Quick SUP Riding Tips

Aloha, this is Robert Stehlik with Blue Planet Surf with some quick tips on falling in safely, getting the board flipped around again if it's upside down, and getting back on the stand up paddle board.

But first of all, when you're falling in, you want to avoid falling in deep into the water in case it's shallow or there's sharp things at the bottom. But don't jump in feet first, it's better to fall in kind of flat like you're seeing here, on your side or on your back. Make sure you don't fall on your paddle but you do want to hold on to your paddle. So then if your board is upside down, you can flip it up right side up again. It's best to do that from the nose or the tail, pushing down on one rail lifting up on the other rail.

If it's windy, use the wind to your advantage. Always flip it with the wind, not against the wind. Also, when you fall into the water, try to avoid falling on the board. Don't try to catch your fall on the board, you're going to hurt yourself or damage the board. It's better to just fall in the water, the water is much softer than your board.

Then to get back on, it's best to be at the middle of the board or in the back of the board, and then kick your legs behind you, really kick hard, and then as you're kicking push your chest onto the board. So don't kick your feet down or if your feet are underneath the board, it's going to be really hard to get your chest on top of the board. But by kicking the legs behind you and then pushing your chest up at the same time, it makes it much easier to get on. And then you can spin your legs around back into the starting position, kneeling position. It's easy to get into that position once you've got the chest on top of the board.

Another thing is when you're coming into the beach, don't just run onto the sand get back into kneeling position, get off in knee deep water or so, take your leash off, and then lift up the rail and carry the board out of the water. That way you avoid scratching the bottom of your board. Always carry in and out of the water. That's it for today. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and be safe