Photo by : auremar – stock . adobe . com
So what happened ?
Well , it was probably a combination of factors . SUP , by its very nature , is accessible . It ’ s often deemed ‘ easy ’ – you just stand and go . Of course , there is some truth in that , but it ’ s not that easy , and not if it ’ s done correctly anyway . Any instructor will tell you the best ways to stand and fall , how to understand the conditions and how to use the equipment safely .
There also seemed to be a bit of a shift in our culture towards more outdoor activity and using nature to support our mental health . Fuelled by the COVID pandemic , there was definitely a sharp increase of people on the water and boards being sold . Most brands would agree it was a bumper year for board sales , even if it was a struggle to get hold of them . In the UK , we had the hottest spring on record when the lockdown started , and all of a sudden , the local river or lake looked very appealing .
With the SUP boom in full swing , it would only be a matter of time before there would be a tragedy of some sort . Unfortunately , water , by its very nature , can be a dangerous thing , and it is inevitable accidents and worse will follow . So , where do we go from here ?
Key areas
There are probably some key areas to consider when looking at SUP safety . The first and foremost is your ability to read the weather and water conditions . l How fast is the wind blowing ? l What direction ? l How fast is the water flowing ? l Is it a tidal location ?
It doesn ’ t matter what equipment you have , if you go out in water and weather conditions that are outside safe paddling guidelines , you are potentially putting yourself at risk . Every location is different . SUP standards provides guidelines . E . g , the river flow should be no more than four knots , however , that also depends on your paddling ability . Blog posts also provide information on how to identify safety paddling conditions .
Country-specific
One of the unique things about SUP standards is that country-specific sections allow stand-up paddlers to check for any specific standards , safety , and reference links in their own country . The SUP standards committee is a dedicated team of experts worldwide who regularly contributes to a wide range of topics . The committee
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