As we approach the cooler half of the year here in Australia, I start receiving a lot of questions about how to keep warm! I have a whole blog post coming on what to wear on your body, but to kick things off (…pun intended) I thought we’d start with our feet!
Read MoreEvery Halloween we like to be ‘unique’ in our dress-up theme. In 2021 it was ‘Disco Ain’t Dead’, in 2022 it was ‘Creatures of the DEAD Sea’ and in 2023 it was… BARBIE.
The Barbie movie took the world by storm this year and I knew we had to honour its iconic presence with a Barbie themed paddle at some point in the year, and so Halloween felt like the perfect fit.
Our community of paddlers are a creative bunch and always seem to come up with the most incredible costumes… and this year, once again, they did not disappoint.
Read MoreIf you have tried to purchase SUP gear, whether it’s a stand-up paddle board or simply a dry bag, have you been overwhelmed by choice and SUP jargon? Yup. Me too.
I’ve also unfortunately witnessed hundreds of women sold the wrong gear by salespeople who didn’t care for the paddler’s needs or SUP goals, but were only concerned about the sale. The number of times I hear “oh the sales guy just told me I needed it, and I didn’t know any better” infuriates me.
I have always been (and will always be) passionate about empowering female identifying individuals and gender minorities with knowledge to enable them to feel confident and empowered in an industry that for decades was male-dominated.
I never wished to be a retail-based business, but seeing an opportunity where I could once again serve this mission and support more female paddlers, I was excited to take it.
And so, The She SUPs Edit came to be.
Read MoreOne of the most common questions we receive is;
“Am I experienced enough for XXX trip?”
In most circumstances, the answer is yes!
But to make things a little easier, we have created a rating system (as a guide) to help you work out what SUP and fitness levels we recommend for each trip to ensure you have a super fun and comfortable experience.
Read MoreLet’s do this a little differently.
Mothers Day is approaching, and I know for many who have lost a Mum or aren’t Mums when they wish they could be it can be a difficult time. Having lost my dad at a young age, I sometimes struggle with the fuss made around Fathers Day, so if this is you, I get it.
So to start this blog I want to reframe who this Gift Guide is for. I googled lots of definitions around Mother (as it’s also a complex word) and I found that; Mothers give birth to something, they love something, they raise something, they support something grow. So if you have birthed an idea, raised an animal, helped a plant grow - you are a Mother and deserve to be spoiled this Mother’s Day!
So this is a gift guide for YOU! Make sure to send this post onto your other half/ relatives/ siblings or partners who may like to spoil you this Mothers Day…
Read MoreWith recreational stand-up paddleboarding experiencing an almighty boom in popularity during the pandemic years, many paddlers have now been stand-up paddling recreationally for 1-2 years and are looking for their ‘next step’. For many, this means it’s time for a board upgrade (woo!), but when you start to look into the different models of paddleboard things get a little overwhelming!
You may have heard that a common ‘next step’ for most paddlers is to upgrade to a touring SUP, but what is a touring board? And should you get one? Let’s break it down.
Read MoreAs someone who was born and raised in the beautiful State of Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula is a place I’ve visited many times. Numerous school holidays saw my family and I travel via ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento where we’d spend pristine summer days exploring the tranquil, untouched back-beaches a stone's throw from where we were staying.
During February and March this year, I led two She SUPs trips that took me back to this stunning stretch of coastline. While aspects felt so familiar, there’s many that changed my entire outlook of this diverse place.
So you’ve booked your first SUP lesson, or you're considering booking one… congratulations!!
Doing something new is always scary, but you've done the hardest bit which is taking the first step and now you can focus on enjoying the journey and allowing a professional instructor to support you on your way.
I imagine at this stage (having booked and awaiting your lesson) you’re twiddling your thumbs, thinking of all of the ‘what ifs’ and feeling that funny feeling of anxious excitement in your belly?
We’ve all been there!
If so, check out these 5 tips on how to prepare for your first SUP lesson below and rest assured, everything is going to be awesome!
Read MoreSUP Ball season is here, and so I thought I’d address the question on everyone’s lips… what on earth is SUP Ball??
Just imagine a ball game inspired by Netball but played on SUPs… on the water.
Easy right?
Here are a couple of key things you need to know…
Read MoreSUP Yoga season is upon us, and we’re SUPER excited. However if you’ve never experienced SUP Yoga before or perhaps haven’t even heard of it, you may feel a little apprehensive about booking in for your first session.
So let’s explore what you can expect.
Read MoreImagine, you’re setting off for a two-day one night SUP adventure.
You have a long, hard first day of paddling. Perhaps a head wind thrown in there for fun.
You finally arrive at camp and all you can think of is FOOD to fuel your tired body.
You open your bag and have the unpleasant reminder that you could only fit dehydrated meals in your dry bag on your SUP. Oh what you’d do right now for a burger!!!!
Read MoreThe beginning.
It’s a scary place, but it pretty much always leads to more exciting things… when it comes to SUP that is.
Starting out with stand-up paddle boarding there are probably a million questions going through your mind, so let’s try to calm those nerves with 5 Tips for SUP beginners, based on the thousands of female paddlers we have paddled with and taught at She SUPs in the last three years!
Read MoreStand-up paddleboarding is one of those sports where in order to progress, you need to continuously step outside of your comfort zone. Once you’re up, standing, paddling away on flatwater, getting outside of your comfort zone can be challenging because you get ‘comfortable’ with what you know. However, it’s not until you take that leap, that you realise what lies ahead. A whole new world of endless SUP opportunities in new conditions, or new locations, that now you feel confident tackling.
Read MoreDuring the SUP season wind forecasting apps are the first thing I look at when I wake up, and the last thing I look at before I sleep. Some may even perceive me as wind obsessed!
However this season (particularly this Summer and Autumn) I would be a rich woman (spending my money by paddleboarding my way around the most exotic places in the world) if I had a dollar for every time I spoke of the rain!
We’ve had a lot of rain over the last 6 months.
If you don’t live on the East Coast of Australia, let me tell you… it’s been wet.
Like, seriously wet.
Like, time to build an ark kinda wet…
And this is due to the La Niña weather system.
Read MoreWeather - a topic I talk about more than any other. In fact, if you look at my phone and look at overall usage, the apps I use the more than ANY other are weather apps!
Of course, the question I’m always asked is which ones do I recommend. This blog is purely based on personal preference and experience, however there are numerous other weather forecasting sources out there which are also great - I’ll link a couple at the end but there are hundreds more!!
Read MoreI’ve been planning our next She SUPs Eco Retreat for December 2021 (see the details here!) and it has left me reminiscing over our first She SUPs Eco Retreat earlier this year, so I thought I’d share that experience with you in a bit of a trip diary entry (with LOTS of photos… you’ll soon see why!)
First of all, we need to talk about this location. If you’ve never paddled in the waters of Pittwater in Sydney… get yourself on this trip! Pittwater is by far my favourite spot to paddle in the whole of Sydney (I know… BIG statement!), with endless bays and secret corners to explore.
Read MoreWith most of the country currently in lockdown right now, for many of us, the only way to get out on the water and enjoy some board time is heading out solo. Paddling solo does carry risks, and it’s also a pretty daunting scenario for many.
While in most circumstances I’d always recommend paddling with a friend, in times like these it’s simply not possible! So after many requests from many of you (thank you! I love your topic requests!), here are my 5 Top Tips for Solo Paddling, whether in lockdown or in other solo scenarios!
Read MoreIn this blog the incredible Fiona Wylde opens up to APP about her journey to the top of the global SUP rankings in both SUP surfing and racing as a woman with Type One diabetes. I absolutely love Fiona’s story, her grit, and determination. Could this be, a future female Olympic Athlete when SUP becomes an Olympic Sport?? …
Read MoreGrowing up, I received harassment from people most days for being a female surfer,” Tanvi admits, her smile slightly fading. ‘People would say “You shouldn’t surf, you are a girl,” and would stare at what I was wearing in the water, even if it was a long-sleeved top and trousers!”
Read MoreIt’s no question that Candice Appleby, who has 115 1st place trophies under her belt, is a powerhouse in the waves and on the race circuit. But the Queen of SUP also uses her power off the water. She has long fought for women’s rights and equality, not shying away from calling out discrimination in her sport. She has stood up for herself time and time again, speaking out against double standards in sports, the gender pay gap and sexist remarks.
Read More
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