A step change in the number of paddleboarders needing to be rescued around the UK has prompted a new safety campaign to encourage people to think about the weather and tides before setting off. The RNLI and British Canoeing have joined forces to focus on stand-up paddleboarders (and other paddle sports) after a significant increase […]
The RNLI has announced that in 2022, its lifeguards saw a staggering 155 per cent rise in paddleboarding incidents (compared with 2021) while volunteer lifeboat crews saw an increase of 20 per cent. Now, with the surge in the sport’s popularity – and the alarming statistic that over the past five years, RNLI lifeboat volunteers […]
A Gibraltar man says he feels like he’s “won life’s lottery”, after a narrow escape from a falling boulder while paddleboarding. Charles Lopez was in the ocean on the east side of the Rock of Gibraltar, near the Gorham’s Cave Complex, on Saturday morning (7 January 2023), when the boulder plummeted from the sky and […]
The deaths of four paddleboarders in south-west Wales were “avoidable” and were the result of inadequate planning by a tour group, a report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has concluded. The leaders of the paddleboarding group lacked “the training, experience or qualifications to lead the tour,” the report into the accident at Haverfordwest, […]
New figures released by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) show a worrying rise in callouts involving stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) since 2020, as the popularity of paddleboarding continues to rise in the UK. Interest in paddleboarding soared during the pandemic, with people drawn to spend more time outdoors and attracted by the social distancing that […]
Paddleboarders and kayakers are up in arms about a new annual levy introduced by the Fowey Harbour Authority. Kayakers and paddleboarders will have to pay £20 per year per craft to use the River Fowey under a new registration scheme, which Fowey Harbour says aims to improve water safety and charge all those who use […]
New data released by the RNLI reveals that summer 2021 saw the highest number of lives saved during watersport incidents in almost 20 years. This summer 55 lives were saved by volunteer crews, the largest number since 2002, when 72 were saved. Watersport figures cover members of the public who got into difficulty while bodyboarding, […]
Paddleboarder David Haze set his fifth world record after paddling along the Thames for over two days. Back in August, MIN reported that Haze had broken four world records in just four days. Haze paddled 129 miles from Lechlade to Teddington Lock in order to raise funds for Alliance of Sport. Haze aimed to beat […]
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has issued a series of safety tips for paddleboarders. It recognises that this is one of the fastest growing watersports as it’s enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities, and is relatively economical. With staycations looking like the norm this summer, and numbers of paddleboarders likely to increase, the […]
Wesup (stand-up paddle boarding rental and sales) is moving its Hamble River base to MDL Marinas’ Mercury Yacht Harbour and Holiday Park. This base will be Wesup’s second within the marina group’s network, with one already established at MDL’s Torquay Marina. “We’re thrilled to be establishing our new base at Mercury Yacht Harbour and Holiday […]