I was hoping I wouldn't have to call this blog something to do with actually falling off a paddleboard but alas, apparently my co-ordination and balance wasn't as good as I thought!
I finally bit the bullet yesterday and decided to try SUPing. As I loved the snorkelling so much I was excited to broaden my horizons more and try out another watersport. I decided stand up paddling would be next so I arranged to meet with David O'Hara from SUP For All and go for a paddle (and a swim!) at Inisfree.
After chilling by the fire for a bit with José the dog - who took quite a liking to me and fell asleep on my lap - it was time to put my life jacket on (I went to put it on backwards, first bad sign). David explained to me that 85% of his clients are female which is unusual for sports, and that paddling is about zen. Much like driving, if you can focus on not looking down and controlling the paddle you're pretty much good to go. I thought it was gonna be a piece of cake as I can drive but I was proven very wrong!
The first feat was to actually get on the board and stay on it. This went relatively well apart from a slight wobble. We paddled a little across the lake and it wasn't long until I went flying off, naturally. It is a bit of a shock falling into a not-so-warm lake fully clothed but the water only went up to my waist - and a bit up my nose which was very unpleasant - so it wasn't too bad. The lake had a sandy bottom, which is what I also had at the end of the paddle!
I started getting the hang of it eventually, after getting stuck in reeds and taking about 4 years to free myself from them. The fact it was quite windy and choppy didn't help as we had to fight against the wind. I was out on the water for around an hour I'd guess, and I fell into the lake twice more. By that point though I was already wet so I just got back up on the board and I was off again.
I did find it a bit difficult learning to control the paddle and I kept wobbling whenever I did a backwards stroke which knocked me off, but in the last stretch of the paddle I managed not to fall off - mainly because there was a huge group of kids watching and I didn't want them to laugh at me! Ewana (I've probably spelled that horrifically), who works with SUP For All, took over from David and kept an eye on me. She was also a very good teacher, you need some patience to teach me! Alan, who also helps out at SUP For All, had a really cool 360 degree camera which he used to get some footage of us on the water. I dread to see that footage. Even José came along - and he was better than me!
I'm delighted I got the opportunity to experience stand up paddling as it was on my bucket list. It was very relaxing once I got the hang of it and the views of Inisfree from the water are just stunning, especially seeing as it was such a lovely sunny day. I was really hungry and thirsty when I finished, which is surprising considering I swallowed half of the lake!
In the evening mum and I popped along to the opening of The Fairgreen café and art gallery. It's a lovely addition to Skreen and the free wine and brownies didn't hurt! I'd like to think I burned them off by all the nervous energy I used during stand up paddling, wishful thinking. We then headed down to Enniscrone beach as it was such a lovely evening. We walked along the pier and the beach and I took a few snaps for my Instagram (@lifeofluce). Choosing Instagram filters is hungry work so we went to Frydays (ha) chipper in Enniscrone and shared fish and chips - a perfect end to the day.
If you think your balance is better than mine and you'd like to try out stand up paddling (one of Ireland's fastest growing watersports) check out David and SUP For All here. Thanks a million to David, Alan and Ewana (and mum for the photos) for a nice day out.
I finally bit the bullet yesterday and decided to try SUPing. As I loved the snorkelling so much I was excited to broaden my horizons more and try out another watersport. I decided stand up paddling would be next so I arranged to meet with David O'Hara from SUP For All and go for a paddle (and a swim!) at Inisfree.
After chilling by the fire for a bit with José the dog - who took quite a liking to me and fell asleep on my lap - it was time to put my life jacket on (I went to put it on backwards, first bad sign). David explained to me that 85% of his clients are female which is unusual for sports, and that paddling is about zen. Much like driving, if you can focus on not looking down and controlling the paddle you're pretty much good to go. I thought it was gonna be a piece of cake as I can drive but I was proven very wrong!
The first feat was to actually get on the board and stay on it. This went relatively well apart from a slight wobble. We paddled a little across the lake and it wasn't long until I went flying off, naturally. It is a bit of a shock falling into a not-so-warm lake fully clothed but the water only went up to my waist - and a bit up my nose which was very unpleasant - so it wasn't too bad. The lake had a sandy bottom, which is what I also had at the end of the paddle!
I started getting the hang of it eventually, after getting stuck in reeds and taking about 4 years to free myself from them. The fact it was quite windy and choppy didn't help as we had to fight against the wind. I was out on the water for around an hour I'd guess, and I fell into the lake twice more. By that point though I was already wet so I just got back up on the board and I was off again.
I did find it a bit difficult learning to control the paddle and I kept wobbling whenever I did a backwards stroke which knocked me off, but in the last stretch of the paddle I managed not to fall off - mainly because there was a huge group of kids watching and I didn't want them to laugh at me! Ewana (I've probably spelled that horrifically), who works with SUP For All, took over from David and kept an eye on me. She was also a very good teacher, you need some patience to teach me! Alan, who also helps out at SUP For All, had a really cool 360 degree camera which he used to get some footage of us on the water. I dread to see that footage. Even José came along - and he was better than me!
I'm delighted I got the opportunity to experience stand up paddling as it was on my bucket list. It was very relaxing once I got the hang of it and the views of Inisfree from the water are just stunning, especially seeing as it was such a lovely sunny day. I was really hungry and thirsty when I finished, which is surprising considering I swallowed half of the lake!
In the evening mum and I popped along to the opening of The Fairgreen café and art gallery. It's a lovely addition to Skreen and the free wine and brownies didn't hurt! I'd like to think I burned them off by all the nervous energy I used during stand up paddling, wishful thinking. We then headed down to Enniscrone beach as it was such a lovely evening. We walked along the pier and the beach and I took a few snaps for my Instagram (@lifeofluce). Choosing Instagram filters is hungry work so we went to Frydays (ha) chipper in Enniscrone and shared fish and chips - a perfect end to the day.
If you think your balance is better than mine and you'd like to try out stand up paddling (one of Ireland's fastest growing watersports) check out David and SUP For All here. Thanks a million to David, Alan and Ewana (and mum for the photos) for a nice day out.
The paddle boarding looks great! :) x
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