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sunshine jen: Stand Up Paddle Boarding or What's SUP Marina del Rey?
Stand Up Paddle Boarding (or SUPing) has taken off this summer. There are a bunch of places in Marina del Rey where you can rent a board and get a lesson. You can go here, here, or here.
Happily enclosed from the ocean by a breakwater, Marina del Rey has flat water and no rolling waves, so it is prime Paddle Boarding water. There is also Mother's Beach where you can launch you paddle board off the sand. Just watch out for the stingrays. They will sting you if you step on them, and it will hurt.
Marina del Rey sounds like an ideal place to find your legs on a board except for one small detail:
There are a lot of boats in Marina del Rey.
Marina del Rey is the second largest recreational marina in the world (number one is Dubai). Woohoo! Number Two! Numero dos! Yayyyy!
Many of these large recreational boats are turning in tight spaces with very little room to maneuver. Please please please beginner paddle boarders stay away from boats in motion.
Also, something you might figure out on your board is that your board will keep moving even if you are not paddling it. If you see a boat coming toward you, the driver of that boat will try to go behind you. Don't stop paddling and slow down to stare at the boat like a deer in headlights. Keep on paddling.
If you're paddle boarding at night, wear a light.
If you're paddling day or night, carry or wear a life jacket. I know this competes with your water god self image, but you are a vessel on the water.
It's not a good idea to lie on your board and take a nap in the middle of the main channel. Yes, I know, it's so relaxing and cool to be on the water, but that main channel sometimes has traffic like the 405. Do you want to take a nap in the middle of the 405? Please, please, please stay alert.
It's okay to wave at people. Relax, smile, it's fun. You're paddle boarding. You'll probably see some seals in your travels. I've even seen dolphins inside the breakwater. And there are a lot of pretty boats too. You can even do yoga on the boards. I've seen some impressive down dogs on the boards.
And be sure to return your board on time. The rental folks appreciate that.
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