CATEGORIES
Turning Points
With spring in the air and the start of a new decade, thoughts naturally turn to what we can do differently in the name of betterment. Finn Mullen reflects on some changes to consider when looking to improve your SUP surfing.
THE CLOSE OUT- TREV'S GREAT BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE
I have had my fair share of great birthdays, usually coinciding with a national holiday in a country that I’m visiting. But this one was a bit different.
Paddle Science #18 - The Body Fortress. Boosting Immunity
At this time of year, the rate of infection for colds and flu normally tends to slow down as we enter warmer, springtime months. However, if you’ve been anywhere at all in the world recently, then there’s one word you can’t escape at the moment: Coronavirus. Infection rates, mortality rates and prognostic data are changing daily at the moment. As a new virus none of us have previously been exposed to it, meaning that currently, we have no immunity to it. It’s only through being infected by a virus that our bodies are able to make the right antibodies to not only enable us to recover but to also help protect us from any recurrent and future infection from it. If you’re keen to stay well and keep getting out on your SUP board this spring, then focussing on boosting your immune system is a positive step to take.
Ceylon Stories
Like a teardrop on the tip of the Indian sub-continent, Sri Lanka is a little tropical El Dorado of beautiful landscapes, rich cultural heritage and people with incomparable kindness. Thanks to its favorable exposure to the swells of the Indian Ocean, the has a large number of good waves along its incredible southwest coast where French pro Alexis Deniel and his partner Melanie had an unforgettable experience this winter. Discover their colorful journey through this dream destination sharing its jewels after decades of civil war and the tragedy of the 2004 tsunami.
Polar Bear
In 2019, the Polar Bear showed the world his teeth. After a fourth place in the toughest SUP race in the world, the Red Bull Heavy Water, the now 19-year old Christian Anderson became World Champion in November in the Technical Race at the ISA World Championships in El Salvador. He also won the U-18 title on the Euro Tour with an 11th place overall. What’s behind the young Dane's rise to power?
SHADENFREUDE
TEST REPORTS
Desire Lines
We were on the outskirts of Helsinki, scouting a new destination for our sup camps. Just 45 minutes’ drive from the city, the untouched nature of the Nuuksio National Park stretched out before us. Mirror-smooth lakes, wild herbs and an impressive fauna waiting to be explored over on board or on foot via the many desire lines made by the land mammals.
Magical. Mystical. Epic.
Alexandra is a club ambassador and SUP racer for Bray Lake; relatively new to the SUP scene she completed her first race season in 2019. She participated in her first international event, the Gla Gla, 2020, and placed 1st Brit, 8th lady and 81st overall, out of a mass start of 637 paddlers. Here she shares the highlights of her first Gla Gla experience.
Green Medicine
As a keen outdoorsman and busy GP, Paul Sampson has come pretty close to attaining the mercurial work-balance. When not busy with his patients, he can be found hiking, climbing, paddle boarding, wild swimming… anything that gets him outside soaking up the great outdoors and reconnecting with nature in the beautiful South of Cornwall.
Depth Charge
Many of us have are staying away from the beach for a while, some are confined to our homes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still train for the surf. If you try the following for just one week you’ll see results, never mind three months…
Cold Gold
For many UK paddle surfers, the end of November signals the final days of their season; it’s just too cold, there’s literally not enough hours in the day, the storms and swell size are beyond reasonable abilities or there’s simply not the desire to travel to find somewhere less daunting than the closed-out local beach break.
Bliue Thunder - Backside turns.
In an ideal world, all waves would peel right for hundreds of meters towards the beach where a nice strong rip would take you back to the lineup. However in the world we live in they don’t and most beach breaks provide entertainment in the form of lefts, rights and straight-handers dumping on the beach.
A Quiet Union
Once, it was the perennial question: where do you go for warm, quiet waves and a cool beer afterwards without locals regarding you as a walking ATM? We don’t even ask anymore, we accept that anywhere that fits the criteria had its day in the distant past. However, eight years ago Jeremie Tronet created a practical answer to this question and developed his own corner of paradise – the JT Pro Centre – on the south shore of a delightful speck of sand, coral and palm trees sitting in the Caribbean Sea…
Preparing For Winter
The prospect of dark mornings, dragging yourself back to the gym and laying up your paddling kit is not a cheery one. But why hibernate for the winter when with a bit of preparation, you can still go out paddle boarding?
500 MILES & RUNNING
There’s no denying this golden hour shot is wonderfully atmospheric, capturing the imagination taking us to our happy place where the water is warm, the waves are perfectly-formed and the scenery is just breath-taking.
Trans Europe Express
Having an inflatable has opened the world up to me. I take my roller bag with my board and paddle on the train, plane or car, no hassle. Whether it be a short adventure or long expedition, I start with Google maps. I can spend almost as long as the trip itself looking at satellite maps of foreign places, planning my next mission. Then I research some background information about the place, the weather, culture, things to see, and once I’ve zeroed in on a start point, offwe go.
The Proving Ground
Right here in this photo, you can see our ‘test bay’ of Fistral Beach, with the Goose Rock of Crantock in the distance, and the rocks of North Fistral in the foreground.
The Great Summit
Finn Mullen gives us an insight into one of Europe’s heaviest waves, Mullaghmore, telling us about the wave, its talented local crew and the history of the local area.
The French River
Five days of SUPing and camping around the islands and channels at the mouth of French River.
Paddle Technique: It's Not About The Hinge, It's All Torque!
A common method to coach SUP technique is to hinge at the hips, drive power into the water and to stack the shoulders – this is an outdated method but produces some lovely Facebook profile pictures!
High Altitude Hunting
Jimmy Martinello is a man that is best described as an adventure photographer. When it comes to paddling in mountain lakes, Jim doesn’t merely drive up to the water, unpack and pump up, instead he prefers to hike up and incorporate the sup into a true multi-discipline expedition.
The Escape Philosophy
Glistening crystals of light dance upon the azure water. Gnarled olive trees provide shade for the pristine sandy beaches. Enormous marble columns protrude into the sky - contemporary witnesses to ages long past.
Replenish
Road trips sound sexy but often turn out to be comprised of sixteen-hour shifts at the wheel, eyes propped open with caffeine and a blur of service stations and bad food with only glimpses of the exotic. Manuela Jungo and Victor Fernandez found a more compact option with superior gastro-choices on Sardinia.
Instantaneous Acceleration
I often think about personal development in sup as a line on a graph. On the horizontal axis you have time, and on the vertical axis you have performance in whatever style of sup it is you’re into.
Getting above the foam.
One thing that unites all sup surfers is that we all aspire to improve our performance. Usually the journey starts with learning the fundamentals on a 10’6 hard board, but your wave riding potential will significantly increase when you get down to a 9’0” or smaller.
Develop Dynamic Strength
SUP is a sport that requires explosive power in the surf, quick reaction times, balance running with the wind and swell on down-winders and long lasting muscular endurance during distance paddles.
Cold Shoals
In a sea of daily content it’s becoming increasingly easy to be seduced into believing that the best waves only happen on far-offshores or around specific climatic events like the much fabled 50 year storm in the cult-classic Point Break.
Disneyland
Every now and again I’m reminded that no matter how messed up things get, there’ll be a little sequence of events that remind me that everything is in order. That even though life may get a little repetitive, if you allow yourself to open up to the possibilities and just go with it and you may just have an experience of a lifetime.
The 64th Parallel
Iceland is everything that you have ever heard and more. It is the most stunning of countries with vistas that will truly blow your mind. It should beckon to all those looking for adventure.
The Marquesas Expedition
Many Years ago, I read an inspiring book called “Fatu Hiva”, written by Thor Heyerdahl, also known for his daring journey on the Kon-Tiki from South America to French Polynesia.