‘Paddle forth, steer for the uncharted waters, reckless o’ soul, exploring, I with thee and thee with me. For with this board and paddle we are bound where no mariner has dared to go. And we will risk the board, ourselves and all’ – Kirsty Jones, with a bit of input from Walt Whitman

Words: The Year 11 English-Lit student on work experience  // Photos: Mark Glendinning

(This feature originally appeared in the Summer 2011 issue of SUP International. Print and digital subscriptions for readers worldwide are available HERE.)

Onomatopoeically named photographer Mark Glendinning’s gear rang and clanged around the rusting hulk as he diced with his D7000 to deliver these digital stills. Once safely back on land, he gulped and spluttered out this report to us via his trusty iPhone:  “As a dive spot it’s not that dangerous, but when you’re scampering up on the super structure, hustling along the crusty, rusty floors, well that’s a bit different! Still it didn’t stop Dave Ibby who was trying to show off with a back-flip in front of Kirsty Jones.
“To get in to this wreck, you have to wait for the tide to get high, and then jump through a rusted hole. This is where your board is mostly likely to get damaged so we used a wooden board to slide the boards over. It’s a great place for a paddle; if you want to find it, it’s by Arecife in Puerto Noas on Lanzarote, or you could go and ask the hirsutely-blessed Russell the Muscle at the Windsurf Club in Arecife for a hand-holding tour”. SUP

“ The danger didn’t stop Dave Ibby who was showing off in front of Kirsty Jones with a back-flip”