Sunday was the first day I went out on a SUP. My friend Alan Lim at Generation Church here on the Gold Coast invited me the other day. I have been looking for a good excuse to get out there and have seen Suppers out in the surf and on flat water a few times. I’ve been really interested to SUP a try for some time after I was chatting with another friend about it a few months ago who has two boards.
So Alan suggested that a bunch of us go out, and Mrs Sweet was otherwise occupied with girl stuff, so Al and I went down to the Currumbin Alley for a bit of SUP time.
Have some food before SUP – you will need the energy!
When we got there, the Boat Shed that does a bit of SUP board hire (thats their hire page) was located next to the Creek Restaurant (on Thrower Avenue) and across the street from a Fish & Chips joint. We had some fish & chips before going out and I’m glad we did… because we ended up out for 2.5 hours and I needed the energy!
After we finished lunch we managed to get a discount because we had a group booking. Leo is the Boss and a real cool dude, old-school surfer who knows how to patch a board and coincidentally pick the right board for everyone… including me. I must have been pretty wonky on my feet as we walked down because he matched me with the biggest and widest board in the fleet!
Make sure you pick the right paddle length and SUP board!
He also gave me an adjustable paddle and then showed me how to set it to the right height, according to my height and board thickness. The basic rule of thumb he suggested was a handspan above the head for standard SUP boards.
So we all went down to the water and pushed off. Apparently I wasn’t doing it right at first because one of the girls who was with us suggested I space my feet apart, parallel to the side of the board rather than in the surfing position with my right foot to the back. After figured it out, it was a much more natural “stance” for paddling speed and stability.
The first time I tried SUP: I barely got my feet wet 
It was amazing to watch everyone trying SUP for the first time! There were smiles every time each person pushed off, definitely an enjoyable experience from the first moment you do it. I realised fairly quickly how easy it was and the potential Stand Up has for people of all ages to enjoy time together and also build core strength.
So we frolicked in the water (sorry above it) for a few hours and I didn’t realise how long we had been out for. I was having fun paddling quickly away from anyone trying to get me to fall off. I guess they had all fallen off and I hadn’t. So it was game-on for a while there.
So I’m proud to say I didn’t manage to gain a badge of honour by falling off the first time I went out – I was completely dry when I stepped back on firm land!
I learnt that in SUP there are quite a few types of boards
I had a good chat with Leo about the kind of boards available when I got back to shore. He pointed out a few of them lined up on the beach and suggested that I give a few a try.
The first one I tried was a real “little” surfing carver that is a bit more manoeuvrable in surf by being shorter with a wider ratio. It also had three fins for thrusting in the surf, but when I took it out on the flat water I found it difficult to move around (I hadn’t figure out how to do a stand up paddle board pivot turn yet) and heavy. Apparently this is a good thing in the surf. Not so good on flat water.
The next board he suggested was a 10’6 foot middle of the road board. This is the standard board that anyone wanting to get into SUP would buy. Right from the first stroke I knew it was the kind of daily rider I would buy. Its not as long as the Downwinder boards for the open ocean and not as short as the surf SUP’s, is just your standard and dare I say “boring” board. I loved it. It was fast and agile in the water as I cruised around in front of the restaurant there for a few minutes enjoying it’s speed and agility.
SUP is for everyone who can stand up on land… it’s so easy
I think the big thing that I learn from my first day of SUP is that it’s for everyone. Everyone from families with a child on the front (with little life jackets on… so cute) and an adult on the back, to young couples on a date to older people and groups of young people (like ours).
I was struck that this is a great all round activity that’s very easy to do, you don’t need a huge amount of balance on a standard SUP board to stay upright, it’s just so simple to pickup and have fun.
I’m definitely looking forward to my next outing! I can’t wait!
As I said to Alan later when we had finished and were driving home:
“Al, I think I have found my ‘Thing’”.
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