Fanatic riders Kai-Nicolas Steimer and Lena Albrecht went on a unique SUP trip last month: Norway in January at around minus 21°C with three hours daylight per day. They discovered really special landscapes and spots to explore with their SUPs.
So you want to plan a SUP expedition but don’t know where to begin? We caught up with three accomplished stand up paddle (SUP) expeditioners: Boardworks athlete Gabriel Gray, Starboard athlete Bart de Zwart and C4 Waterman’s Jared Munch, who have all gone on a number of SUP expeditions over the years and we asked them to share their experience and insights on what you need to know when planning a SUP expedition.
In 2015 SUP expeditioner Bart de Zwart set off on the trip of a lifetime where he traveled around the world in 27 days with friend and photographer Franz Orsi. The twosome flew around the world with inflatable SUPs from Starboard SUP to the corners of the world. Starting the trip off in the Pacific then heading to Asia, Africa, Europe and Central America, de Zwart and Orsi traveled to and met with remote civilizations with strong connections to the water.
Before the holidays, we introduced you to two fellas who were attempting a survival challenge in Mexico on their paddle boards. The team recently returned from their challenge and while the outcome wasn’t what they were hoping for, they made it out alive and unscathed. Here is their story:
In the beginning of October 2015 Gabriel Gray along with Jackson Berger and Casey Shedd packed via horseback with all inflatable SUPs and began the journey of a lifetime. The trip was completely off grid, without any reception, full of crazy adventure, and a test of grit and endurance due to unexpected water levels. Here, Gabriel Gray recounts his Supconnect Polls winning Journey for his adventure down the South Fork Flathead River in Montana.
On a quiet morning in early November, three stand up paddlers entered the Atlantic ocean from the town of Sagres, Southern Portugal. They were about to attempt the first crossing of the Algarve region by stand-up paddle board.
With stand up paddling (SUP) on the rise and the popularity of the sport reaching more people every year, we are seeing expedition paddling climb the ranks as an exciting and adrenaline boosting way to have a good time on your SUP. Expedition paddling has recently garnered the attention of survivalist Joel van der Loon who is planning on including stand up paddling into his next survival attempt which will be a seven-day expedition with no food, limited water and limited gear.
Is there a better way to explore Algarve’s remote marine caves than via SUP? Probably not. The Basecampers, who are a group of friends traveling around the world seeking alternative experiences in popular travel destinations, traveled to Faro in the Portugal’s Algarve region where Nick Robinson, a SUP instructor in the area, guided them through the legendary Benagil caves. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, watching their video of one of the most-photographed caves should jog your memory!