Stand Up Paddleboarding is the fastest growing watersport worldwide. The industry was worth $4,956 billion in 2015 is forecast to be worth $9,990 billion in 2020 (source: Technavio). 

It is easy to see why: the comparatively low cost, the convenience of inflatable boards and the fact that you can just get on and go all add to its appeal. In the UK inflatable SUPs, costing £200 or less, are now on sale in Lidl and Tesco. 614,000 UK adults went on a SUP in 2018 (source: Arkenford Watersports Participation Survey).

But, as with everything, a little bit of knowledge and technique makes the experience so much more enjoyable! That is where this book – the first UK how-to book on paddleboarding – comes in.

It provides a perfect introduction to the sport: how to paddleboard, what kit to use and where to go. The book guides you through launching, the correct stance, paddling in a straight line, the different types of turns and landing. It shows you how to choose your board and paddle, inflate and deflate an inflatable board, and talks about where to ride as well as weather, safety, maintenance and repair of your equipment. It covers the main types of paddleboarding: touring, racing, surfing and yoga / fitness.

All aspects are heavily illustrated with over 150 colour photographs making it easy to understand and clear to follow.

Written by the Chairman of the British Stand Up Paddle Association (BSUPA), this book helps you catch the SUP bug, showing you how to SUP safely, the equipment to use and where to do it.

Published by Fernhurst Books as a paperback and eBook, Stand Up Paddleboarding: A Beginner’s Guide will be available to buy from all good chandleries, bookshops, websites and direct from www.fernhurstbooks.com.

In 2006, Simon Bassett was one of the 10 first stand up paddleboarders in the UK and started teaching it at the first SUP school on the south coast. Simon has been passionately involved in watersports tuition and coaching since the age of 16 and has developed his skills in the UK and abroad. He set up BSUPA and is now its chairman. He also works closely with AALS, ROSPA, and the RNLI to promote the safety of SUP and he contributes to various SUP magazines and blogs with his stories, expertise and passion for stand up paddleboarding.  Simon has also brought SUP team GB to the ISA World Championships in Mexico as the head coach and he dedicates his spare time (what’s left of it!) to promote the sport and its safety through BSUPA.