A little over a week ago SUPboarder released a feature titled – ‘Let’s share the love’. All about the importance of respecting other water users, making friends not enemies in the lineup, and doing your bit for the future of the sport by encouraging others to share your love for SUP. Sure, there are always going to be those who have it in for SUP, but at least we can try our best to share the love. Unfortunately since that article, paddleboarding in the UK has been in the media worldwide… but for all the wrong reasons.
You may or may not have already seen it, but earlier this week a surfer posted footage on You-tube of a run in he had with a paddleboarder whilst surfing in Cornwall. All filmed by a waterproof camera mounted on the nose of his longboard, there was no hiding what happened! Yes the surfer may have dropped in on the paddleboarder, intentionally or unintentionally, only the surfer knows! But even so, that’s still no excuse for the appalling behaviour and language which later followed from the paddleboarder.
Initially SUPboarder decided to ignore the video, as we all know that this behaviour is definitely not the norm for paddleboarders and not something we want to be associated with or encourage. We hoped that the incident would go away relatively unseen. However, when the video prompted discussion on worldwide forums, and made it into the Daily Mail, we decided it was time to finally talk about “F*** off back to England!”
After getting thousands of viewings and comments, this video has currently been taken off-line from its original You-tube user and has now been uploaded through a different name (due to unknown reasons.) However it is still being viewed worldwide and gaining a vast amount of media attention. I know as passionate paddleboarders we are always looking for ways to publicise paddleboarding and get others into our wonderful sport. But one thing is for sure… this isn’t how to do it! This latest, shocking video has not put paddleboarding in a good light. And done nothing positive for the future of our sport.
After quoting this in the ‘let’s share the love’ feature last week:
“It only takes one bad SUP experience to spread a bad word about SUP a hundred times. And it unfortunately takes 100 good top turns in front of a surfer to spread one good word about SUP.”
This is definitely true in this case but think it’s more like 1000 times! The fact that the surfer did drop in on the stand up paddleboarder, and was in the wrong is almost totally irrelevant now. Whatever the circumstances we all know that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable even if you are getting dropped in on and trying to make a point.
Do you really want SUP to be seen in this light? If not, then do your bit for the future of your sport;
- be curtious to other water users.
- understand that accidents do happen on the water i.e not all drop in’s are intentional!
- if you do not like the way someone else is behaving on the water, talk to them politely and explain why. Or go and paddle elsewhere!
- keep your calm! Swearing and being verbally aggressive won’t get you anywhere.
- … but if you do end up in a heated argument, make sure they don’t have a camera attached to the front of their board!!
The ocean is there for everyone to enjoy. So let’s play safe and make it fun for everyone.
If you have any comments on this please leave them below as we would love to hear your thoughts?