The SUP aka Stand Up Paddleboard is becoming more and more popular! Not only is it a great form of exercising for strengthing and conditioning, but it is also a perfect activity to enjoy with friends outdoors and is easy for anyone to learn! In all honesty, we have never owned our own SUP as they are normally ~4 metres long – and how do you travel with something of this size?! Well, we have now found a solution to that! And it is an inflatable board! Below we will look at the tips and tricks for travelling with a SUP.
Let’s start at the beginning…
What is a SUP?
SUP stands for Stand up Paddleboard. The meaning of SUP is essentially how it sounds, a board which you stand up on to paddle. They come in all different sizes, ranging from about 3.5 – 6 metres in length. With the popularity of SUP increasing over the years, you can now find hard ones and inflatable ones. There are even ones that can carry multiple people and pets!
Which SUP to Choose
For us, purchasing a SUP that could easily be transported while travelling was essential. Whether it is on a road trip across Australia or an international trip to Hawaii. When we stumbled across Aqua Marina, we knew they were the perfect fit for us. Their products range from inflatable SUP’s to inflatable kayaks and boats. What won us over was their range of SUP’s – for all-rounders, to multi-person, racers and ones purely for fitness.
We opted for the ‘Atlas – All Around Advanced Series‘. It is 366cm long and 86cm wide (12’00” x 34″). The SUP comes with a zipped backpack for storage as well as a hand pump and Sports III paddle. On top of that, we purchased a ‘Carbon Pro’ paddle as it is a lot lighter. Both of the paddles fold into two/three smaller pieces and fit easily inside a pocket within the backpack.
Additional accessories include the slide in centre fin and safety leash. Both of these again can be stored neatly within the Aqua Marina backpack too.
Travelling with a SUP
Whether you are going on a road trip or flying to a destination, the inflatable SUP can come with you! With the convenient travel bag, you can fit everything in easily. Including all the accessories (paddles, pump etc.) all items weigh approximately 10.9kg. This means it can easily be checked in on a flight or fit into the back of a regular car. Below you can see a photo of me wearing the backpack – inside was the paddleboard and all accessories making it possible for any adult to carry the backpack!
Our Experience as Beginners
So once we selected our SUP and knew that it would make a great travel companion, the question was, can we actually stand on this thing? Our first outing with it was to our local beach. The water there is calm and there are not too many people around. Meaning, if we fell off it wouldn’t be too embarrassing!
After unpacking the SUP from the Aqua Marina bag, we blew up the SUP on the grass. It’s important to make sure that no sand gets in between the SUP and the pump. We thought with it being inflatable that it may not be rock solid. However, it is! The handpump allows it to be inflated to 1 bar (18-20PSI). It surprisingly only took a few minutes to blow it up.
Once the paddleboard is blown up, the only other things to add are the safety leash and centrepiece fin. Afterwards, it’s time to jump in the water and have a go!
On our first outing we managed to stand up easily (and trust me when I say I am not the most coordinated person) however also opted to sit down when some small waves came in. It was so relaxing paddling along the beachfront as we passed by boats and listened to the sounds of birds at sunset. Who would have known this would be a workout?! Sign us up any day!
Locations in Sydney for Beginners
Like any new toy, it is always best to start in a location you know well. Therefore, our first adventure with our Aqua Marina SUP was to our local beach, Balmoral. There are barely any waves and being a beach, it made for an easy spot to get in and out of the water.
Another incredible spot to paddleboard at sunset (or even during the day!) is at the small beach below Bradleys Head Amphitheatre. The views from here overlook Sydney city including The Opera House and The Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Tips for Beginner’s
Now that we have taken the SUP’s out a few times, here are a few tips that we think all beginners should be aware about:
- Make sure you attach the foot strap. From a safety perspective, the foot strap means you won’t lose your board if you are far out from the shore.
- Choose the right SUP! We went for the Atlas SUP because it was an all-rounder. It is both long and wide meaning more room for balancing. Feel free to ask the staff members which board would suit you best 🙂
- Keep your head up. This may sound silly but I found myself looking down at the board on my first go. If there are obstacles around, it’s something to be aware of.
- Start out in calm waters. Don’t think you can master the waves on your first attempt – unless you are a naturally talented sportsperson!
But most of all – have fun! It’s such a great activity year round with friends. We have found ourselves using them more often than we would have expected. Especially now that Aqua Marina has made travelling with a SUP so easy. Let us know how you go!
X KoTravellers
