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Introducing The Great Big Paddle Parade 2023!

An epic World Record attempt for the most stand-up paddle boarders on parade.

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What Is The Great Big Paddle Parade?

Think of The Great Big Paddle Parade as an epic guided coastal tour. We launch from one of 3 starting locations, based on the distance people wanted to paddle and we enjoyed a breathtaking cruise along the world heritage, UNESCO Global Geopark coastline of the English Riviera.

Led by SOAK’s senior SUP instructors, we’ll pick up the groups at each location until all paddle boarders end up gliding into the beautifully secluded Fishcombe Cove for the official count and one epic aerial photo! The groups are then guided back to their original starting location… For some this will be the most people they have paddled with! What amazing adventure on the water!

The Goal

The Great Big Paddle Parade was a charity fundraiser for the RNLI whilst raising awareness and setting the standard for SUP Safety. The world of Stand Up Paddleboarding has seen a large increase in attention in recent years and it is paramount to us that people who engage in SUP understand the inherent risks whilst out on the water to ensure everyone makes it back to dry land having had an awesome adventure.

RNLI & SUP : The Statistics

The RNLI saved the lives of 59 paddleboarders in the last 10 years. Whilst this number may seem small in comparison to the large volume of paddlers across the UK getting on the water everyday, a huge 75% (44) of those rescues have happened since 2020. This shows that the sport is growing, and with an increase in uptake, sadly an increase in rescues is required.

”Lifeboat launches to paddleboard incidents went up 64% in 2021 (144) from the previous year (88) while RNLI lifeguards responded to 132% more paddleboard incidents in 2021 (504) than the previous year (217)”
– source: rnli.org –

The ease of use and amazing access to the water is one of Paddle boarding’s greatest assets, however we are seeing a gap in education to participants of this sport.

RNLI Great Big Paddle Parade raising funds for the Torbay RNLI

ESSENTIAL SUP SAFETY GUIDELINES

The Great Big Paddle parade