Among the kayakers, surfers and scuba divers sprawling the waters of La Jolla Shores, the newest watersport craze, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), has joined the scene as an active alternative to sedentary sunbathing. Teaching the sport for the last five years and surfing for the last 30, La Jollan twin sisters Coco and Izzy Tihanyi are the owners of Surf Diva surf school and boutique in La Jolla Shores, which operates under the motto “the best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun.” “SUP is a booming new sport that attracts many diverse people with an interest in fitness and the ocean,” Izzy said. “We’ve got many students who love the physically gentle aspect of SUP. They want a challenging workout without the impact of running or jumping. This is a fantastic cardio and toning activity which involves balance, coordination and endurance without all of the bouncing around.” The Tihanyi sisters created the very first all-girls surf school in 1996, which is now recognized worldwide as the pioneer in women’s surf instruction. As leading experts in the sport, the twins have been asked to spearhead the new International Surfing Association surf and SUP instructor training certification programs for the U.S. to add surfing as an Olympic sport. Especially popular among women, SUP comes natural to those who have experience in ballet or Pilates with a strengthened core and practiced balance. Their lower center of gravity gives women an advantage when standing parallel on a 12-foot board and paddling over top swells. Depending on body weight and the intensity of paddle, SUP can burn up to 1,000 calories during a 2-hour session. Izzy and her husband, Todd, can be seen SUP nearly every weekend. To SUP in the open ocean, they paddle about 50 yards past all the surfers and the wave break to calmer waters. First-timers start out paddling on their knees, and gradually progress to standing up. Izzy recommends learning how to surf on a smaller foam board before trying to SUP for the first time. She urges participants to take lessons with a permitted, certified instructor at a legitimate surf school. “There is a lot of safety involved, and it’s not always as easy as it looks,” she said. “I love SUP from a surfing standpoint because it’s a new challenge,” said Izzy. “The feeling of dropping into a wave from a standing position is really fun. On a small, glassy day I would much rather SUP than surf. I get a better workout for my legs and core because I’m standing on the board versus lying down. The view is much better and I don’t have to get my hair wet!” With the mantra “What we do together, we do better,” the Tihanyi sisters opened Surf Diva with the mission to teach the sport and spirit of surfing in a fun, encouraging environment. Izzy’s dream was to teach girls and women to surf, and Coco’s aspiration was to design surf clothing. Izzy felt the name Surf Diva embodied their youth, since both participated in sports but weren’t embarrassed about being girls. They define diva as “a confident, poised girl who knows what she wants and how to get it.” Riding the coattails of popular movies like “Blue Crush” and “Charlie’s Angels,” which inundated the big screen with images of female surfers, Surf Diva has expanded its surfing programs by acquiring La Jolla Surf Camp in 2003 and the Australian Surf Academy for teens in 2005. The sisters also started a program in Costa Rica called “Welcome to the Jungle.” “I really like their philosophy of women for women,” said Diane Colligan, who came from Tucson, Ariz. for the weekend surf clinic. “There was a wide variety of ages in our group and we were all treated the same, regardless of age. The instructors really covered the ocean well, drove safety home and were beside you the whole time. At the end of the day, you always felt like a success.” Izzy interviews, hires and trains the more than 60 surf instructors at Surf Diva. She runs surf schools in La Jolla and Costa Rica, and designs their own surf and SUP boards, as well as managing advertising, acquisitions and social media. Coco designs the Surf Diva clothing line and is the boutique’s buyer, and handles the company’s public relations, marketing, brand management, human resources and strategic partnerships. “I am stoked to work with Izzy and my husband,” said Coco, whose husband Carlos oversees the websites and equipment logistics at Surf Diva. “We have so many awesome employees including a bookkeeper we’ve had since day one and instructors that started as students 14 years ago.”  Both graduates of La Jolla High School and the University of California, San Diego, the twins grew up participating in water sports, including competitive swimming at the La Jolla YMCA and on the school swim team. Taught to surf by their father when they were eight years old at La Jolla Shores, they said they loved going to the beach every day after school and participating in surf competitions. Their parents are both active in water sports. But, they said, their mother never let them forget their feminine or “diva” side, as evidenced by traces of pink eyeliner, the company’s large pink tent on the beach and their reminder to students to bring hair ties to their surf lessons. Out of college, Coco was the fourth employee to join the Reef sandals company as the assistant national sales manager. At the time, Reef was still a small start-up, but she learned from the company’s founders, brothers Fernando and Santiago Aguerre, that with a lot of hard work, it’s possible to work alongside a sibling and sell a boatload of sandals. “We are lucky to be living and working in such a beautiful place,” they said. “La Jolla Shores to us means so many wonderful things that involve family outings and having fun with friends. It’s one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and it was obvious that Surf Diva would be headquartered here.” Surf Diva boutique carries products made by other local companies, including Headhunter sunscreen/rash guard, Tonic Haircare, K&L Creations jewelry, Greenpacha surfboards and hats, and merchandise from Surf Monkey Fellowship. For more information, visit www.surf- diva.com/surf-san-diego.