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PLANNING YOUR FIRST SUP
ADVENTURE
WORDS : CHRIS BRAIN PICS : GEORGINA MAXWELL , SONJA JONES , MATT HAYDOCK , RED PADDLE CO AND CHRIS BRAIN FOR MANY PADDLERS , ONCE YOU HAVE PRACTICED THE FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS REQUIRED FOR SUP LIKE PADDLING FORWARDS , TURNING , STEERING AND GETTING BACK ON THE BOARD , YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE YOU ARE READY TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER . HEADING OUT ON YOUR FIRST SUP ADVENTURE IS A FANTASTIC MILESTONE IN YOUR PERSONAL PADDLING JOURNEY , BUT MOVING FROM THE SAFETY OF BEING CLOSE TO SHORE OR A FIXED LOCATION AND GOING SOMEWHERE FURTHER CAN BE A CHALLENGING STEP . THERE CAN BE LOTS OF ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER AND KNOWING WHERE TO START AND WHAT TO THINK ABOUT CAN BE DIFFICULT , ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON ' T HAVE ANY OTHER PADDLING EXPERIENCE TO LEAN UPON .
To help you plan an awesome SUP experience , I have identified some considerations and key questions that you will want to ask yourself before you set off . You can think of this as a checklist to work through to make sure you have covered all the key aspects to planning your trip .
Do remember that if you are really new to on the water adventures , even a short trip in what may seem like a straightforward location can feel very exciting and that most paddlers ' first trips are done in sheltered environments with fewer hazards and risks .
What experience do I have ? Considering your current experience is a key place to start when planning a SUP adventure . If you ’ re starting from scratch then it is best to enjoy taking small successful steps first and to build up from there , rather than throwing yourself in , quite literally at the deep end .
If you are just getting started with SUP it can be difficult to benchmark your personal skills especially if you have no one else to compare yourself to , making it hard to work out how competent you are and what kind of trip may be suitable . You may feel like you have good board control when you are paddling and can make it go where you want to , but are these skills still strong with small waves , some wind or after an hour of paddling ?
Consider l Can I effectively move my board forwards and steer and control it easily ? l Am I able to change direction and to accelerate my board if I need to avoid a hazard ? l Can I paddle kneeling and prone in case I need to ? l If I fall in the water can I swim back to my board and climb back on easily ? l Am I happy being in deeper water and potentially further away from the shore ?