SUP Standards – Safety in SUP

**Press release ASI

The Stand up paddle boarding industry has been growing at a rapid rate for many years now, and more recently when the Covid pandemic struck it seemed to grow even more.  Suddenly we were in a position where people could not travel or go on holiday, and they wanted to be outdoors and closer to nature. Enter….the stand up paddle board.  In the last few years the market has been flooded with budget brand boards that you can pick up alongside your weekly shop.  This is both a good and a bad thing, good in the sense that more people are accessing a sport that is good for both mind and body but bad in the sense that those same people may not know the risks associated with any kind of water sport.  Even though we are seeing more kit readily available that isn’t the only contributing factor, there are many more. 

We don’t have to look too far to see some of the unfortunate tragedies that have happened in recent months and if we don’t do something then more will happen. So its all of our responsibility to try and educate and make our sport safe, fun and rewarding.  

This is where SUP Standards comes in. The SUP industry has many different experts and organisations but its hard to find that information easily. SUP Standards hopes to solve this problem by providing a platform for anyone who is interested in paddle boarding to find out more and give themselves the best opportunity with the sport. SUP Standards is dedicated to ensuring that the rising sport of stand up paddle boarding is as safe an environment as possible for those taking to the water. The aim is to provide consistent safety and paddling standards and information for SUP. 

One of the unique things about SUP Standards is that there are country specific sections allowing stand up paddlers to check for any specific standards, safety and reference links, in their own country. The SUP standards committee is a dedicated team of experts throughout the world who regularly contribute on a wide range of topics. The committee members all have a specific area of expertise that they focus on, this could be anything from SUP safety to mental health to Foiling. 

We hope to see SUP standards grow over the next few years and most importantly provide that platform for anyone who wants to paddle board, whether that be the recreational paddler , SUP school owner or competitive athlete. SUP standards is something for all. 

You can find out more about SUP standards by visiting our website www.supstandards.com or our facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/supstandards