Paddle Up is looking to educate people on how to safely escape the city on a paddle board.
The Paddle Board community exploded after the COVID lockdown, specifically Stand-Up Paddle Boarding (SUP). Described as being due to the fact that the outdoor sport is done socially distanced.
However, many paddle boarders are self-taught and may lack key SUP skills or water safety knowledge.
Joshua Hart and India Phillips live in Surrey and created their company ‘Paddle Up’ after the COVID lockdown, they aim to educate people with their water safety and social paddle board groups.
They run sessions every Thursday at 6pm (after work) and Saturday mornings.
India said: “Paddle boarding is the most accessible way to get onto the water and a great opportunity to discover nature and new waterways on your doorstep.
Aldi had also offered inflatable stand-up paddle boards in 2020 as part of their Special Buys promotions. The price for these paddle boards typically ranged around £200 to £300.
These packages often included the paddle board itself, a paddle, a pump, a leash, a repair kit, and a carrying bag and opened up paddle boarding to a much wider audience.
But with more people on the water, comes higher risk of accident.
Paddle Board Education Deficit
In 2021, four people lost their lives on a paddle boarding trip in Wales, their deaths were reported as “tragic and avoidable”.
Both Joshua and India are SUP coaches and teach about water safety. When doing lessons they noticed a large education deficit in people’s knowledge of the water.
India: “Often new paddlers are unaware of any rules and regulations when it comes to paddling on many of our inland waterways.
“During our sessions some people are surprised to learn that they’re paddling on the River Thames, even though they might live close by. I guess people associate the Thames with being in central London.”
Due to the fact that they paddle in Shepperton, Weybridge, Kingston upon Thames, and surrounding areas, the waterways are essentially a ‘public highway’ and this comes with dangers.
If paddle boarders choose inland waterways then they often should consider getting a waterway’s license which you can get here, it also provides you with liability insurance.
Joshua said: “The most frequent comment we have is, ‘We don’t have to get in the water do we?’
“We ask people in our sessions to come with the same attitude as they would have in a surf lesson – get in the water so you learn what happens if you fall in.”
They teach key fundamentals:
- Learn self rescue so you can re-board without assistance in deep water.
- Plan your routes, you need to know the tides and difficulty.
- The Basics, there is an efficient way to paddle and save energy.
- Always have a phone at hand, on your person in a waterproof bag.
- Learning on a river, a lake with standing water won’t recreate conditions on open water.
- Go with a friend, never paddle alone, it’s unsafe.
- A quick release leash, buy a good waist release to use when in the water.
It is also important to wear the right clothes, in winter SUP users should aim to wear wetsuits, after June (with less chance of cold-shock) it is recommended that you wear fast drying sports clothes or swimwear.
Escape the City on a Paddle Board
However, when done safely paddle boarding can be a fantastic way to escape the city outside of office hours.
Joshua said: “The most frequent comment we get is, I haven’t thought of my job at all, no stress or anxieties because all I have to focus on is standing up on the board.”
Being in close proximity to London, their paddle group gets a lot of 40-50 year olds who often have work and family commitments. Paddle boarding is often their form of escape.
India said: “Being in nature and sharing the water with close proximity to animals and wildlife is so special.
“Imagine getting up close to Herons, dragonflies, terrapins, signets, birds of prey, and more, all from the unique perspective of a paddle board.”
The pair plan routes of the Thames and other local canals for customers to simply turn up and enjoy.
They have also arranged longer weekends away. Combining camping and paddle boarding at places like the Lake District or Oxford.
So, if you want to escape on rivers make sure you do so safely.
India said: “Get a lesson first, it doesn’t matter who you have them with, accredited organisations called British SUP will give good advice.
Get a lesson first on the body of water you’re local to or plan to use. Accredited organisations such the National Governing Body (NGB) Paddle UK, or others such as BSUPA will give good advice.
People also begin worried about the water quality of the Thames, but Paddle Up works alongside water rangers and test the local canals before using.
Thames Water also have an interactive map to show the safe water quality spots.
“We want all paddle boarders to be safe and have mini-adventures on their local rivers safely” India continued.
Paddle Safe out there!
