About Kalavida

(Kalavida Surf Shop. 2024)

Welcome to BC’s original Stand Up Paddlesurf shop, since 2009.  Modeled after those quaint n’ quirky surf shop’s you’ll find around the Hawaiian Islands, Kalavida is right across from Kalamalka Lake Beach with a look and feel that makes everyone feel welcome.  Kal Lake is known as one of Canada’s most iconic paddling destinations and with Lake Okanagan and plenty of rivers nearby, including the Shuswap, the region is overflowing with all kinds of exciting places to paddle.

Our amazing crew of staff and ambassadors have helped Kalavida spread the stoke of paddleboarding around the region and province. Our retail shop stocks a huge selection of paddleboards, paddles, surfwear and accessories while the online store handles sales for those who can’t make it to the shop.

The Making of Kalavida – Being separated from the ocean was tough so we were stoked to finally get a chance to get our first standup paddleboard in 2009. For the first time in many years, we felt energized and re-connected to water… and so the story begins. The idea for a ‘surf shop’ came in the fleeting moments of the summer in 2009.  We had spent the season exploring the waterways around the province (and France, USA, etc) and one day, after walking past the Kal Lake store, we decided to check out their old produce bays.  The forlorn and forgotten home of past produce wasn’t exactly inspiring and it was a few months before we re-imagined this space as our new shop.

Two months of tireless work went into the building of the shop and much of the material was reclaimed and recycled to minimize the environmental impact.  We were blessed with the talents of Shea Ferguson and Keith Elliott who helped us imagine our vision and in no time, we found ourselves in a cozy new space – And then wondered whether anyone else knew about this relatively new sport called ‘SUP’.

The naming of Kalavida – Naturally, you’d think that ‘Kala’ is linked to the lake that provides Greater Vernon with most of their drinking water… but there’s much more to tell. Kalamalka Lake has a rich heritage in the North Okanagan and was once known as ‘long lake’ but there’s more to that story…

Digging further into the history of the region, writers make mention about a Hawaiian connection to the North Okanagan Indian Band – And what we liked best about the name ‘Kala’ was it’s Hawaiian definition; There are no limits –  There are no real boundaries between you and your body, you and other people, and you and the world. Separation is an illusion. And, there are unlimited potentials for creativity.Vida means simply ‘life’.  Kinda cool eh?

Our watery playground – Kalamalka Lake / Okanagan Lake / Shuswap River/Lake