The Take - Off Spot

The past few years, Ive travelled the world in search of stunning beaches, beauty, adventure, and incredible waves. This year, I told myself that I would also plan my trip with a conscious effort to improve my performance on the wave, to visit a spot that would allow me to practice my surfing every single day. The requirements were simple: warm water, and consistent, quality waves, and an interesting new country to discover.

The Dark Side Of The Goose

How long had we been out here now? Only half an hour maybe, there were four of us, conditions werent dangerous though its always choppy. Why then was I beset with a sense of creeping menace?

Christopher Fuhrhop Founder Of Restube

We first saw the Restube at the huge German watersports expo Boot, in 2014.. The product looked ingenious, a compact self-inflating bouyancy aid that could be worn unobtrisvely in the ocean. Time has shown a genuine demand for Restube across many professional and recreational users. We spoke to Restube founder Christopher Fuhrhop to learn more about how Restube can work for paddlers.

Back To Dakhla

Six years after our last trip to Dakhla, we returned for two weeks during January and February. When you go back to a place full of good memories after a few years you're always asking yourself about how it may have changed. Even more so in developing areas such as the Western Sahara. Let's dive in to the Dakhla of 2019 compared to the place we enjoyed nearly 2000 days ago.

Paddle Science #15 - Smart Muscle Training

Some athletes are able to sprint paddle faster and are able to develop bigger muscles more easily whilst some athletes will be able to paddle for longer and further without fatigue. This is largely based upon which muscle fibres are recruited in your body. If you’re thinking of creating a SUP training programme for the summer then understanding what types of fibres you have in your muscles will greatly influence how you will adapt to any training programme.

If You Do Just One Thing Today…

We’ve all got some advice to give everyone else when it comes to health: go keto, be more plant based, mobilise don’t stretch, lift heavy things, go outdoors, randomise your workouts...

Minor Threat

Everyone has seen Ice Age and who doesn’t love that movie when poor Zid is denied his nut because it’s frozen inside an ice cube?

Slow West

As dawn sets in, I slip out of my dream world, crawl out of the tent, put my feet on the sandy ground, breathe in the fresh sea air and watch the breaking waves.

Knowledge

Get psyched #10 Giving back to nature.

The Islands Of Middle Earth

Sao Tomé and Principe are two small African islands in search of balance on the Equatorial line. This island nation is tiny in size but carries big dreams: Principe Island is home to a unique and unprecedented experiment in sustainable development. Due to their exposure to South Atlantic swells the islands hold promise for surfers, but Carine Camboulives and Manu Bouvet have much more to share than the waves they found.

48 Hours

After working with Scottish gin brand Daffy’s as our drinks partner at the Dragon World Championships in 2017, I am truly a converted gin lover! So, when an invite came to visit their distillery in the highlands, for a day of SUP based botanical foraging, followed by gin making, I jumped at the chance. After a hectic week in the office, I flew north ready for a weekend of Scottish SUPing + gin sipping.

Wind, Waves & Whitecaps A Downwinder In Greece

I must admit, when I looked for a perfect downwind spot in Europe, I didn’t immediately think of Greece. The French Atlantic coast sounded promising. Or Portugal. Until I saw some videos by John and Kostas Spinoulas, two passionate and skilled downwind paddlers who had discovered several downwind spots along the coast of Attika and on Corfu. Wind, waves, whitecaps and warm water. I knew I had to go.

Victory, Everywhere!

No matter what sort of a day you’re having, it’s nice to think that somewhere, some poor individual (perhaps even several poor individuals) is/are discovering the medieval catapulting effect of being sat on the back of a monster sup as the nose stuffs and it pitch poles in the surf.

Return To Glory

We had a date with Puerto Rico. An island known to produce world-class spots and the biggest waves in the Caribbean. Several unknowns await us though: what state would we would find the island in after the hurricane? Will the locals accept us with sups? Was Captain American born on the island? And was the Pina Colada really invented in Puerto Rico?

Hunting Unicorns

The perfect wave, does it exist? Finn Mullen examines the hunt in the modern age and how it can have surprising results.

A Forgotten Place

At sea for a year and a half on our sailboat Maloya, an Océanis 411, we are sailing around the world in search of ideal spots to enjoy our favourite watersports of SUP, kiting and windsurfing.

Flow State Interview: Ginnie Betts

I first met Ginnie on a sup instructor training course, though I knew her name from her victory at the 2016 Battle of the Thames. Two things were immediately apparent – firstly that Ginnie was a naturally rapid paddler, though she might deny that herself, and secondly that she was incredibly modest about her ability. See point one, QED. Since then we’ve paddled together, and crossed paths plenty of times and Ginnie is currently sitting 12th in the APP women’s overall race ranking, but I realised I still didn’t really know what had made Ginnie so quick. So, in between races and work, we caught up with Ginnie to find out the mindset, skillset and toolset behind her performance….

A New Perspective

In the interest of field research, we’ve been conducting an experiment on an unwitting participant. You might know that we edit this magazine from a clifftop lair overlooking the Atlantic Ocean which also serves as an instructional base for ocean sports, and recently, we’ve tasked one of our new coaches, young Frankie, with paddling every single day after work regardless of conditions.

Ten Storm Force

A yacht supported downwinder in open water Mediterranean is up there with heli skiing Whistler, or being towed into empty G-Land. But if the numbers are saying 50 knots and 6 metres, how much do you think you could stand?

On The Pulse

It’s the end of September, and my working season is over and after few winters spent in the Canary Islands, I decided to take a trip to Indo.

The Yukon River Quest

Each year in the height of summer, a surreal challenge unfolds on the third-longest river in North America. The Yukon River Quest is an annual ultra-marathon paddling race across SUP and various other disciplines, taking place in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Teams from around the globe come to challenge themselves in this self-supported, non-stop paddling odyssey through some of Canada’s pristine and untouched wilderness.

The Way Of The Dragon

The two-day, Red Paddle Co Dragon World Championships is an event like no other. It involves teams of four from across the world battling it out on a mighty 22-foot inflatable ‘Red Dragon’ board to be crowned the ultimate victors.

Paddle Science #16 - Sprint And Distance Fitness.

I admit it. Thanks to the Boardmasters Storm I haven’t been out on the water today. I holed myself up in the gym and rowed 5000m. I split my session into 10 sets of 500m with a one minute rest period in between. Sounds easy right?