With SUP’s reinvigorated popularity there’s lots of drum banging about stand up paddle boarding and safety. It can certainly be cause for concern when you see a total newbie, who’s never set foot in the water before (let alone stand on a paddle board), head off without a leash or buoyancy aid just as a 40 knot offshore squall comes through.
Whilst there’s no better way of learning than doing, we’d hate to see anyone get into difficulty simply through trying to enjoy themselves. That’s why McConks have teamed up with guys and gals at Rapid Skills to put together a beginner’s SUP safety course. The course covers planning your trip (from access and egress issues to weather forecasts), safety contacts, equipment needed to be safe, and basic paddling techniques.
Who are Rapid Skills? They’re a specialist paddlesports instruction school based at Lake 86 in the Cotswold Water Park (yep, close to McConks HQ, and we’re often spotted there!). They offer top drawer tuition across all forms of paddling – not just SUP.
The first beginner’s SUP Safety Course runs on Sat July 18 at Cotswold Water Park. They have a few spaces remaining but these are going fast on a first come first serve basis. The course costs £25pp and runs between 9:30am and 11:30am. So you can get the skills and still have plenty of time to paddle this weekend.
Check out the full course syllabus here.
Give the guys a shout if you’re keen by following this link.
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