SUP SAFETY Part Two: Understanding the environment

This second book in the series covers everything you need to know about understanding and interpreting the paddleboarding environment. Understanding the weather, (including how to read and utilize forecasts and what it actually looks like on the water), sea conditions, water quality and temperatures, currents, rules and regulations, other water users, indigenous wildlife issues, specific river hazards, surf hazards, cold water hazards and much more. Exercises and examples help you hone your skills in interpreting the information and making the right decisions.

Stand up paddleboarding seems so safe and easy, yet the rescue and casualty statistics tell a very different story. And the main reason that people get into trouble almost always comes down to lack of knowledge.

• Lack of knowledge in what safety equipment is needed, and when and how to use it.
• Lack of knowledge in how to understand, assess and interpret the conditions.
• Lack of knowledge in what to do when things go wrong.

This series of books (available in either ebook or print format) will give you that knowledge. Whatever your level, you will learn from these books. Written by an industry expert who has advised governments, national organisations and coroners inquests on paddleboarding safety, worked full time in SUP education and training for 15 years and run more SUP safety education courses than he can remember, these comprehensive guides should be every paddleboarder’s companion. The wealth of information is backed up with case studies, examples, self-assessment quizzes, and a website full of supporting material, designed so that you can either dip in to find specific info, or read them from cover to cover.

The activity of stand up paddleboarding is in itself an incredibly safe pastime, but the environment we operate in is not zero risk. Drowning is the third biggest cause of unintentional injury and deaths worldwide. We’re very much at the mercy of the weather, which can be fickle and unpredictable. However, with the right knowledge these risks and hazards can be reduced to something close to zero, and you can quite conceivably paddle all your life without ever becoming a statistic. These books will give you that knowledge.