Your Most Epic SUP Tales From 2023
We asked, and you guys delivered! Your epic tales warmed our adventure-loving hearts.
So, we thought we’d share with our community. Read on for just a few snippets from a year’s worth of memorable SUP adventures. Cheers to more in 2024!
WHERE THE MOUNTAINS MEET THE SEA
Leaving my home state of Colorado for Florida in 2018 was a very tough decision, and an even harder adjustment. My soul comes alive in nature, and as a woman that spent a lot of time in the mountains, I was afraid I wouldn’t find an activity to fulfill that part of me, because I had never lived in a place surrounded by water.
Thanks to my iROCKER BLACKFIN SUP, I have become more familiar with sea life, tides, and currents. I’ve been able to explore areas you can’t get to by boat or foot, and it gives me the same sense of freedom and adventure I got from hiking and snowshoeing. Although the mountains will always be home to me, the ocean is now my home as well.
—Karrie Q.
SEAL SPOTTING IN SCOTLAND
If you’ve got an Apple TV, you will have most likely seen a couple of screensavers featuring Loch Moidart - one travelling along the North Channel east to west, the other on the south side, also east to west, featuring Castle Tioram, so paddling Loch Moidart has been something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while now. And yesterday the planets aligned - we were passing through the area after ten days on the Isle of Skye AND there was no wind (amazing after the gales of the previous two days) AND it wasn’t even raining AND the tides were right to do an early morning paddle anti-clockwise round the big island in the middle, Eilean Shona, a 9-mile circuit. I would mostly be in the sheltered waters of the loch, but I was slightly anxious about the 1.5 miles on the exposed west coast of the island, thinking there might be a big swell left over from the storm… oh well, I’d just have to cross that bridge when I came to it…!
As it happens it was pretty straightforward, although I did have to kneel as I paddled round the exposed section, but once back in the Loch it was silky smooth again, and I enjoyed a fabulous 30 minutes of seal spotting - they were all around me! Earlier I'd seen some otters as well! The final highlight was a pair of F-18 jets fly right over the top of me - an incredible contrast to the peace and quiet of the rest of the paddle!
Overall one of my favourite paddles ever - I was so lucky that the stars aligned for me that day!
Here's to more adventures this year!
—Tim P.
RAWKING IN THE FREE WORLD
A cooler and uncertain start to one of the nicest weather days in a long time. The Humber River and Lake Ontario were like glass and I was able to stay standing the entire way down the river from the Old Mill to under the river mouth bridges before kneeling! I might have been able to stand on the lakeside but was happy to be kneeling and feeling the lift and drop of the board – with occasional push from behind or pull from ahead wave action at a low level of intensity … just to learn what waves do … how the water feels … to begin a long relationship with it – like the one I believe I’m beginning with the White Egrets (as I’ve had with the Blue Herons). Undercurrents might not be visible but they’re definitely real! Just as they are in conversations and occasional confusing feelings.
Two different times one left the shore and headed straight at me – knee level, chest and then when it reached about 10 feet away rather than going straight over my head it went kind of straight up and then an acrobatic twist and turn, veering just off to my right side … on a third time one did come right above me from behind (about three feet) gliding completely silently, the power of the push of wings felt strongly until after passing, then began that incredible prehistoric sounding RAWK RAWKing that let me feel that here we were together on the river two beings gliding along without reference to time or circumstantial differences. This was pure play. A couple of them had been playing leapfrog with me all the way down the river and again going upstream. There was no sense of them being protective or aggressive. I’ve talked and Rawked with them for weeks before.
One hour down the river and into the big first west bay (about half an hour faster than a windy wavy day) and only 10 minutes slower returning against the current after a 20-minute rest on the smooth stone lake shore.
Being 71 and tooling along different waterways on my iROCKER is just the Koolest way to improve my balance and general fitness! It’s also an incredible way to interact with nature!
- Wayne C.
MEALS WITH MANATEES
I have so many amazing memories and stories with my iROCKER and the manatees that absolutely love that board! I’ve had multiple occasions where manatees became best friends with me and my board! This one time I was anchored in the middle of the bay having a solo picnic and 5 manatees surrounded me and just hung out around me for over an hour! It was amazing and I have over 20 videos of them just hanging out around me!
—Danielle C.
iROCKER I DOs
I met the love of my life because of iROCKER! Those that paddle together, stay together!
—Carson B.
