Safety isn’t sexy. It’s not going to get you as many likes on your Instagram photos or give you an epic story to tell your friends over a beer. But we’re strong believers that safety actually fosters fun (we’ve written about that before), and we stand by that opinion.

As instructors, we’ve seen all sorts of emergencies on the water - from medical issues like diabetic episodes, heat exhaustion, and broken bones to equipment malfunctions like broken paddles and missing fins. But it was our very own on-water emergency this summer (an anterior shoulder subluxation, AKA partial dislocation) that made us pause to wonder how many SUPers would be prepared to handle the situation. We’re not talking about the the medical part (only half of this duo is EMT trained), but the skills to safely, effectively, and quickly get someone off the water and out of harm’s way.

Inspired, we decided to dedicate our most recent SUP Fitness & Race Training class to refreshing and retraining folks on some critical safety skills. Here’s what we covered:

Towing: There could be several different scenarios where you’d need to tow your paddling partner - equipment malfunction and injury are two of the most common. While some paddlers carry tow belts and throw ropes (something you’ll see on us in the whitewater), most casual paddlers and SUP racers are understandably not going to have that kind of gear on them. But did you know that we carry tow equipment on us on our race boards? It’s totally doable and something we encourage you to adopt. Here’s how: Buy a 25’ long paracord. Tie a small bowline loop at both ends. Daisy chain the cordage. Tuck it in your PFD pocket or stuff sack. Sound too difficult? You can also use a leash and paddle to tow.
Towing can be done from the front of the board or the back, and you can attach the tow rope to the SUP itself or even your partner’s paddle.
Pro-tip: The most important person in a rescue is you. Never give up your leash.
PFDs: Nearly everyone in our SUP Fitness & Race Training class wears an inflatable PFD. If you’re familiar with this kind of device, then you know it means you need activate the CO2 cartridge to inflate the PFD that’s folded inside the pack. We always recommend practicing at least once in actual conditions (AKA the water) so you know what to expect, how to react, and even what type of PFD is inside (the two most common are type III and type V - do you know the difference and which one you have?). You don’t want to be reading the directions sewn inside the pack if you’re in need of this lifesaving device.
Pro-tip: Always have a second and even third CO2 cartridge and keep it in your SUP go-bag. These babies aren’t reusable and you don’t want to find yourself without one, and therefore without a PFD.
Rescues: Could you pull a helpless person out of the water and onto your SUP? Imagine the smallest paddler you know pulling Chuck Patterson onto their board. There’s a much easier way. By using your own board and leverage, you can easily maneuver a helpless paddler out of the water and get them to safety. This one requires knowledgeable instruction and practice. See us if you want more deets.
Pro-tip: When approaching any victim in the water, always keep the board between you and the person you’re rescuing.

A lot of these skills were first taught to us on all-around boards, and that’s how we’ve taught thousands of students in our classes over the last (almost) decade. It’s been really important for us over the years to adapt this knowledge and put it into practice on our race boards, since that’s where we spend so much of our time. Many of our students were taught these skills, and we’re stoked that they had a refresh on a different type of board. It really goes to show that these safety skills are transferable and adaptable, so there’s really no reason not to practice and be ready - just in case.

You’ve just dipped your toe into the ocean of safety. These are the topics we covered, but you need lots more information to put them into practice. And, these are in no way the only safety skills out there. You should most definitely take time to really learn them - from us, from other instructors.

Just know, if we’re paddling with you, we’ve got your back. Do you have ours?