How To Check The Wind Before You SUP

One of the most important elements we must consider when paddleboarding is wind. Unfortunately, our much-loved sport is highly weather dependent, and the uncontrollable (and often unpredictable) factor of wind can have a huge impact on whether you have a positive or negative SUP adventure (especially, if you haven’t planned for it or can’t read the signs of it changing mid-paddle).

I know many of you are out paddling solo at the moment due to COVID-19 restrictions and some of you may have recently experienced the classic stand-up paddler’s nightmare…

You look out of the window and it looks like an ‘ideal’ paddling day - sun is shining, water is ‘looking calm’ .
Only to find that once out on your SUP you’re battling against a crazy wind and questioning whether you’re even moving forward with every stroke you take!!
Sound familiar?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

So for today’s blog, we’re going to re-cap the basics of reading the wind to ensure everyone is staying safe and having fun when out paddling solo.

Please note - there is SO much you can look at when it comes to wind, but we will start with just enough info to ensure you’re paddling safely and I will share more in future blogs for those who’d like it! (Post a comment below if you would!) Also this blog is written with flat-water paddlers in mind (rather than SUP surf).

Your sources:

The sources that I’ll be referring to during this blog for reading the wind are as follows:

Seabreeze.com
Willyweather.com
Windy app
Your senses; Touch, Sound, Sight, Taste, Smell... ok, maybe not smell... but it could work in some circumstances (to be explained)

There are LOTS more sources that you can utilise from around the world, so if you’re not in Australia (which is where I am while writing this blog) I recommend asking your local SUP School for what they use to find out what they’d recommend for your local area.

Pre-paddle - choosing your wind window

At the point of considering heading out for the paddle, stop (‘in the name of [SUP] lovvvve’) and check the wind. Most wind forecasts (such as those mentioned above) offer a 1-week forecast. Of course, forecasts do change, but this will at least indicate the general wind pattern for the week, and give you an idea on which day is looking best. Once we have an idea of the calmest day of the week or a particular weather window we want to aim for, monitor it and make your final call on whether to paddle or not the night before you paddle - be conscious that forecasts DO change! Typically in Sydney (and many other locations in this part of the world) mornings are better (for wind) than afternoons.

How windy is TOO windy?

Everyone will have their own limits (it comes down to location, type of paddleboard, strength, confidence and willpower of the paddler) however as a guiding principle my wind limit for She SUPs paddles is 12 knots (a guiding safety principle provided by ASI- the Academy of Surfing Instructors).

Typically, 12 knots is going to make paddling challenging and risky for a group of beginner paddlers.

12 knots is approx 22kph or 13.8mph.

There are circumstances where we could continue to paddle in 12-knot winds, and that depends on the experience of the paddlers, the paddle location/route and direction of the wind. For example, if I am paddling in North Harbour, Manly (Sydney, Australia), I know that a southerly wind at even 5-6 knots is going to be annoying as there is no protection from it and it blows straight in from the ocean. However a 10-12 knot north-westerly wind, we may be able to hide from if we hug the coastline so I’d still consider going out, but check the weather indicators at the location (more to come on this in a future blog!) to make my final decision.

Reading a wind forecast

So what are we looking for when we use a wind app or visit a website like Seabreeze.com? Well, check out the two graphs below from Seabreeze.com.

Scenario one - you hear it’s going to be up to 29 degrees on Thursday so you’re keen to paddle. You check Seabreeze and realise that yes, it looks warm and sunny but the wind forecast is 22knots NW (coming from a North-Westerly direction). On Seabreeze, you access this hour-by-hour forecast by hovering your mouse over the graph (as shown below).

Scenario 2 - Your next available free day to paddle is Saturday, so you check the forecast again. You hover your mouse over the day and notice that the wind looks low in the morning and picks up to a 9 knots SSW (south-south-westerly) around 10am. Therefore you decide to embark on an early morning paddle e.g. 7am-9am as that looks like a lovely calm time to paddle.

Please note you can ‘reverse graph colours’ on Seabreeze so don’t go by the colours!!

I typically look at 2-3 wind forecasts to make my final decision as they all read from different locations and different weather stations, therefore a combination enables you to take an average. I recommend Seabreeze, Willyweather and Windy App (see above) for Australians.

Planning your paddle route

If it is possible to do so, plan your route so that you start your paddle, paddling INTO the wind and return with the wind behind you (in theory). Obviously the wind does change but in theory, this means that you can easily manage a slight headwind at the beginning of your paddle when you have most of your energy, and then the wind can help bring you home (pushing you from behind) when you’re starting to get more tired.

Mid-Paddle - Use your Senses

As mentioned WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED CHANGES! So once we are paddling, instead of relying on an app, let’s use our senses. Sounds simple but it’s easy to forget. It’s very easy to get lost in paddling (something to do with how wonderfully meditative it is) but remember to remain present and pay attention to what you can feel, see, hear and potentially smell (perhaps there is a BBQ point on the shoreline that can provide some great-smelling guidance!)

So let’s play this out in a scenario. You start paddling and you can hear the wind in your left ear and see the branches of the trees sway in a certain direction on the shoreline. What does that tell you about the wind direction? After an hour, you now feel the wind directly on your face - the wind direction has obviously changed. Another hour passes and you realise you can no longer feel or hear the wind.

Hold up. Let’s take a moment to assess the situation.

If you can’t feel or hear the wind, the chances are it’s coming from behind you. Great news if you’re heading home, but not so great if you’re planning to paddle another 10km before turning around and you then may be met by a 10km+ paddle with a strong headwind. Consider at this point - can you change your route to avoid having a strong headwind when you’re more tired?

Post-paddle Review

Take note of how your paddle has gone. Did the wind behave in a different way to what you expected? Did you find places to shelter during the paddle?

Take 5 minutes to do a quick post-paddle review. This not only means that you’ll know how the wind affects this route for next time, but also over time, you’ll build up your overall wind knowledge and awareness.

Other Factors

I hate to say it but the wind is not the only environmental factor you need to consider with stand-up paddling - however, it is a good place to start.

Your experience will also be impacted by swell size and direction, tides, currents and more! However I will save these topics for next time.

For now, please… check the wind BEFORE you paddle. I promise it will make a world of difference. And if you do find yourself caught paddling in very strong winds, you can always drop to your knees to get more power from your stroke, reduce your wind resistance and enable you to get back to shore safely.

Happy (safe) solo paddling everyone!

Vikki, Founder of She SUPs x