Stand Up Paddleboarding on the Gower peninsula

SUP at Worm's Head,

Gower and adventure go hand in hand.
Home to a dramatic coastline, long sandy beaches and wild moors, it was the first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the whole of the UK.
Rhossili on the south west coast attracts surfers, walkers and paragliders; but my adventure took me just a few metres off shore.

Stand Up Paddleboarding at Worm's Head 

I teamed up with the three times British Stand Up Paddleboarding champion Matthew Barker-Smith, to explore Worm's Head from the water.
Conditions here can often be difficult, but a combination of good weather and calm seas enabled us to set out on our adventure.
As we came close to the cliffs, we realised we had company... Grey seals are known inhabitants of the Island.

A seal at Worm's Head 

Stand Up Paddleboarding is very much a growth sport in Wales.
Matthew's Mumbles based kite surfing business is becoming increasingly focused on SUP.
And as more people adopt the sport; the RNLI say they're seeing an increase in the number of rescues they need to carry out. Last year they were called to twenty incidents involving kayaks or SUP's in Wales.

Most people are fairly inexperienced when it comes to going on the sea, so we would recommend that anyone going onto the water does so at an RNLI lifeguarded beach.

It's like with anything, prevention is better than cure.

The RNLI also have advice on how to stand up paddleboard safely.
But if you want to test out your paddle skills and your balance, get ready for a magical coastal adventure