PADDLING ON A SUP BOARD: WHAT IS IT AND WHAT MAKES IT SO GREAT?

Suping is truly super! You simply take your board to the water, step on it, grab a paddle and off you go. It' s a truly unique way to start discovering the wonders of nature right from the water. Fast, slow, sitting down, standing up, alone, with a companion... And it's quite simple. To get started, all you need to know is how to swim. No wonder the number of enthusiastic stand-up paddlers grows every year. A SUP board allows you to do a wide variety of activities on the water, so you'll never get bored. Tempted to get on a SUP board and set out on a water adventure? Keep reading! You'll find out about everything you need to join millions of SUP paddlers around the world.

SUP BOARD – A 21ST CENTURY INVENTION?

Not exactly. It might surprise you, but people have been SUP boarding for millennia. And what exactly is SUP boarding? SUP is short for Stand-Up Paddling. Today, we use specially designed boards and paddles for stand-up paddle boarding. But throughout history, people have practised the technique of stand-up paddling on a variety of vessels - from kayaks to boats. And they've done it all over the world. For more than 3000 years, Peruvian fishermen have been paddling on reed horses or "Caballitos de Totora". When returning from fishing, they would skilfully use the waves to push them towards the shore. Every now and then, the bravest fishermen would stand up on the boat and ride the waves just for fun.

Israeli lifeguards and fishermen still use large boards called Hasake. Although the history of the Hasake is not entirely clear, historical sources estimate its age at more than a thousand years. Hasake is said to have Arab and Israeli roots, and while it was originally used for fishing, Israeli lifeguards have found that they have a better view of what is happening in the water if they are on a board, paddling and watching directly from the water.

Guess who are the most famous stand-up paddlers in our area? What comes to mind? Think Venice! For centuries, Venetian gondoliers have rowed standing up on their gondolas to get around the city's canals. There are many examples of stand-up paddling from the past. Here’s a brief overview of the history of stand-up paddle boarding.

The modern form of stand-up paddle boarding was formed in Ljubljana. Just kidding. Where then? Exactly where the cradle of surfing is – in the famous Hawaii. In fact, surfing gave inspiration for the creation of modern stand-up paddle boarding. Surfing instructors would stand up on their surfboard and paddle between their students. This made it easier for them to instruct them on how to surf properly.

In 2004, a competition was held in Hawaii where photographers also captured images of stand-up paddlers. Ever since those pictures circled the globe, stand-up paddling has become a more popular water recreation with each passing year.