STAND UP PADDLEBOARD
Stand Up Paddleboarding or SUP as it's called is one of the fastest growing sports in the U.K.
It's popularity rocketed after Covid, people wanted to get out, connect with nature and enjoy the open spaces, SUP is perfect for this. It's not too expensive to buy all the required equipment and relatively easy to master.
As with all watersports having a good knowledge of the water, tides, currents and conditions is essential to ensure your safety and that of those around you.
What do we offer as a shop in this whole process?
SALES
We have a good selection of SUP products in the shop including inflatable paddle boards, paddles, leashes, fins, full wetsuits, wetsuit layers, buoyancy aids and tail pads. As a shop we aim at mid level products that have a great balance of price and quality, we never sell low end products as we want equipment brought from us to last.
SUP HIRE
Want to go for a SUP quickly and easily? We offer two different hire options from the shop in Westward Ho!
- Hire at Westward Ho! - We wait until the sea is flat, therefore the conditions are perfect to go for a Paddle Board. We offer 2 or 4 hour hire from the shop, simply pop in, fill out a hire form, you receive a full safety briefing and some hints and tips. You are then free to explore some of the North Devon coastline and see some amazing nature. This is a great way to spend a few hours making memories at Westward Ho!
- SUP to explore parts of the estuary - The Taw and Torridge Estuary is part of the North Devon Biosphere and an area of Special Scientific Interest due to the varied nature present. The estuary is an amazing place to SUP at the right times, get the tides wrong and it's a very dangerous place to be with thick mud, ripping tides, limited exit points and shifting sands.
To ensure your safety we only offer the boards for a maximum 4 hour hire slot (includes time for you to drive too and from the estuary from the shop), we time this so it's 2 hours each side of High Water. This ensures you only SUP at a safe time in the estuary. We give you a passage plan detailing the specific dangers of each spot, entry and exit points plus emergency exits too. We don't offer any longer hire periods as we don't deem this to be safe.
Hire Costs - SUP Westward Ho! £20 for 2 hours, £30 for 4 hours. SUP the Estuary - £30 for 4 hours includes travel time.
GUIDED SUP TOURS
Want to SUP on the Estuary but not got the confidence to do it on your own? Why not join SurfSUP academy based in the shop for a tour of some of the best spots in the Estuary?
A 2 Hour tour with all equipment provided including the wetsuit to make it hassle free, includes a qualified lifeguard and experienced guide too!
You are in safe hands so can just enjoy the whole experience. Starting at Little America you will use the tide to help you get up the Estuary and end up on the river Yeo. The wildlife here is amazing and you often see Swift and Swallows feeding on insects, Mullet on the surface, Bass jumping, Gulls, Turns, Oyster Catchers, Iblis, KingFishers to name a few. It is Otter territory but these are very hard to see.
You then use the outgoing tide to help you come back once happy and filled with memories.
Cost of the SUP tours from SurfSUP academy is-
- SUP tour 1 person - £85.00.
- SUP tour 2 people - £65.00 per person.
- SUP tour 3 people - £60.00 per person.
- SUP tour 4+ people - £55.00 per person.
Booking? Call Rob on (07518) 761735 or catch him in the shop between lessons.
What are you waiting for? Make today the day you make the most of the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere, learn a bit more about the nature we share the place with and find out what makes this area an area of Special Scientific Interest while making lasting memories in North Devon.