Stand up and get paddling!

If you're a keen surfer and fancy a new challenge then you might like to try a new water sport at the beach this summer.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is one of the fastest growing water sports and offers a challenging way to ride the waves using different skills - you stand upright on the board and use a paddle to control direction.

With a Hawaiian history and a strong 60s heritage, SUP emerged when the Waikiki Beach Boys used their long boards with outrigger paddles to take pictures of tourists learning to surf. It allowed them to have a better view of the surfers and of the surf, plus it allowed them to keep their wealthy customers' cameras dry! Surfers realised that standing up and paddling is a totally new experience to lying down and ducking under the waves, and now SUP has become a water sport in its own right and is catching on around the world.

Many surfers have converted to SUP because of the versatility of the sport and because if offers the surfer the ability to catch more waves in a set, as well as offering a better view of incoming waves. As well as being a huge amount of fun, SUP has the added benefit of giving your body a strong core workout and is an excellent way to improve balance and general cardio-vascular fitness. SUP has even become a popular water sport with a few celebrities as both Pierce Brosnan and Jennifer Aniston have been spotted and photographed on their paddle boards recently!

The best news is that with Mark Warner you have the chance to try it! Stand up paddle boarding has been introduced to four beach resorts this summer so if you'd like to try it, have a look at our watersports holidays in Corsica, Greece, Turkey and Sardinia. If you've already booked, make sure you ask to try out Stand Up Paddle Boarding! We look forward to seeing you on the water...