How to Stand Up Paddle Surf

The Best of the Best How-to-SUP Stuff from Around the Globe — Just Add Water & Go!

Be Careful Out There!

Jet ski meets SUP and rider.  Guess who wins every time?

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Keep Those Paddle Edges Covered!

I’ve posted twice before about what can happen (and did happen to Jim, of bluelinepaddlesurf.com) if you don’t put some sort of edging around your paddle.  Look at these pix.  And if you don’t have your edges covered, go do it now.  Anyway, here’s an update from Jim, from his blog:

 

Well, I got my hard cast off today after 38 long days. I had the soft cast on for 3 weeks before that so this has been a long healing process so far.Now I will wear this giant boot for awhile but at least I can take it off and take a shower and stuff like that. I asked the surgeon today if I could maybe get on my paddleboard and start to just paddle around and not surf and he told me NO WAY!! He said I have about 3 more months of rehab before I can surf again. 3 MONTHS!! Freaking A. That will make this about a 6 month recovery if all goes well. All this over a old banged up paddle blade. Did I learn my lesson? Damn straight I did and when I can get back on the board and surf you can bet your ass I will have my paddle blade covered with some nice door liner. OUT.

Santa Barbara Stand Up Paddle Surfing

Most Important Post of the Year!!!!!

Remember how a week or so ago I posted about the accident that California SUP-guy Jim Brewer got into — fell on his paddle (a paddle with a edge not covered by a protector or tape …) and cut open his leg?  Well, you’d think that would be the end of it.  But it’s not.  Things got worse.  Much worse.  Here’s the story, from yesterday’s post by Jim (Jim’s Santa Barbara Blog):

Against my better judgement I will write this post. It’s personal but there are some lessons to be learned. Lessons like taking care of your SUP equipment because strange things can happen. Don’t always trust people and what they tell you just because they think they know it all. Take care of your family because they are all that matter in the end. Like I stated in a past post. A blog or "the blog" was really for folks to share their personal life and all the cool fun stuff they do. It’s really a kind of diary of your life. So what does this post have to do with SUP? Well it all started with an innocent paddle out in some mediocre waves on my new SUP board and my old carbon paddle. I ate shit and landed on the blade and it cut my lower leg to the bone.   image You know this story by now so I will fast forward. After I left the ER with a tendon stitched back on I was to return in 10 days to get the stitches out and I’m good to go. NOT!! Turns out the doc didn’t notice that the real big tendon that runs along the ridge of my foot and up my leg was 100% severed. Gone. He didn’t see it because it wasn’t there. So yesterday was the day of the operation to re-connect it and by far the worst day of my life…..hands down. I’m not a religious man but if I’m wrong and there is a hell, I was there yesterday paying a visit. The details of my experience are deeply personal but since this is my diary I will air it out now.

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Bone & Blood — Edge Your Paddles!

Just came across this at Jim Brewer’s Blueline Paddle Surf blog.  Scary stuff.  And the first of my cautionary tales.  Pay attention to this.  It’s important.  Put some edging on your paddle.  Do it today!  Jim says:

While test surfing the Blane Chambers 9′3" Ripper in some great waves I went over the falls and landed on my paddle blade. My foot went limp and after looking down to check for damage I found that I had a big ass gash on my lower front leg. After looking even closer I realized that I was looking at my bone! Turns out the paddle blade cut right down to the bone and cut the tendon along the way. Lots of blood followed. After getting out of the water and heading to the car a friend in the parking lot saw my leg and drove me to the ER. Thanks John. I now have my tendon sewed up as well as my leg. I will be on crutches for awhile and out of the water. Shit happens and it’s all part of the game. Santa Barbara Stand Up Paddle Surfing

Jim’s leg:   image