Standup paddleboarding
[2] Variations include flat water paddling, racing, surfing, whitewater SUP, yoga, and fishing.
[4] Modern standup paddleboarding began in the 1940s on Waikiki beach serving as a hub for local instructors to teach tourists how to surf.
His sons, Leroy and Bobby Ah Choy, and their friend, Duke Kahanamoku, started to mimic this while they taught surfing to visiting tourists.
[1] Steve West credits outrigger canoeing combined with surfing as the basis of SUP, since the individual skills (board riding and paddling) already existed.
[4] In 2007, the concept of paddleboarding on flat water began to take serious shape and a year later the first touring boards started to hit the market.
Tour paddleboarding has become a way for individuals to seek adventure, serenity, personal achievement, and a deeper connection with nature.
In 2018, Cal Major became the first person to paddle Land's End to John o' Groats, the classic British long-distance journey, taking 59 days.
[12] In 2020, Jordan Wylie attempted to SUP around Great Britain,[13] but was forced to stop after 149 days and 2,377 kilometres (1,477 mi) due to COVID-19 regulations in Scotland.
Their route similarly took them on a mixture of sea, river, and canals but was the longer expedition covering 1,703 kilometres (1,058 mi) from start to finish.
[16] The introduction of SUPs to the fishing world[17][18] provided a new low-cost alternative to anglers looking to explore shallow water estuaries in the solo skiff category.
SUPs do not displace as much as a traditional skiff, therefore allowing anglers to approach fish in shallow water without alerting them to their presence.
The Outdoor Foundation's 2015 Special Report into Paddlesports found that 2.8 million (or 0.9%) of Americans participated in standup paddleboarding in 2014.
[21] Due to the thickness required of a SUP, solid boards have a foam core that is then covered in one of many materials available, such as wood veneers, fiberglass, or carbon fiber.
[4] Another option is an inflatable SUP, or iSUP, which is built from a drop-stitch core of thousands of fine threads, that is then covered by one or more layers of PVC.
It is also recommended that users choose a breakaway style leash for use on rivers due to the potential to get tangled in fallen tree limbs and rocks that are in the water.
[25] The U.S. Coast Guard requires users that will be outside of swim and surf areas to have a personal flotation device (PFD) available or worn, as well as a whistle to alert other boaters of their presence.
It is important to use a quick-release belt when paddling in whitewater conditions as this allows the paddler to safely detach from a tangled leash.
In flat water environments, localized regulations may require the use of a PFD such as on lakes, rivers, and inland waterways.
In a teaching environment, risk assessments by SUP schools and clubs may require the use of PFDs for less confident standup paddle boarders.
