Stand Up Paddling - River & Ocean

As the river level starts to get low here on the mighty Arkansas, Haley and I have started to look for new ways to keep the river fresh and challenging. Luckily a week long trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina gave us an opportunity to try Stand Up Paddling in Warm water and sparked our interest to start paddling them on the river. As soon as we arrived in NC we had SUP on our mind and rented some C4 Waterman boards as soon as we got to the beach. After a few hours of getting our balance down and falling on our faces, we started surfing and enjoying the crystal blue water.












Getting ready to test the 10'6 C4 Waterman board

Haley paddling past the breakers on the Outer Banks, NC

Haley riding the line

Eat your heart out Laird

Searching for Tiger Shark's

After spending a week at the beach on stand up boards, it was easy to see why people are paddling these odd crafts. For one, the training aspect is amazing. It is a total body workout that really works the core and upper body. This can be a huge tool for paddlers to use in the off-season, or anytime you need something different from sitting in a boat. Not to mention that it is really fun and it ads a whole other demension to water. Now that we are back in Salida and the water has started to drop out. We decided to test out some inflatable SUP's on the river and see what it was like. We got our hands on an inflatable KONA board and a KONA breakdown paddle and headed to the Salida whitewater park to test it out.

Busting through the Lower Hole

Searching for my lost Booty in the Pool

Upper Hole in Shredtown

Haley surfing the lower wave

The Verdict: Stand Up Paddling is ridiculously fun! It is a great way to switch things up on the river or train in the off season. SUP can be done virtually anywhere in the world that there is water, whether it may be flat water, whitewater, or ocean surf. I can't wait to add one to my quiver of water crafts.