editor ’ s note
Winter secrets
It ’ s no secret I personally like nothing better than dropping into a silky , walled up bump . It ’ s also no secret that I enjoy scoring sessions on my home patch . Don ’ t get me wrong , travelling further afield is also rewarding , and on numerous occasions the family and I venture SW in search of waves . The fact is , however , there ’ s nothing sweeter than arriving at your local with the stars having aligned . Even on a coastline renowned for having fickle surf – all spots being at the complete mercy of wind , swell direction and tide – quality sessions can be scored . What ’ s also interesting are the amount of alternative spots available in an area perceived to only have one or two peaks . With ever shifting sandbars once gutless slop can suddenly materialise as punchy waves .
Keeping eyes peeled is key . As is being prepared to paddle a way offshore . Knowing conditions helps but SUP really has opened up a plethora of new waves and there ’ s always the chance of snagging a session to yourself , away from the gaggle ( this applies to elsewhere also ).
Winter 2016 / 2017 definitely took a while to rev up but as December swung into view the wave Gods answered our prayers and the last few months have delivered numerous solid sessions – some even accompanied by sunshine and mild air temps . With more and more paddlers stepping into the wave arena it ’ s nice to see plenty of riders looking to improve and up their game . Pre-2010 it would pretty much be just me and two others ( when time allowed ) out chasing paddle surf conditions in this ‘ hood . Nowadays you ’ ll be hard pressed to be on your own . If my local is a snapshot of SUP ’ s growth then it ’ s interesting to see where the sport ’ s at now compared to then – and long may this continue . In the meantime if I want to get away from it all then I ’ ll retire ( on occasion ) to where I know there ’ ll not be others , returning to a more social SUP environment later .
Blow time
As I write we ’ ve since moved on from the conditions described above . Having had a period devoid of blustery weather those overhead low pressures have since moved in bringing wind and Atlantic influenced scenarios . For those fancying a spot of downwind paddling now ’ s your chance . If you ’ re a wave head looking for added stoke and a way to use the puff when it goes onshore then downwinding is a great compliment to paddle surfing – even if you don ’ t own a specific downwind sled . And paddlers without a penchant for waves should get stuck in as well .
We ’ ve spoken about this before but touring and race SUPs work ( to a point ) for this kind of paddling . OK , riders won ’ t necessarily be scoring the type of glides you can on a DW board but race / touring sticks come pretty close . And as far as board skills go there ’ s no better way of improving than threading a pointy nose SUP through the needle of bumps . If you ’ ve yet to try DW SUP then time to get involved ? Go with someone more experienced , don ’ t take any unnecessary risks ( sheltered runs in harbours for instance exist in the UK ), and we ’ re sure you ’ ll have a cracking time . Search online for downwind SUP info and don ’ t be afraid to ask . There are various groups available through social media where experienced paddlers will be only too happy to help .
With UK SUP ’ s brand new 2017 season just around the corner we hope you enjoy this issue of SUP Mag UK and can ’ t wait to get involved with all that stand up brings this year . Happy paddling peeps !
Tez Plavenieks , April 2017 tez @ supmaguk . co . uk @ tezwoz