Last weekend, 6th October, I went paddle boarding with a club known as CORPS (does all sorts of outdoor activities; I happened to sign up for them all :p). For those of you who don’t know what paddle boarding is it’s similar to a large surf board with extra buoyancy, the aim is to stand on it and use a paddle to move (obviously!) We set off from Key Biscayne, a beautiful section of the many Miami beaches and had 1 hour trips in small groups.

It started out a bit wobbly. You initially go out into knee height water and then kneel down on the board and use the paddle to gain some momentum – not very fast as you can imagine, but you’re supposed to use this to help stand up whilst the board is moving. It’s quite an easy task just requires some confidence and balance for a few wobblers once you’re on your feet. Once you get moving and used to the motion it’s generally quite easy and you can get some good momentum but I must admit it is quite tiring if you put the effort in!

About 30minutes into our trip we reached a historical house, with a wedding taking place and a number of tourists taking pictures. Obviously I thought I’d do myself justice and jump in, or some might argue I might have just fell in 😉  I’m sure I gave the tourists a laugh and a new picture opportunity anyway :p On the way back some members of the group saw a small shark and manta ray; all I can say is I’m glad I didn’t fall off near them!

After getting back we caught some sun on the beach whilst waiting for the second group to finish. Overall I really enjoyed the trip but I think sitting down in a kayak is much nicer than standing – after all everyone much prefers a seat!

• corps
• miami
• paddle boarding
• paddleboarding
• water sports