HOW TO READ THE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO SAFELY ENJOY STAND UP PADDLING IN IRELAND
I recently read an article on how kayaking and paddle boarding were some of the best social distancing activities that you could do. You have a wide open area in which to play around and it is easy to stay 2 meters apart from everyone else. Another big advantage of being on a Kayak or a Stand up paddle board is that you can get much closer to the coastline. Even a small boat is much bigger, less maneuverable and can easily run aground on rocks, while a kayak or SUP simply slips right through.
I can tell you, that I’m so looking forward to getting back out on Dingle harbor to cruise in amongst the cliffs and caves. I never get sick of them. Every season I find more caves and coves that I never noticed before. Some caves are only accessible at low tide and others at high tide. I have been into a few that are totally pitch black and can be a little claustrophobic at times. Oona is totally gung ho for this kind of stuff, but I’m happy enough to take a short break while she does the exploring,
Most days we end up paddling out with the kayak gang from Irish Adventures or meeting them on the way back from a paddle. We always share a friendly bit of banter and a bit of good natured slagging off, all in good fun. Every time, we talk about the conditions and weather because it affects us directly.
With people venturing off shore once more, and in light of all the rescues that have had to be carried out in these past few weeks, now seems like a good time to share what makes good SUP conditions and what are unsuitable ones. It’s a fantastic way to explore the coastline, but it must be done smartly. Only attempt a paddle in conditions you are confident you can handle.
Wind
There are two main things to look at in conjunction with the wind, the strength it is blowing and the direction it is blowing in. One of the downsides of stand up paddle boarding is that we are greatly affected by the wind. This is in large part due to fact that we are standing up to paddle. With our bodies having so much surface area, we act a bit like a sail atop our board. This is even more the case on an inflatable board, since the board floats so high above the water line and weighs so little. Have you ever seen a beach ball get blown across the surface of a swimming pool? It’s a bit like that. That is one key advantage of the kayak, they are less effected by the wind.
Long story short, the less the wind, the better for a SUP. However, the topography of the land can effect the wind’s strength. That is why knowing what direction the wind is blowing from is so important. The wind might be reading as strong but if you can paddle along a sheltered section on the off shore side (wind blowing from land to sea), you’ll notice the wind strength feeling much less and even perfectly glassy in places!
You can also use the wind’s direction to your advantage. Organise your route to be predominately down wind, with the wind at your back, and you can start working on a discipline of SUP creatively call “Down Winding”. It’s great fun surfing the fetch the wind whips up as you cruise along, working with the wind instead of fighting it. This is a more advanced discipline with in SUP boarding though so be sure to get some lessons first.
