Meet Natasha…Becoming a Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor

I started paddleboarding about five years ago, after buying a paddleboard when I was made redundant during Covid. I wanted to use my redundancy money for something fun. I had some lessons to get to know the basics of paddleboarding before I started practicing and going out on the water with friends. Joining clubs like River Deben Paddlers and East of England Paddlesports enabled me to make new friends and meet other paddlers.

After a few years of improving my skills, I embarked on a multi-day paddle adventure; a solo paddling trip in Finland, paddleboarding solo around the islands of Helsinki.

Being in different places and on different waters meant I need to know as much about water safety as possible. So I enrolled onto the Paddlesport Safety and Rescue course (formerly Foundation Safety and Rescue Training) three years ago. This course empowered me with skills to rescue and safely manage common emergency situations in a sheltered water environment. I gained confidence in self rescues and rescuing others. This award is all about keeping safe on sheltered water venues, equipping paddlers with a range of rescue skills so they can deal with any scenarios which may occur while on the water.

I also booked onto the Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning course (CNTP). I signed up for the course to have a better understanding of tides and the sea, as well as navigation. This would be helpful for me as a swimmer, as well a paddleboarder. The course is a safety course for anyone paddling any craft on the sea in a moderate sea environment.  I learned to plan a safe effective trip in a tidal environment with tidal flow up to 2 knots and winds up to force 4. After a wonderful trip in Finland, I was looking for my next adventure.

I wanted to become a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Instructor for a while before I decided to do it. I wanted the qualification to develop my paddle skills and encourage exploration for people new to paddleboarding. With it I would be qualified to deliver safe and enjoyable taster/starter sessions within the safety management systems of clubs, centres or other organisations.

So I signed up for the British Canoeing Awarding Body SUP Instructor Course…

You need to be a competent SUP paddler with a good understanding of SUP skills and rescue techniques to do this, so if you are considering it, you may consider taking a SUP Sheltered Water Award to support your personal paddling skills, and a SUP Safer award, to support your safety skills.

I underwent my training and assessment with Phil Hadley through East of England Paddlesports group in March 2025. You need to be a On Water Member of Paddle UK to do this course. It was strongly recommended I access and complete the Instructor eLearning, which I did and found very useful.

I also received some useful resources such as the course guide, Learner Development Pack and some games cards to read through these before the course. I printed out a copy of the Learner Development Pack to complete during the assessment.

It was a two-day course. It is very practical and involves getting wet a number of times, so you need to have adequate gear and spare clothing for the weather conditions. The course looks at how to run safe, fun taster sessions for beginners wishing to try SUPs. It looks at preparing students to paddle, teaching basic skills, and keeping them entertained with games while learning. I took with me paddling kit, spare clothes and towel as I knew I would get very wet.

Day One covered: Course Introductions, Getting Ready, Getting the group on the water, Introducing Some Basics, Games and Rescues, Clearing Up and Concluding, Review and setting Homework.

We had a great first day bonding as a group, learning how to get a group ready for the waters and introduce them to the basics of SUP.

I also had to demonstrate my rescue skills. These included:

• recovering a stand up paddleboarder and their equipment from deep water, who has fallen off their board
• recovering a swimmer to shore using a prone board-based rescue
• recovering a conscious, incapacitated stand up paddleboarder to the shore
• stabilising an unconscious paddler in the water getting back on the board effectively

I have been working on my rescue skills for a while now as this was my weakest area so I was pleased to pass them all.

Day 2 covered Introduction, Supporting Learning, Journeying, Rescues, Course Close, Individual Debriefs and Action Plans.

On our second day we all delivered a game to the rest of the group, designed to be fun and educational for paddlers. This was a lot of fun and involved lots of laughter. We went on a paddle journey together along the river. At the end of the day, we all had a go at SUP yoga on our boards and then some of us decided to try out some tricks such as jumping onto the board from the jetty. Needless to say, I ended up getting wet again!

Upon completion of a Learner Development Pack we were told we had all passed!

After qualifying as a SUP Instructor I wanted to give back…

So I have joined my local canoe club and I am volunteering as a coach to help with their beginner’s SUP course. This will give me practical experience of helping people learn to paddleboard.

As a woman who has struggled with some aspects of paddleboarding, I can empathise with women coming to the sport. So I would love to help break down barriers around gender in particular, as well as disability. In the future I am planning to offer some local female SUP taster/starter sessions. Watch this space for future plans!

Become a Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor

The Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Instructor is a great first step for stand up paddleboarders looking to deliver safe and enjoyable taster/starter sessions based on their group’s needs and aspirations.

The qualification will support the SUP instructor with practical skills such as kitting up a group and getting afloat, initial familiarisation activities, games and activities and how to use mini journeys to support learning, inspire adventure and exploration. This will be enhanced with support on how these sessions can be delivered in a way that is enjoyable, safe and rewarding.

The Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor qualification is designed for instructors running SUP taster/starter sessions within the safety management systems of clubs, centres or other organisations. So what are you waiting for, find out more and start your journey to becoming a SUP Instructor today.

Please note, the Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning has now been replaced a range of modules including Weather, Tides, Surf and Swell, Navigation and Open Water Navigation. These can now be accessed by learners through eLearning, online and face to face, or as a blended approach.