STAND UP PADDLING WITH LIFE JACKETS THE DILEMMA CONTINUES

Simply leashing yourself to your board is hands down the safest way to enjoy your paddling experience. This is not, however, the opinion of our governments and so, like it or not, we are faced with the reality of having to wear life jackets. Two basic styles exist: A foam filled jacket like that worn by kayakers and sailors, and single deployment inflatable ones. So how to decide which is best for you?

Words: Corran Addison / Photography: Coran Addison

To wear,or not to wear: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous regulation, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? These are the unforgettable words of Shakespeare. Or at least if he had been a paddleboarder, those would have been his words. For paddleboarding is afflicted with an onslaught of regulation from government functionaries who haven’t the faintest clue what is, or is not, safe in this sport. Despite the increasing prevalence of regulation, independent consideration of safety in different situations on the water is still a worthwhile exercise, and an important part of paddling. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the largest floating device in close proximity is the…

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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, SUP World Magazine 2015

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