We constantly focus on Our Reputation for Integrity and Transparency. We carry brands that share our Values, Busines Ethics and Excellent Service. Paddleboard Direct is The Name Stand Up Paddle Boarders Trust Our mission at Stand Up Paddleboard Direct is to provide you with an unparalleled shopping and paddle boarding experience. We combine our passion for paddle surfing with secure online shopping, easy telephone or e-mail access, free shipping and 16 years of experience. We guarantee you receive the right gear, best value and unmatched customer service. Originally established in 1994 as Wind Addiction, we are the most trusted name and largest Windsurfing (and Stand Up Paddle) equipment retailer in North America. Since 2007, our team is proud to offer our proven customer service and value to Stand Up Paddle Board customers with Stand Up Paddleboard Direct. Stand Up Paddleboard Direct customers experience the same high level of customer service and value that has made us the windsurfing industry leader - and makes us the Industry Leader for Stand Up Paddle Boards since 2007. We are obsessed with offering the best service and value to our customers.

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No wind? No Waves? No problem. Guaranteed water time! Stand Up Paddle Boards are simple to set up and learn the sport in 10 minutes. You progress quickly by using a paddleboard that is larger, more stable and versatile than a conventional surfboard. Women who Stand Up Paddleboard improve very fast. Very often, women are far more skilled at stand up paddle than men. Stand Up Paddle Boards are far less physical than prone surfing, a fact many women appreciate. Many women rediscover surfing or paddling pleasure without the constraints or fatigue! Stand Up Paddle Surf makes USE OF EVERY MUSCLE FROM HEAD TO TOES - THE CORE AND LEGS specially. Combine yoga and surfing core fitness. With the same Stand Up Paddleboard you can: - Relaxed cruise in flat water. Paddle along the coasts of your lake, river or ocean. - Surf small or 15 ft waves – much easier to pick up small waves and longer rides on a    stand up paddleboard than a conventional surf board - Teach your friends in minutes and ride with your family - Adventures with the wind at your back in more than 20 knots - Relax and enjoy every day of the year in every condition. We make it Easy to Stand Up Paddle Board Today! Our Pros are here to help you chose the right board and paddle Before you call or e-mail our friendly and helpful pros, have the following information ready for us: - How much do you weigh? Will you share the board? - Where do you live and are conditions Waves, calm lake, river? - If you never tried SUP - do you have surfing, windsurf, kayak, snowboard, etc experience - What are you looking to get out of Stand Up Paddleboarding  (i.e. core fitness, relaxation, fun paddling with kids on front, wave riding excitement, etc) - How many times per week/month can you SUP - What budget do you have in in mind?

HOW TO STAND UP PADDLE BOARD
Stand Up Paddle Surfing isn't that hard to learn as unlike normal surfing you can learn to do it on almost any body of water. To start with you will find standing up on the board and paddling will be the trickiest part. If you already surf then the wave riding part should be pretty familiar, except that you will be riding for longer and more often!

In this section we aim to give a few key pointers. The best thing about sports such as Stand Up Paddle Surfing is that you can build your own style and techniques. These pointers are just the basics to which you can add your own style and flair too. Check out the video at the end of the page too...

Read on and let John Hibbard guide you through the basics of SUP.

Getting going

For your best chance of success choose a calm piece of water with no tidal current and a day with little or no wind.When you first step on the board and want to paddle forward make sure your feet are both facing forwards and are next to each other, about shoulder width apart. This will help you pull efficiently against the paddle. If this feels really unstable then shift one foot just a head of the other, but not so much that you are in your surfing stance.

Paddling

Hold the paddle with one hand about half way down the shaft and the other hand on the T Bar grip at the top of the paddle. With a straight back and slightly bent knees reach forward and place the first 1/3 of the paddle into the water. Your aim should be to pull yourself towards the paddle rather than pull the paddle towards you. As the paddle moves past your body you should pick it out of the water and rotate the blade and bring the paddle through the air and back to the starting position. Then, repeat the stroke. If you are moving off course, swap your hands around and put in a stroke on the other side of the board. (when paddling on your left hand side your right hand should be on the T Bar grip. When you are paddling on your right hand side your left hand should be on the T Bar.)

Pro Tip: Try doing a J stroke to help steer your board without having to constantly swap sides. Imagine that as the paddle comes down the side of the board this is the vertical part of the J. As you reach the end of the stroke twist the paddle and draw the curly part of the J out away from your board. It takes a bit of practice but worth doing. Keep your head up and looking forward. If you look at your paddle you'll probably fall into towards it.

Steering

More strokes on one side of the board will make you move in that direction. Experiment with weighting your feet in order to speed up the turn.

180 degree turn

This is a key maneuver as it's how you turn the board around to catch waves. There are various ways of doing this.

1) Stationary turn
This is the easiest and probably most stable of turns. You need to put in long forward or backward strokes on one side of the board. This will make the board turn and you will be in a position to catch a wave. This is though the slowest turn.

2) Motion turn
If you have some forward paddle speed you can turn the board a lot quicker. You have to be mobile on your feet though and don't be surprised if you fall in a few times!

When you are ready to turn take a couple of steps backwards on the board so the tail sinks. At the same time put in a strong backward paddle stroke on one side. As the board spins around, put in a strong forward paddle stroke in on the other side and step swiftly forward to stop the board from spinning. You may find it useful after this to rest your paddle blade flat on the water to give you some stability before stroking forward again and dropping into that glassy wave!

Paddling out through the waves

Unless you are lucky enough to surf regularly at a perfect, peeling point break then you are going to have to confront a broken wave at some point. It's not as tricky as it sounds and just like a good, clean duck dive it can be a pretty cool thing to do especially on bigger days when the adrenalin is flowing.

Unbroken wave

The best way to paddle over unbroken waves is to stay in your parallel stance and give a good solid stroke before you head up the wave. Use your bent knees and ankles as suspension and flex them to absorb the rise and fall of the wave. If the wave is really steep then you may want to move your feet into their surfing stance for more board control. Use your paddle as a brace when you pass over the back of the wave.

White Water/Broken wave

This is the trickiest type of wave to deal with but you'll be supervised how quickly you'll master it. As you approach the broken wave keep your paddle speed up and if possible increase it. just as you get to the wave switch your feet into your surfing stance and step back down the board by about a foot. Just before the wave comes in contact with the nose of your board put in a good powerful paddle stroke on the opposite side to your stance (i.e. if you are regular footed paddle on your right, if you are goofy, paddle on your left). The important thing is to make sure the board is heading straight for the wave. As you put in this paddle stroke lean back to allow the nose of the board to rise up. As the wave moves under the board lean forward again to counteract the push of the wave. As the board rises to the top of the wave and over the back use your paddle in a flat brace position to stabilise you. As soon as you can you need to put in another paddle stroke to start moving forward again. When stable, move back into your paddling stance.

Bailing out!

There will come a time that you don't have the confidence to get over or through a wave and a bail out will be your only option. Bail outs can be dangerous for other surfers as your board is pretty big and on a long leash (don't forget the leash!). The best way to bail out is to throw your paddle over the back of the approaching wave and then if you are well clear of other surfers jump in and grab the leash as close to the back of the board as possible - this will stop it flying off and hitting other surfers. If you are close to other surfers then try and paddle into the wave and take it on the head(!), bend down and grab the rail and try and ride it out. If you can absorb the initial impact you are less likely to loose your board. One other option is stand at the back of the board and try and kick/force it over the foam. Whatever you do make sure you are not going to hit another surfer. You will probably have the biggest board in the surf so be aware!

Catching a wave

Once you are out the back you are ready to catch a wave. Don't go for anything big or too critical for your first waves. You'll find that you are able to get up and riding on a wave a lot earlier than arm paddling surfers, especially once you have been doing it for a while and have a good paddling style.

First off, turn your board in the direction of the beach. Put in some long strokes to build up speed, as the swell approaches draw long powerful strokes speeding up the stroke as you feel the swell pick you up. All this should be done with your feet in the forward facing position. This is the most powerful and efficient paddling technique. As you feel the board pick up speed on the swell step into your riding stance (one foot in front of the other) and step back down the board. You will also find that you can use your paddle to help steer you down the wave as well. You can lean on the paddle in turns to give you a tighter turn.

Basically you can build up your own style on the wave. Get up on the nose and ride through some critical sections. Do exactly what you want. Don't forget to get mobile on the board and use the paddle to help you.

GOOD LUCK AND GET OUT THERE......

Learn How to Stand Up Paddle Board (Click for 6 min. YouTube Video)

PADDLE BOARD BUYING TIPS
Choosing the right wave riding/ paddling equipment

By Ivan van Vuuren

Stand Up Paddle Boarding is the fastest growing Watersports in the world. Cindy Crawford’s doing it; Kelly Slater’s doing it as well as many top kiters and windsurfers around the world. It is without a doubt one of the best forms of Cross- Training as it works the Core, legs and upper body all at the same time- plus it’s tons of fun.

Now when starting, there are 101 different configurations as far as fins, boards, paddles, deck pads and leashes. So let’s take a quick look at some options that will get you out on the water with the most amount of fun.

Lets start with the big boy first, or what we’ll refer to as a “Cruiser”. This is a board in the 11ft 6- 12ft6 category. Suggest that it be at least 30 inches wide as this will allow added stability especially for first time riders. Good for riders weighing over 100 kgs.

Don’t let the size put you off if you want to go out and have some fun, nose riding or cross stepping these boards are ideal. On smaller days this can be a great tool in the quiver and when the wind picks up great for down winders.

As you progress, or when the surf picks up to say 4-6 ft faces, you’re going to want to have a board that will be able to hold a rail and not nosedive as much as the larger “Cruiser” type boards. So here you have a few options ranging between 9ft6- 10ft6 boards. Much of this depends on your weight, for example if you are 100kg+, you’re going to want a board with more volume (10’6x 30 inches wide), and if you’re a lighter rider, you’ll be able to get away with a smaller (9ft6 x 28 inch wide) board.

In this range Tail configurations and fin set ups will change between, swallow, round and square with quad, thruster twin or single fins. Experiment to see what works best on your board.

Board designs are changing daily and with this so are the sizes with different manufacturers developing smaller boards. These are generally between 8ft- 9ft and 30 inches wide, more “fish” type of design. Great option if you’re going to be riding smaller waves and want something that turns quick. These boards are sometimes more unstable and can be harder to ride especially in choppier waters so possibly a good second board option.

So you’re up and ready for some larger surf. Big wave guns are an option and range between 11ft3 and 13ft, These boards are narrower (27-28 inches wide) so harder to ride but allow for better control especially on big wave faces where there is more apparent wind and larger chop on the face.

With the sport being so new, what is in today might be outdated tomorrow as footstraps are being added and riders experimenting with interesting shapes. Bottom line is that if it floats you, then get out there and make it work and have fun.

Paddles.

There are about as many paddles on the market as there are boards, so the wide range can easily confuse the average customer. There are wood paddles, fiberglass, carbon, plastic and aluminium paddles. Each one with its own price point which will ultimately determine your paddle of choice. Carbon is generally stiffer and will be stronger but more expensive. Fiberglass shafts are an excellent option as they can be strong enough yet quite a bit less expensive. Blade shape and the blades angle are the most important aspects.

We suggest a blade that has about a 12 degree angle with a clean profile. Width is once again personal preference and range between 7and 9 1/2 inches. Narrower blade will allow for quicker strokes and wider blades stronger more powerful strokes LENGTH- Rule of thumb is to have a paddle that is 6 to 8 inches above your head.

Deck Pads.

Deck pads are a great way of saving your car from wax and at the same time offering comfort on the feet and more grip depending on the type of grip. Some riders prefer the old school wax option which is totally acceptable and great to feel the board especially when cross stepping.

Leashes.

Choosing the right leash is as important as choosing the right board- A leash that is too short could result in the board shooting back after a wipeout and piercing and at the same time prevents you from getting up on the front when nose-riding. A leash too thin will snap under pressure due to the added weight of the larger SUP boards. So we recommend purchasing a leash minimum 10ft x ¼ inch.

So once again, get out there and experiment. Mix it up and be open to trying different styles of riding, be it on an old windsurfer board using a plastic paddle or a hot new hybrid with top of the line carbon paddles, enjoy the ride and be safe.