Your first day out with your new SUP.

We will skip over the issue with transporting the board to the water and get on with putting the board in the water and getting on the board the first time.

Most SUP boards have a built in handle in the middle of the board.  Sometimes the handle pops-up and most often it is simply a cutout that allows you to insert your fingers and get a grip.  Put the board on its edge (aka Rail) and grab the handle and tuck it under your arm.  You can carry the paddle with the other hand.

You might find some beginner boards to be a bit heavy so just put the board down if you get tired and change hands.  For a longer distance you might find it easier to carry over your head or on your head -- does not work too well if you are bald.  Getting the board up over your head will be discussed later.

Remember to choose a location with calm water and wind and with no nearby powered watercraft.

Place the board in the water. Do not be afraid to get your feet wet.  For most people SUP is not far from swimming.  Plan to get wet.  Place the tail of the board away from the shore to protect the fin.  

You can stand alongside the board in shallow water and get on or you can mount the board at the nose from the beach.  In either case you should be kneeling on the board at this point.  To get the feel of the board it is a good idea to paddle a bit while kneeling before standing up.  The upper hand on the paddle will be about 3/4 of the way up the paddle -- do not try to put your hand on the paddle grip when kneeling.   You should check to see that you are in the middle of the board.  The handle marks the mid point.  Work with the paddle to get a feel for it.  Do a few forward strokes and some sweep strokes to turn the board.  To prepare for standing up you should be a bit behind the board's center in a kneeling stance and you should be in water deep enough to fall safely and well away from any objects that you might fall on if you lose your balance.

The next episode will show how to stand up...