Congratulations on buying your inflatable stand up paddle board.
Your (hopefully) charming salesperson offered you a board with a so called double action pump.
Say what? Double action pump? What does it mean?
What is the best paddle length for you?
Stand up paddling is such a relaxed way to enjoy your time on the water.
Stand up paddle boarding is becoming more popular each year. So much people have begun to enjoy stand-up paddling having fun on the water, spend time with family and friends. While doing this you can also improve your fitness level.
Perhaps you have found your board and your paddle. You can basically start.
Before you get into the water with your board, it is best that you put your paddle in the correct length.
Step 1
Stretch your left or right arm above your head.
Step 2
Enlarge your paddle to the same hight of the arm that is stretched above your head.
Step 3
The stretched arm rests relaxed on handle of the paddle. This is the correct lenght.
The summer is over but you still want to keep stand-up paddling in winter?
Well you are so right. Why stop? But you also do not want to freeze your butt of in the cold or come into unsafe situations.
Here are 5 tips to help you along.
Tip 1 – What to wear, when stand up paddling in the winter?
Before you step out of the door. Check if you are wearing the correct clothing.
The wetsuit
The wetsuit has been the winter choice for a lot of stand up paddlers. Check out the world wide web for all the different choices, designs and prices. There is a huge choice of wetsuits available from 7mm full on winter suits with built in hoods to 2mm summer suits. It all depends where, when and how long you want to paddle. Just during a bit chilly weather or during deep cold winter days?
The thicker the suit the warmer it is but with a trade off in flexibility, and each paddler will find their preferred combination of warmth and flexibility.
Wetsuits can be relatively inexpensive, it’s very easy to find one that fits perfectly and they are pretty robust and will last for years with a little care.
Dry suit
A new development brought to the paddling world is the dry suit. Filling the space between wetsuits and more traditional dry suits these are designed specifically for Stand Up Paddlers who do not need the protection and bulk of a surface immersion suit, for faster paddling and limited time in the water.
Like the more common dry suit there is no insulation in the SUP dry suit so a base layer will need to be worn underneath, top and bottom. Marketed at those who want to paddle fast the semi-dry suit is also a great solution for many more leisurely paddlers.
Do not want to buy a wetsuit nor a dry suit?
Well you can wear a pair of warm longjohns /ski underwear under your rain trousers as an option.
For your upper body, you can wear a warm midlayer, but try to avoid cotton, this soaks in the water and that will keep you longer cold. Over your midlayer a waterproof jacket is fine.
Tip3: What to wear for head and feet?
A fleece or neoprene tuque is great for the head. A fleece beanie or anything warm you prefer to wear is also good.
For your feet a pair neoprene shoes are great.
You will need some waterproof gloves or neoprene gloves for your hands. Do not want to invest? Then just your wintergloves. Preferable not the thin knitted gloves. These do not protect from the wind.
Tip 4: What to take with you during a tour in winter?
Tip 5: Going to paddle in dark cold weathers?
Let somebody know where you will be paddling and for how long you are planning to do so.
When the weather changes a lot that day. Just recheck the weather forecast, so you will not be in the middle of heavy wind or a rain storm.
Close your eyes and dream about the warm sun on your skin.
The sound of the waves, slight wind brushes through your hair.
Relaxing in combination with some activities, like biking, jogging or
Stand up paddling.
Here are five places for great SUP holidays to in 2015.
When living in Europe, you don`t need to travel far exotic places to find good spots to Stand Up Paddling.
Costa Brava, where the waters are mostly calm and therefore a great place to learn SUP. One of the most romantic, gorgeous, unspoilt stretches of coast in Europe.
What to see
Gloriously wild in parts and tastefully manicured in others, the Costa has some of the finest Blue Flag beaches in Europe, broad and sandy stretches to elegant horseshoe bays and secluded smugglers’ coves.
The Costa is also home to some of the most scenic and important Greco/Roman and Iberian archaeological sites in Europe
When to go
A decent dose of sunshine is reasonably guaranteed most of the year round. If you’re not bound by school holidays and can visit during May, June or September, these are brilliant months to enjoy the joint benefits of warm temperatures and lower hotel rates while avoiding the crowds of July and August.
For sizzling heat, high summer is the time to choose. If you do come during those peak months, you’ll find the region busy but not over-run.
What to pack
When going for a longer paddle session, we recommend to wear a Fitocean UPF 50+ Protect Tee.
ARUBA
Aruba: well known for the high winds, where you can find waves to flow of.
The crystal clear water of Fisherman`s huts are ideal for a Stand Up Paddle board session. Because of the standing height of the water you can see both deeper into the water and further across the surface of the water. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and have a good workout.
When to go
The best time is from February until September. With temperatures over 30° Celsius.
The so-called “rainy season” runs from late October into the beginning of January, but most of this rain falls in the form of short, sharp showers and mainly overnight.
What to pack
Your bikini J, when you like to flow of the nice waves you can wear our protect tight.
This beautiful place at the nordcoast of Italy is great when you want to learn how to ride the waves on your Stand Up Paddle board.
There are various small hotels and camping places near the sea.
With great italien restaurants, you can relax and enjoy the great sea food.
When to go
As we are not that far in the south of europe, it is best to check the weather a few weeks before you plan to go.
Generally speaking, may until october is great.
Phuket is one of the most unique and great places in the world, and provides a perfect backdrop in which to paddle. With stunning views, warm crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches it is hard to beat. So what better way to take it all in than slapping on the sunscreen, jumping on a board and going exploring?
Get your `Om` on. Thailand waters are peaceful surroundings to practice yoga on your Paddle board.
When to go
High Season (Nov–Mar)
cool and dry season follows the monsoons, meaning the landscape is lush and temperatures are comfortable.
Western Christmas and New Year’s holidays bring crowds and rates increase 50% at the beaches.
Shoulder Season (Apr–Jun, Sep & Oct)
Hot and dry (April to June).
Beaches aren’t crowded and the ocean provides the air-con.
September and October are ideal for the north and the Gulf coast.
Low Season (Jul–Oct)
Monsoon season can range from afternoon showers to major flooding.
Some islands shut down and boat service is limited during stormy weather.
Be flexible with travel plans.
What to pack
Think easy, think light. Sweat-wicking layers that can wash and dry quickly, because it can get legitimately hot. Roll in your quick dry Twisted Tank.
Here a view places in north America that is worth checking out:
Puerto Vallarta’s ideal for stand up paddleboarding. Warm water and the wind-sheltered Banderas Bay. Take a covered boat offshore to Las Islas Marietas, a protected wildlife sanctuary, and spend an afternoon paddling above coral reefs, floating by the arid coastline. (pacificpaddle.net)
Mission Bay Aquatic Center takes beginner paddlers a hundred feet into San Diego’s Mission Bay and teaches them to downward dog (plus a whole series of yoga positions) on their boards. ($39; mbaquaticcenter.com)
Desert Adventure’s two-day SUP trip. You’ll join four paddlers and a guide at Hoover Dam on the lake’s southern shore and paddle down the Colorado River’s Black Canyon, a 600-foot deep cleft in the basalt of Nevada and Arizona’s desert. Camp gear is strapped to boards and nights are spent on secluded beaches. The highlight: paddling to the back of Emerald Cave, a green-water cavern barely big enough for four boards. ($339, all-inclusive; kayaklasvegas.com)