Take a few minutes to SUP Safely

Stand up paddle boarding has experienced a massive boom in popularity over the last few years! It’s accessible and fun, and a great way to experience the water. Unfortunately, the RNLI has also logged a huge increase in SUP-related rescues and call outs. Respect for the water and safety need to be of paramount importance - both for personal safety and enjoyment, for rescue crews and to uphold the reputation of our sport.

There’s a lot to learn when you start paddle boarding! The good news is, a lot of it can be learned before heading out to the water. I recently teamed up with the Water Skills Academy, Palm Equipment and Starboard SUP to create a series of short, sharp, easily digestible top tips for getting out on the water. The series is aimed at beginners, and will hopefully make paddling much more fun and mindful from day one. There may also be stuff to learn from these videos for more seasoned paddle boarders too! You can find all the videos over on the Water Skills Academy site. The Waterskills Academy also runs their I SUP Smart course, with much more detailed information about accessing different waterways and areas of the ocean safely.

My friends at Palm Equipment have also collated a series of articles to help you SUP Safe.

… and here’s a short video from the Waterskills Academy about Quick Release belts and Waist Leashes.

Here are some great resources, from videos about weather and tides, to what to wear, from SUPboardermag.

I hope you have a great time out on the water!