A stretch of open water, a board and a paddle – if you’re a stand up paddler, that’s all you need. There’s no waiting around for waves you can surf, no team to rely on, no motorboats needed to pull you out on to the sea and no complicated techniques to learn.
Unlike the usual water sports that are popular in the UAE, stand up paddling (SUP) is simple, relaxing and easy, so you can get involved without having to psyche yourself up for an adrenaline-fuelled afternoon of bone-shuddering speed and near-death experiences. The paddleboard, which is either inflatable or made of epoxy resin, is between 2.7m and 4.2m long, and looks like an oversized surfboard. The idea is simple – you stand or kneel on the board while pushing yourself across the water with a paddle. It’s the chilled-out middle ground between kayaking and surfing.
Experienced paddle boarder Jen Scully, who runs the Abu Dhabi SUP Club, took us out and taught us the basics. She showed us some helpful turning techniques, and explained how to get the most out of our strokes by keeping the paddle parallel to the board. Although balancing looks tricky, it’s much easier than it seems as the board is designed to take a fair amount of wobbling without tipping over. The skill is more in the paddling technique, which, when done correctly, uses the whole upper body as you twist to bring the paddle through the water. Add that to the fact you use your legs and core muscles to keep balanced, and after a session you feel as though your whole body has had a light workout. It’s not particularly tiring, but if you do need a rest, kneeling or sitting on the board for a quick break is always an option.
Hailing from Michigan, USA, Jen describes the appeal of the sport. ‘The main advantage is you can paddle board in any type of water,’ she says. ‘This is why it’s getting so popular all over the world – especially in the UK, California, Alaska and Russia. Its growth has been amazing.’
SUP originated in Hawaii in the early ’60s when members of the famous surfing club the Beach Boys of Waikiki would stand on their long boards and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. Hence, for years paddle boarding was known as ‘Beach Boy Surfing’.
The sport gained further worldwide attention when, about 10 years ago, legendary surfer Laird Hamilton and his contemporaries, started to SUP as an alternative way to train when the surf was down.
Now the sport is beginning to catch on in Abu Dhabi, both among water sports enthusiasts looking for something different to try and people who just want to get out on to the capital’s tranquil waters without overexerting themselves. The Abu Dhabi SUP club meets for three practice sessions a week, so we joined them in a morning paddle from the beach behind the Heritage Village towards the Emirates Palace. To say that it was scenic would be an understatement, particularly as at that time of the morning the waters are tranquil, with only the odd jet skier disturbing the calm.
An added bonus of paddle boarding is that, because you move almost noiselessly through the water, you don’t disturb the sea creatures, so catching a glimpse of the capital’s underwater wildlife is a real possibility. Water snakes and a jellyfish were spotted on our trip, which makes it another good reason to give it a go.
Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle Club (050 905 9743) www.abudhabisup.com. Dhs200 for a private 45-minute lesson, which includes an additional 30 minutes’ free paddle board rental.
