For a long time, I was under the impression that paddle boarding was one of those exclusive sports. You had to be super fit, have great balance, and somehow be a super human, or something. I vividly remember, six years ago, watching the sunset at Laguna Beach and seeing a paddle boarder out in the ocean. I thought “Wow! I would love to do that someday.” Kind of like sometimes you wish you could take weeks off and go backpacking through New Zealand - it may not actually happen, but one can dream.

I didn’t put much thought into trying to get into this activity because it didn’t seem attainable. Fast forward a few years, and we went on a kayaking trip in Back Bay with the Newport Conservancy last year.  We launched from the Newport Aquatic Center that offers both kayak and paddle board rentals. I saw all kinds of people renting those paddle boards and watched them attempting to stand up on them out in the water while we were kayaking.

A few weeks later, I convinced my mom and sister to join me to try paddle boarding for the first time. It was amazing! Truly. If you have found your way to this blog because you’ve wanted to try paddle boarding, stop thinking about it, finish reading this blog, and go find a place to rent one!

If you are local to Orange County, the Newport Aquatic Center is a great place to rent a board. Currently, the rental process is done outside (due to COVID-19) and they have a great system set up. The waiver “paperwork” is done on your phone on your first visit, and then it’s in the system for any time you go back (which you will)! They sanitize the paddles right in front of you, and you can launch from the beach right there. 

On our first time, they gave us a quick “how to” once we got the boards to the water and off we went! Andrea still has a funky knee so she still kayaks, and was perfectly content to be the photographer! 

We all started on our knees and paddled around a bit until we got comfortable with the feel of the board. Then we started to stand up! It was incredible! Once I got up on my feet I felt pretty stable and comfortable and absolutely fell in love with being out on the water. 

After that 1 hour rental, we went back every weekend for a few weeks because I couldn’t get enough. I started watching videos online about how to stand, engage your core, and the proper stroke techniques. Each time we went further out into Newport Back Bay and I felt more and more comfortable.

Soon, I started researching purchasing my own board. This took a lot of research and time trying to decide between inflatable and hardboards, with a lot of pro’s and con’s for each of those. I decided on an inflatable because we live in a small apartment with a small (very full) garage. I also wanted the ability to take it on road trips when the time comes.

We drove to San Diego one weekend to see the boards at Isle Surf and SUP. I liked what I had researched about their boards, and after seeing them in person and talking to someone there, knew it was right for me. So I purchased their Explorer Inflatable paddle board. I love it! I go into more detail about this board specifically in another blog, but since purchasing this board I have loved being able to go whenever I want and for however long I want. 

I still launch from the public beach next to the NAC because of the easy access to the more wildernessy area of Upper Newport Bay. 

If you are considering renting a paddle board, go do it! It is incredibly relaxing to go out on the water and be above it all. I still haven’t taken it out into the ocean, but I will soon!