Fuerteventura is certainly one island that demonstrates the popularity and strength of our sport. On Susie's word, we traveled to the Canary Islands in the knowledge that there's plenty of opportunity to paddle: surf, flatwater, downwind and open ocean. We left with some awesome experiences, some more paddling friends and the realization that Fuerteventura is pretty much a paddler's paradise.
The surf was pretty damn good, but a little crowded, nice to see so many stand up paddlers though! We arrived there and instantly picked out two Naish SUP Surfboards. We ventured out every day to a break right in front of Corralejo called Third Reef and had some beautiful sunrise sessions. Getting out for the duke put us ahead of the crowds and often gave us a chance to catch some glassy sets before the winds picked up.
On some days we did some double sessions at Waikiki. This break is a small rolling wave that peals right and left (longer lefts though) and a good spot to work on carving. The bottom was volcanic rock but deep enough to not really worry but I admit, I rarely pinned straight off the board. This was the break where we paddled with a lot of gun paddlers on 12'6 race boards. We steamed into the wind over the small waves and then rode back in on little cruisers.
I'm not sure how many times I have written this but I am always constantly leaving our paddling holidays thinking that the best part isn't the paddling but the people we paddle with! Of course we were stoked to be paddling with our Swiss Brand Ambassador but she introduced us to the paddling community there, full of dedicated paddlers loving and constantly sharing the stoke. The Escuela de Nautica de Corralejo is the community epicenter of paddling there and we are very grateful to have met and paddled with new friends.
As we posted on Instagram, LLS became LLOC for two hours. Jen and I paddled a four man outrigger canoe with Tiago Silva (a superstar from Functional Paddling... more news on him at a later date!) and none other than one of Europe's finest Stand Up Paddlers, Eric Terrien. Eric actually calls Fuerteventura home and we thank him for sharing his knowledge surfing 12'6 race boards at Waikiki and at paddling (and steering) the OC4.
During the week we had the opportunity to do a Functional Paddling Clinic with the club by Tiago Silva from Functional Paddling. Only complaint about the clinic was that it was too short. Many of the paddlers in this clinic were already good paddlers and while most of us know what proper technique looks like, this was a unique opportunity for us to really become more aware of our what our bodies are doing while paddling. This is different to working on perfect technique, which was a refreshing change - and later to realize a much needed change. As Tiago explained, the ability for us to realize how our body moves and breathes while paddling, connecting each movement together in a seamless flow is really the key to paddling stronger, faster and without injury. We became more aware about what our bodies felt when paddling breaking down each part from our feet to our shoulders, we talked about mobility, balance and activating or core through different exercises. We're looking forward to putting to the test what we learned. I think we all walked away learning something new about how we paddle!
We did double sessions most days and probably spent more time standing on water than on dry land, but we did manage a non-water related activity. Our hike up the Volcano was greeted with gorgeous panoramic views of the coast.
It was a week to remember and we'll definitely be returning in the future. We thank all the paddlers who jumped on board helping to SUPport Live Love SUP too!
The surf was pretty damn good, but a little crowded, nice to see so many stand up paddlers though! We arrived there and instantly picked out two Naish SUP Surfboards. We ventured out every day to a break right in front of Corralejo called Third Reef and had some beautiful sunrise sessions. Getting out for the duke put us ahead of the crowds and often gave us a chance to catch some glassy sets before the winds picked up.
On some days we did some double sessions at Waikiki. This break is a small rolling wave that peals right and left (longer lefts though) and a good spot to work on carving. The bottom was volcanic rock but deep enough to not really worry but I admit, I rarely pinned straight off the board. This was the break where we paddled with a lot of gun paddlers on 12'6 race boards. We steamed into the wind over the small waves and then rode back in on little cruisers.
I'm not sure how many times I have written this but I am always constantly leaving our paddling holidays thinking that the best part isn't the paddling but the people we paddle with! Of course we were stoked to be paddling with our Swiss Brand Ambassador but she introduced us to the paddling community there, full of dedicated paddlers loving and constantly sharing the stoke. The Escuela de Nautica de Corralejo is the community epicenter of paddling there and we are very grateful to have met and paddled with new friends.
As we posted on Instagram, LLS became LLOC for two hours. Jen and I paddled a four man outrigger canoe with Tiago Silva (a superstar from Functional Paddling... more news on him at a later date!) and none other than one of Europe's finest Stand Up Paddlers, Eric Terrien. Eric actually calls Fuerteventura home and we thank him for sharing his knowledge surfing 12'6 race boards at Waikiki and at paddling (and steering) the OC4.
During the week we had the opportunity to do a Functional Paddling Clinic with the club by Tiago Silva from Functional Paddling. Only complaint about the clinic was that it was too short. Many of the paddlers in this clinic were already good paddlers and while most of us know what proper technique looks like, this was a unique opportunity for us to really become more aware of our what our bodies are doing while paddling. This is different to working on perfect technique, which was a refreshing change - and later to realize a much needed change. As Tiago explained, the ability for us to realize how our body moves and breathes while paddling, connecting each movement together in a seamless flow is really the key to paddling stronger, faster and without injury. We became more aware about what our bodies felt when paddling breaking down each part from our feet to our shoulders, we talked about mobility, balance and activating or core through different exercises. We're looking forward to putting to the test what we learned. I think we all walked away learning something new about how we paddle!
We did double sessions most days and probably spent more time standing on water than on dry land, but we did manage a non-water related activity. Our hike up the Volcano was greeted with gorgeous panoramic views of the coast.
