Call 403-262-4327 to register!

Click here for more information

I’ll admit the list is pretty short right now, but if the growth we’ve seen over the past is any indication of SUP’s future in Canada, I expect this list will get a lot longer as we move into Spring 2011.

And if you know of any other Canadian based SUP instructors, post em up in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!

British Columbia

Kamloops – Sun Peaks

Paddlesurfitness: Lessons on Heffley Lake and the general vicinity around Kamloops

Penticton

• Lake Monsters SUP & Kite Shop: (250) 486-1787

Qualicum Beach

• Island Longboards: Sales, rentals, lessons and tours around the Qualicum Beach area

Squamish

• Mountain Surf Adventures: Lessons, tours and expeditions in the Squamish area and in remote corners of British Columbia

Vancouver

• Rocky Point Kayak: Rentals and lessons in Port Moody
• Deep Cove Kayak: Rentals, lessons in Deep Cove

Vernon

• Kalavida Surf Shop: Rentals and lessons on Lake Kalamalka

Whistler

• Stand Up Paddleboard BC: Lessons, rentals and tours

Alberta

Calgary

• Undercurrents: (403) 262-4327

Edmonton

• Easy Rider: Weekly demos

Ontario

Toronto

• Surf Ontario: (416) 906-5793
• Paddle Sport Performance: (647) 402-2578

Wallaceburg

• Surf Culture Canada: (519) 919-7907

Here’s the word from Jamie over at Rocky Point Kayak…

Join us August 8th for Rocky Point Kayak’s first annual Stand Up Paddle Board Lessons and Demo Day with Bodie Shandro (The only Certified SUP Instructor in Canada).

Stand Up Paddle Surfing is the fastest growing water sport in the world, a sport whose roots run deep in Hawaiian history. It is easy to learn and is a non-intimidating activity that appeals to all ages and physical abilities. Participants are able to quickly progress and develop the skills necessary to improve fitness or simply enjoy the experience of “walking on water”!

Introduction to Stand Up Paddling Lessons

Each 2 hour session covers equipment familiarization, dry land instruction, water safety, proper body position, and paddling techniques. All equipment included, board, paddle, and leash. No experience required.

• $60 per per person
• Session 1 12:00 to 2:00pm
• Session 2 3:00 to 5:00pm

TO REGISTER PLEASE CALL: 604-61-WATER (604-619-2837)

Stand Up Paddleboard Demo Day

Come down and demo boards and paddles from Surftech, Werner Paddles, Imagine SUP, BIC SUP and many more.

Surftech will again be demoing the popular Bark 14′ Expedition, plus a variety of Randy French 11’6 and Randy French 10’6 stand up paddleboards.

Cost for the 2 hour Introduction to Stand Up Paddling is $70 and covers equipment familiarization, dry land instruction, water safety, proper body position, and paddling techniques. $70/person. All equipment included, board, paddle, and leash. No experience required.

Weather forecast for the weekend looks great, and if you’re looking to get into SUP there’s no better way than to participate as the lessons will be taught by Bodie Shandro, Surftech’s Canadian Sales Manager, and the only ASI Certified SUP Instructor in Canada. This guy knows his stuff!

Click here for all the deets!

Lessons are Windsure Watersports on Jericho Beach in Kitsilano.

Not meaning to sound like an advertising but the deal’s only on today… Check it at http://livingsocial.com/deals/4186-paddle-surfing-lesson-for-12

Boards available for demo include the Bark 14′ Expedition, and Randy French 11’6 and Randy French 10’6 stand up paddleboards. Here’s the deets from Bodie on the lesson package…

Stand Up Paddle Surfing is the fastest growing water sport in the world, a sport whose roots run deep in Hawaiian history. It is easy to learn and is a non-intimidating activity that appeals to all ages and physical abilities. Participants are able to quickly progress and develop the skills necessary to improve fitness or simply enjoy the experience of “walking on water”!

Introduction to Stand Up Paddling: Each 2 hour session covers equipment familiarization, dry land instruction, water safety, proper body position, and paddling techniques. $70/person. All equipment included, board, paddle, and leash. No experience required.

• SATURDAY JULY 17 – 10am and 2 pm
• Ecomarine English Bay
• 604 689-7575
• World Standup Paddleboard Association / ASI Certified Instructor

Be sure to give them a call at (604) 689-7575 as soon as you can, as limited space is available!

So with that in mind, I decided to put together a few of the things you probably wouldn’t know either without prior experience or a friend’s guidance…

• These boards are big: Be sure to consider your storage availability before going out and getting that 11’6 paddleboard. For instance, a lot of city apartment and townhome dwellers are either limited by storage constraints, or will have an awkward time manoevering a paddleboard in and out of their suites. These things aren’t going to fit in your elevator!
• Headwinds suck ass: I haven’t done any sort of empirical testing to support this claim but I’m guessing that for beginners, paddling into a headwind is approximately 73 times harder and 48 times slower than paddling in calm conditions. Trust me, if you’re just getting started with SUP, find a nice, calm day. Tailwinds on the other hand are all gooooood!
• Protect them rails: Seems easy to say “yeah, I just won’t hit the side of the board with my paddle” but trust us… It happens way more than you’d think, say for instance when an unexpected swell pushes the paddle into the board. Sometimes you’ll also want to purposefully drag the paddle against the rail, so whether it’s a paddle guard (plastic beading for the edge of the paddle), rail tape (heavy duty tape that’s installed along each rail) or both (which is what we typically suggest), be sure your board’s protected or it’s going to get beatered sooner than later.
• Waxing an (extra) longboard is a major pain: Surf wax feels just right on a traditional longboard or shortboard. It’s cheap, easy to apply and provides just the right feel for wave riding. But deck pads are definitely the way to go with flatwater paddle boards. Weight and feel are not as much of a concern on flatwater (these things are 4-5 inches thick so another 1/4 inch of decking isn’t going to make a huge difference and the added weight is really nominal)  so the ease of maintenance (or shall I say lack thereof) simplifies the whole experience. Plus, if you’re touring on a hot summer day, it won’t take long for the wax to start melting off the deck if you don’t submerse the deck to cool it down every few minutes.Another big bonus is your feet will be a ton more comfortable standing for long stretches on a rubber mat, than the hard deck of a surfboard.Many SUP’s arrive from the factory with deck pads pre-installed but if not, after-market kits can be found at a good surf shop.
• Don’t buy a board for what you might do, buy it for what you will do. A lot of buyers make the mistake of buying a smaller board with the expectation that they might bring it over to Tofino. Consider what you’re most often going to be doing with the board. Worse comes to worst, we’ve been edging out of this recession quite nicely lately, so go ahead and snag a second board… One for flatwater and another for the waves.
• It’s a lot more fun that it looks. If you take a look at a photo of someone flatwater paddling, I’d have to agree it looks pretty lame, which is the response I get from a lot of my friends when trying to explain the sport… “So you just stand up on a big surfboard with a big ass canoe paddle, and just cruise around? Yay.”
  Try it first, that is all.

That’s about all I got… Have more? Post ‘em up in the comments below!

Here’s the release…

You are welcome to come down between 2-4pm on Sunday.  Should be a sweet and sunny day and we’ll have lots of stuff to play on and look at.   We are hosting a Summer SUP Race Series and the first one is on June 5.  It’s for newbies and intermediate SUP’ers and will be filmed for TV!

We are now renting boards for the season as well. Shop is schedule to open in less than two weeks.

If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by!

Rogue Hot Rod

Kevin and the crew at OKSUP.com are opening a brand new stand up paddleboard shop right across the street from Kalamalka Beach, in Vernon (Coldstream).

Watch for top stand up paddleboard brands such as Surftech, C4 Waterman, Rogue, Werner and Kialoa, as well as apparel by Sitka, Local Motion, Ocean Minded and XCEL.

They’ll be offering lessons and rentals as well.

Looking forward to checking out their shop later this Summer… Watch KalavidaSurfShop.com for opening dates and more information!

Here are the details…

So you’ve been paddling around on the flat water, maybe even caught a few waves but want to get to the next level, come join Colin in Tofino for our first Paddle Board Wave Clinic.

Here are a few things we’ll cover -

• Surf Etiquette
• Assessing the wave conditions
• Getting through the waves to the outside
• Catching and riding your first wave
• Reservations on a first come basis, cost $95.00 per person.
• You must have your own board and paddle and be comfortable with your equipment.
• Date: 12 September 2009
• Time: 9am

We’ll meet at Wickaninnish Beach and assess the conditions and make a call on where we’ll spend the morning.

To reserve your spot and more info contact colin@islandlongboards.com