Introducing: Craig Fisher, ASI SUP Tech Coach & ASI Trainer, Western Australia.
Posted: 28 May 2025
From early pioneers of the sport to the next generation carrying the legacy forward, the Craig Fisher and his family continue to live and breathe SUP.
What is your background?
My family's connection to surfing and surf lifesaving runs deep, with over 70 years of ties to the Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club in Perth, Western Australia.
My father was an active surfer and paddler throughout the 1940s and 1950s, shaping our family's love for the ocean. From just six months old, I was immersed in the lifestyle, growing up on old Malibu boards and wooden paddle skis, fostering a lifelong passion for the surf.
I have spent over 35 years traveling and competing in lifesaving events paddling boards and skis, around the world, and now reside in Margaret River, in Western Australia (3.5 hrs drive south of Perth).
Part of this time included 10 years as a professional lifeguard working in Australia, Cornwall UK and South Africa.
I married into a long-standing South African surfing family, and the next generation, including my three sons and two nieces, are involved in SUP paddling and instructing within the family business.
What got you involved in the sport?
The previous generation in my family paddled standup paddle and prone boards during the 1950s and 1950s.
When these boards regained popularity in 2004, thanks to the lighter epoxy construction, our family naturally started using them again.
Why did you become an ASI instructor?
I have been a lifesaving instructor and coach for many years.
We’ve been promoting SUP since 2005, forming several paddling groups and clubs along the way.
In 2010, our family launched Stand Up Surfing, a ASI accredited SUP school, at Crescent Head NSW, Australia (east coast). At the time, SUP was still emerging, and ASI was the only organisation in Australia (and worldwide) providing comprehensive training and SUP-specific courses. Their high-quality programs, along with excellent insurance options in Australia, made them the ideal choice for our school.
We then moved back to Western Australia, to Margaret River, and continued to operate a SUP School.
Now, 15 years later, ASI remains an integral part of our journey.
As each family member reached the appropriate age, they pursued and completed their certified instructor qualifications through ASI’s framework, ensuring we continue to uphold the highest standards in SUP education.
What are you doing now ?
Currently we operate the SUP school from November to April.
In the winter season we travel to remote islands including Abrolhos islands, Cocos islands, Rowley Shoals, Vanuatu diving and SUP surfing. We still have a base in Crescent Head NSW where we SUP surf the long point waves.
This year we headed back to South Africa – Cape St Francis where we have family and then onto the Seychelles diving.
In the past I did several remote ASI SUP Instruction missions to Sydney, Singapore, Philippines and Korea.
What do you like about being an instructor?
I love providing people with experiences and watching them connect with SUP and their surroundings, including waves, dolphins, stingrays, and fish.
My overseas trips with ASI have been incredibly rewarding, allowing me to train people from other cultures and share the knowledge I've accumulated over a lifetime of being around the ocean and paddling.
Tell us about an inspiring story about your student(s) or memorable experiences, you've had while instructing.
I have countless favourite moments, especially with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds whose enthusiasm for the sport is truly inspiring.
Our SUP school experiences are now highly personalised, and we cherish the joyful moments when people fall in love with the experiences we offer.
One of my favourite memories is from Korea, where I delivered an instructor course through an interpreter on the banks of the Han river which flows through Seoul. I looked up and saw the Olympic stadium on the opposite bank, and I was amazed by the impact of what I was doing and the incredible opportunity to be there.
About ASI
ASI is a global leader in training and accrediting instructors, coaches, and schools for surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, and bodyboarding. ASI instructors and schools ensure world-class training, safety and operational standards. Whether you're learning for personal enjoyment or to establish a career in the industry, ASI opens the door to new skills, global opportunities, and adventure.
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