22
Sarah Thornely
SUPJunkie
Tell us about your surf riding background and when you discovered riding waves with a paddle . The only surf riding background I have is standing on a surfboard that my father made in about 1971 / 2 when I was a young teen – we would take it on holiday to Cornwall and stand on it on the sea , just floating around . I have fond memories of that board and always wanted to be able to surf because it felt a cool thing to do back then . After seven years of SUP , I asked a friend in Wales about SUP surfing , and she suggested we have a go ( she is an incredibly competent surfer with a wealth of practical knowledge ). We borrowed a couple of big old boards for stability , and on a very , very cold and windy day at Coney Beach in Wales , we had a go with a few friends who knew what they were doing and gave good initial advice . It was a bitter November ' s day , and I would have happily gone for coffee instead , but hey , we were there , and three hours later , I got off the water with a huge grin on my face and my love for SUP surfing was born ! When I returned home , I bought a board . This was in the winter of 2018 / 19 .
Do you still partake in a surf dabble with a paddle ? If so , how does this make up ( to a greater or lesser extent ) your overall paddling ? I try to SUP surf as much as possible as I find it a huge thrill , however small the waves are . If the waves are around , it would probably make up about a quarter of my water time . I ' d be happier if it were more like 75 %!
What ' s your overall opinion of SUP surfing in the UK currently ? Do you see much new blood at your local , for instance ? My local beach is Hayling which is ideal for the sport , with long clean waves sometimes a kilometre off the beach – I often feel like I am the new blood , but everybody there is lovely and supportive . I think there are many new SUP surfers in the line-up because the conditions can be easy ; everyone with a new inflatable is prepared to have a go !
Why do you think stand up paddle boarding waves never exploded as some predicted ? I never knew about this prediction as I have been solely involved in the racing side of SUP – perhaps we had mini-explosion early doors as with the racing ? There seem to be different views on the growth of that as well . SUP is growing massively year on year but maybe not the surf or race side as much – it ' s all about leisure . I guess you can buy a cheaper inflatable than you can a SUP surfboard , so maybe that ' s got something to do with it as well .
As SUP continues to navigate through its new growth spurt , with large volumes of paddlers coming into the fold , do you think we ' ll see an influx of SUP surf riders ? There is another new growth spurt in SUP , and I predict there will be more this summer than ever – it could dwarf last year as long as people can get hold of the boards . I have surfed on the south coast , North Devon and Wales and knowing how the numbers have grown , I do not doubt that the SUP surf riders will be there in their droves . I think , though , that a lot of these SUP surfers will be classed as leisure riders on the surf , having a go for fun ' s sake . Why not have a go if you ' ve got an all-round 10 ' 6 I-SUP although I ' d encourage anyone who wants to