Tag: paddleboarding

How to choose a board?

Every paddler at some point is wondering “shall I buy my own board?”

When you don’t want to rent it anymore, when you want to have your own board always available for your use, you should ask yourself an even more relevant question: “how do I want to use my board?” It is then worth stressing the advantages of inflatable boards. They are much more affordable than hard ones and they do not take a lot of storage space as deflated they fit into standard backpack and can be easily stored when not used. Also with a good value for money you do not have to stop yourself after buying one model, either getting another one for you for a different use or for your relative to go and share your experience.

Here come our recommendations for board types accommodating the preference of usage.

All-round model

For recreational stand up paddle we advise to purchase an all-around board (Bass Breeze model in our shop). This type of board is stable enough for beginners, wide to keep the balance during first stand up paddle experience. Later this board has still a lot to offer as a first board to try to catch the waves or have fun on enclosed water when keeping balance is more challenging than on flat water. This model can be also used as addition to yacht in case you want to paddle to the shore in shallow water. It is a universal board with multiple possibilities of use, yet its advantage is the pointy nose (unique for all-around model) which makes this board fast and easy to maneuver.

Another model great for recreational use and family paddling is Bass Dual. Designed for some family fun on water, it can easily carry one adult person and a child or another adult. The both sides additional stabilizing chambers provide full stability. This is also a good board for fishing or photography expeditions and finally, can also be used as rescue board thanks to its handles on sides.

In our shop you can purchase Bass Breeze model which is all-round stand up paddle board.

Touring model

Cruising on stand up paddle tours were never as easy as with Bass Breeze Touring model. The board is more demanding in terms of balance, but provides nice glide on water for long distance paddling. Medium to advanced paddlers seeking for a board with some speed features will be satisfied. The long and profiled shape of this board will make long distance paddling more enjoyable. It is worth mentioning that this model is only few cm shorter than the race one (12”6’), however wider to provide more stability to paddler.

In our shop you can purchase Bass Touring model  which is a touring stand up paddle board.

Racing

Taking part in stand up paddle competitions requires an ultra fast board. The official length for boards accredited in sup races are 12’6 and 14’. We provide you with inflatable race boards in both sizes. As proven on many stand up paddle competitions they are fast, yet they provide stability to easily put a lot of strength on paddle without loosing balance.

 SUP surfing

For sup surf you need a well almond-shaped board which can easily be operated by the movement of your hips and feet. The Bass X-Power model is a very maneuverable sup surfing board, easily taking turns. Good for occasional surfers to catch their waves everywhere all around the world as travelling with inflatable sup surfing board is super convenient (no more “oversized luggage” queue, no more “additional sport equipment” fee). Surfing board as designed by Bass was aimed to be pretty wide to glide on waves and not longer than classical longboard surf model 10’.

SUP Yoga

If you have an interest in floating yoga practice you should choose a board as wide and stable as possible. We highly recommend specially designed Bass Yoga model or Bass Dual as it gives the experience of stable ground on water. Bass Yoga board was especially designed for Yoginis looking for zen spirit on water. Beautiful lotus flower design and the quietness of water all around brings feelings of spirituality and harmony instantly.

Stand Up Paddle practice

There are many ways to enjoy being on a water with your stand up paddle board. Do you know them all?

Stand Up Paddle recreational

Source: adrenaline-hunter.com

Occasional paddling individually or with a group of friends or family, while being next to different types of water. You can practice stand up paddle on flat water (lakes, rivers) or enclosed waters like sea, harbors, marinas, lagoons. This is a great way of spending time together on water with additional benefit – fitness workout. Children all age can join their parents in paddling experience. Boards also provide a lot of joy to children when taken to the beach for their entertainment.

Stand Up Paddle touring

Source: tripadvisor.com

Nature lovers will recognize stand up paddle boarding as a great way to experience water environment. Tours in natural environment are great opportunity to watch wild nature. With no impact to environment you can paddle for long distance even in national parks admiring the surroundings. Touring on stand up paddle is a great way to also explore the coastline.

Stand Up Paddle race

Source: supracer.com

Seeking some adrenaline and opportunity to compete with others? Join stand up paddle racing to experience speed and sports atmosphere. Professional stand up paddle races are organized in various water environment: starting from mountain rivers finishing with open sea. Join the tribe of adrenaline junkies.

Stand Up Paddle surf

Source: funnybeach.com

When feeling like a surfer starting his day by catching the waves, stand up paddle board can be used also for sup surfing. Riding waves with a paddle gives a great opportunity to catch them all, while other surfers are waiting for the perfect one. Paddle is very helpful in maneuvering the board and getting some speed to make any wave yours.

Stand Up Paddle yoga

Source: sport-equipements.fr

Yoga practice on stand up paddle boards is an amazing experience. It provides both contact with nature and your own body. Doing asana on a floating board on water is challenging but brings more self-consciousness and great sense of balance.

SUP Tour in Portugal

We have not be truly self if just few months after sup tour in Philippines wouldn’t have gone with sup boards to discover other country and new sup spots.

This time sup tour was much closer – in Europe – combining pleasure with work. We went to Portugal for Academy of Surfing Instructors Training – SUP Instructor L1 Flat Water and L2 Exposed water. We managed to pass all the training tests, also having primary care and emergency response and water rescue courses. I am first ASI certified Stand Up Paddle Instructor in Poland, but more about that in next blog post.

Here I am looking foward to share with you piece of information where to take your Stand Up Paddle board in Portugal. Where are the best SUP spots and what can you explore on sup in Portugal?

These and more you will find in text below.

 

While making online research before tour, I already have known that Portugal is a perfect place for Stand Up Paddle. Long coastline, popular surfers spot in Europe, amazing pictures of caves and cliffs – all of these looked very appealing to me! Stand up paddle is a popular watersport there for years. Even in 2016 Portugal had their official post stamp with an image of SUP surfer. I knew that in Portugal, no one will ever ask me why I use paddle to this surfing board.

We have started our SUP tour in Portugal by landing in Lisbon. It was not hard to get there as most of low fare airlines provide flight connections there. Without waiting a minute, we headed to Setubal – first planned sup spot.

Setubal nearby Lisbon

Setubal is small town located at Atlantic Ocean coast with kilometers of sandy bay and sweet water river in Natural Parc.

Town is famous for it’s ability to watch dolphins in their natural environment. At the boarder of the bay, there is a herd of dolphins with very friendly attitude towards people. It was amazing to see them in their natural surrondings, not in dolphinarium clapping for tourists’ entertainment.

Thank you guys from Rotas Do Sal  for awesome adventure to explore dolphins in Setubal bay.

Setubal has really nice coastline you can admire from paddleboard, few rocky islands and pleasant hidden beaches.

We have news for those searching for local stories. There is an abandon villa standing at the edge of one of cliffs in Setubal. From first hand local info, we got to know that it was french ambassador’s living in Portugal summer villa. Here Jackie Kennedy was hiding after attack on her husband J.F. Kennedy and here she was taking a rest after his death.

Extroadinery Algarve

Our sup tour aim in Portugal was region in the south – Algarve and small town named Sagres –  at the very end of portugeese coast. Further there is nothing, only ocean. Sagres has even it’s own tag on Instagram – Sagres at the end of the world – because further there is nothing, only Africa.

Sagres is a typical surfers spot. You will not find there random tourists. Every inhabitant is constantly checking swell forecast and is on a way to catch a wave. Town has amazing atmosphere because – even though it’s pretty cosy – there is a lot of surf shops and bars. As we got to know, during high season the amount of people living here triples, because of one of the best surf wave places in Europe.

Algarve’s coastline is extraordinary! Here you can find high cliffs, caves, hidden calm beaches between the rocks.

Professional costline exploration including entering the caves and cliff jumping is named coasteering and has its special guides who can lead groups to spots known only by locals. These people know entry points to caves and cliffs you can climb and safely jump off to the ocean.

You can book a tour to explore coastline and hardly accessible caves. What is even better you can explore it on stand up paddle board with Nelson from Coastline Algarve.

He is very chilled guy, who abandon surfing for stand up paddle. We highly recommend his sup tours and hope to visist him in September with group of sup enthusiasts from Poland.

The most beautiful cave in Portugal – Praia De Benagil

This is a breath taking place to visit. Accesible only from the ocean – best on Stand up paddle board – better get there before tourists passion for charming selfies. We recommend morning tour. It is the most beautiful cave in Portugal with interior beach lightened with sun comming through the hole in the ceiling. Energy there is amazing.

Echo of waves braking on rocks, tree light points which bring sunlight, especially the upper one, which gives you oportunity to have sunbath on sand, in a cave. It is amazing!

This fact of nature is hard to explain. Somehow gravity there completly messed up and started to destroy the rocks from the bottom to the top. It is natural phenomenon in Europe. Place with extraordinery energy.

I have spent there 2 hours just sitting on sand and listening to the sound of waves in full sun. In my opinion yoga session there would be unforgettable experience. Most probably Asian guy had the same impression, because he didn’t move for long minutes from there and was consatantly destroying my picture frame.

All Algarve region is scenic with interesting coastline. Charming spots make it perfect sup tour destination in Europe. Moreover sunsets there are unique and different then anyway else.

Nautic SUP Paris Crossing 2016

It was cold morning, -2 degrees, 600 participants on starting point in yellow and pink t-shirts, water traffic on Seine river completly stopped.

This is how beginning of Nautic SUP Crossing Race looked like in Paris. There was 400 hundred amateurs, 100 professionalists and 100 participants in teams. As the winner of the race summed up “It was very cold, but lovely”.

Nautic SUP Paris Crossing 2016 route for professionalist it was 13.6 km. Amateurs had to paddle a litle bit shorter distance – 11 km. Despite minus temperature participants could admire the best views ever as Seine river is the most romantic scenery for stand up paddle race we have seen till now!

Below our photos from SUP race, which was an event created in paralell to Nautic Paris Boat Show – biggest indoor watersports exhibition in France which took place in Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from 3 to 11 december 2016.

This is how it started! 2 minutes before 8 am participants started their race in minus 2 Celsius degrees.
There were people standing and watchingthe race among all race route, standing on bridges and cheering up participants. Impressive that water traffic on Seine was stopped during SUP race.

On the central island, race divided into two groups. Amateurs headed straight, pros turned right to paddle allaround two island in centre of Paris. The biggest challenge for pros was paddling against the current for additional 3 km. With the current speed 1.5km/h it wasn’t easy!

This is almost finish line! Mini Statue of Liberty on Swan Island signalise, that there is only one kilometer left to completion.

We are impressed. First participant from amateurs group, after less than an hour crossed finish line. Some of racers looked exhausted, others ecstatic and certainly all of them very happy.

Winner in pros category – HASULYO Bruno – tries to catch a breath. There was his brother taking part in the same race. He owned a good handshake as well.

In the movie below, it is visible, that brothers are very proud from each others achievements.

What was Bruno’s win strategy? Just paddle, paddle as hard as possible. As he said “If you have a bad start, later you need to give everything you can”. We wonder what he meant by “bad start” as paddling 13.6 km took him only 1:17:13. What would happen if he had a good start then?

In an hour other tired amateurs and pros reached finish line. As olimpic idea says: “It is more important to take part then win” (P. De Coubertin). Belive us, when we touched water in Seine, we can tell you that with minus temperature and fight with cold already taking part in this race in such a beautiful scenery made you a winner.