effort in Hawaii:

Covering the distance of 52km from Kaluakoi resort on the beautiful island of Molokai across the open water of the Kaiwi Channel to Hawaii Kai Town Center on the island of Oahu, this is Molokai, arguably the most prestigious single event in surfski paddling.

“Oscar Chalupsky ... Without doubt the single most impressive human performance in a sporting arena, that I have witnessed,” said Matt Bouman.  “I salute you for it.” 

Yep, it’s that time of year again when all eyes turn to the long range forecast for the Kaiwi Channel.  Will it be the raging open ocean downwind mayhem that made this race famous, or a hot, oily-calm killer?  It’s a massive challenge either way.

Ask any old grizzled surf ski paddler, especially one who's done precious little training, and they'll tell you that downwind specialists don't grow old, they just look for bigger runs. The Seamasters race started at 12.00 on the Sunday and when I looked at Windguru in the morning I was very happy what I saw on the computer. This was confirmed at the race briefing in Arkosund the morning by Erik Wallgren who told me said that when he put out the Thule Buoy at the finish the waves were at least 2 - 2.5 meters.

Imagine taking ten days out of your life to paddle with (and be coached by) two of the best surfski exponents ever…  In 2012, you have three opportunities to take a spectacular trip to some of the most remote and beautiful parts of the Western Australian coast with Dean Gardiner and Oscar Chalupsky.