SUP Safe

The SUP SAFE Code

As a final chapter to this SUP SAFE Understanding the Conditions safety education course, we plug our new-found knowledge into the SUP SAFE code, a handy and effective way of wrapping all your safety planning up into one simple 5 point plan.

If you’ve completed any of the other SUP SAFE courses then you will already have encountered the SUP SAFE code. And hopefully, after completing this course – you can say YES, I’VE GOT THIS for the third rule of the code!

If you’ve not yet completed the SUP SAFE Safety Equipment course, then other rules of the code may well be new information. So we’d strongly recommend taking that course next. You will learn a lot more very valuable safety information and advice.

Congratulations – you’ve completed the course! We hope you’ve found it both interesting and useful, and now have a much better understanding of what leash, PFD, comms and clothing configurations you need to be safe on the water. If you want to test your knowledge, do try the quizzes at the end of the course.

If you’ve found this course useful, then we’d strongly recommend checking out our other free SUP SAFE courses. Lots more super-relevant information, wisdom and knowledge which may just save your life.

Please feel free to leave feedback and a course rating, and if you have enjoyed the course then please tell your frends. The more safety knowledge there is on the water, the safer we all are as a community. As we discuss at the beginning of the course, SUP seems like such a safe sport. Yet every season, people get into difficulties and sometimes the story doesn’t have a happy ending. And almost invariably, it comes down to lack of knowledge…

Happy paddling, and SUP safe!

Spotted a fault or inaccuracy in this lesson, something we’ve missed out or you’d like more info on?
Please don’t hesitate to contact us! We can’t guarantee to be able to answer all questions, but we’ll do our best to try…

Understanding the conditions – summary

Now that we’ve looked in detail at all the various aspects that you need to know about, we go back to the initial plan and put it all into context.

In the next and final lesson of this section on understanding the conditions we put it into the context of the SUP SAFE code, a simple 5 point plan that will go a very long way to keeping you safe on the water.

Water Temperature and Quality

In this lesson we look at the safety implications of water temperature and quality, and how to mitigate for them when planning your session.

In the next and final lesson of this SUP SAFE course on understanding the conditions we’ll consolidate everything we’ve covered, and offer you the chance to test your new found knowledge with some scenarios…

Understanding Currents

In this lesson we look at the various types of moving water that you may encounter whilst on your paddleboard, and the safety implications thereof. Since fast flowing water is such an important consideration in SUP safety, the knowledge within this unit is potentially life saving.

In the next lesson we’ll look at surf, from the paddleboarder’s perspective.

Understanding Surf

In this lesson from the SUP SAFE safety education course, we look at surf, from the paddleboarder’s point of view. What it is, where it comes from, how to gauge it and judge its suitability for paddleboarding, and much more. This is quite a long lesson, as this topic could be an entire course in itself – many millions of words have been written on the subject! If you have no plans on going paddleboarding anywhere near surf any time soon, you can probably skip this one, but do remember to come back and check it out if/as/when the opportunity for a coastal SUP session arises!

In the next lesson, we’ll look at water temperature and quality, both of which can have a significant impact on your wellbeing!

Implications of Tides

In this lesson we consider the actual implications of the various states of the tide, from the point of view of planning your SUP session, and the safety implications thereof.

In the next lesson, we’ll look at other currents that you may encounter, and their implications.

Understanding Tides

In this lesson we look at tides, and how they work.

In the next lesson we’ll look at the implications of the various tidal states for your SUP session.

Understanding Weather Forecasts

In this lesson we look at how to get the information you need from a forecast, and work through some practice examples.

In the next lesson, we’ll look at tides and currents, which have more potentially vital safety implications for stand up paddleboarding.

Understanding wind direction

In this lesson from the SUP SAFE safety education course, we look at wind direction, how to relate it to the location you’re paddling at, the consequences of the various possibilities and why they matter.

Now that we’ve covered all aspects of wind, in the next lesson we’ll consider the other important weather factors to consider when planning a paddleboard session.

Understanding wind strength

In this lesson we look at wind strength – how it’s measured, what it looks like on the water, and what the implications are for your paddleboarding session.

In the next lesson we’ll look more closely at wind direction, which can have even more safety implications than wind strength.