Ready to SUP?
If you're looking to book a SUP session with us, there are a couple of steps:
You might have questions, and we receive a fair few each day. We have collected the most asked questions and answered them here, if you scroll down past the 'book now' button you can click on each question so it will show you the answer.
- you can see our schedule below. This tells you what dates and what locations will be open, and for what type of activity. (Rivertrip for age 15+ only)
- You can then click the 'book now' button below
- on the first screen select the location you want to book for (the location that is shown for the activity you choose in the schedule below)
- on the second select the activity
- and then the date/time
You might have questions, and we receive a fair few each day. We have collected the most asked questions and answered them here, if you scroll down past the 'book now' button you can click on each question so it will show you the answer.
Paddle plan - where will we be (updated once we make more plans, check back regularly!
- SUP rental (with short lesson) @ Weston-super-Mare Marine Lake - in School summer holidays:
- AUGUST: Sat 12th, Sun 13th, Sat 26th, Sun 27th, Mon 28th
- Unfortunately due to unsuitable high tide times breaching the wall at Marine Lake we will not be able to operate at this location on the other summer holiday weekends this year. We may be able to open for a few of these days at the TIVERTON CANAL (approx 1hr drive from WSM) but due to licensing fees we will only do this if there is enough demand. Please let us know if you would be interested and for what (weekend) date, via the form below.
- Rivertrip @River Yeo, or Tiverton canal - none planned yet, please check back
small group session, rental, rivertrip or children's party... what do I book?
We currently offer three types of SUP sessions:
- If you are booking with a small group including children and wish to receive some tuition / guidance on our river locations, then the small group session would be for you. The price is £15 per person, not per board (in cases where toddlers are sharing a board with a parent), and the duration of the session is 45-50 minutes, guided by an instructor. Children must always be accompanied by an adult who also paddles.
- On some locations, we offer rental of boards. The boards cannot be taken away from that lake. The price is £15 per person, not per board. Use of our life jackets is obligatory (for safety and insurance purposes), and staff safety instructions must be followed. The session is 50 minutes, with an initial introduction to SUP and tips&tricks as required, then enjoy yourselves independently (not the whole session is guided by an instructor). Children must always be accompanied by an adult who also paddles, and be confident around water.
- If you want to book for one or more people over the age of 15 only, then you could join a group session for a rivertrip. These trips are longer, and there is one instructor per 5 clients. Because most rivertrips are in the evenings and some people do like a beer in the break before paddling back, we do not allow children on rivertrips. The minimum age is 15 years old. To book, check when and where there will be a rivertrip, use the button above, and select the location on the first screen, then either click on 'rivertrip' on the second screen or scroll down past all the small group sessions until you reach the rivertrip options.
- Childrens parties can be booked as a small group session or by hiring the boards (depending on the locations we use the different type of sessions are available). Because a childrens party should be even more fun and excitement than any other day of the year and therefor require availability of our staff, we do ask you to contact us via the website or facebook before making your booking, so we can find the best place and time to parrrrtyyyy! SUP is very weather dependent, especially if it thunders or is too windy it is not safe and we have to cancel the sessions. For this reason, we always recommend to have a backup plan if planning a Bday party...
I'M TRYING TO BOOK BUT IT SAYS YOU ARE FULLY BOOKED FOR A MONTH?
- If you are seeing this in the winter, then that will be correct, because we only open when it's actually nice to paddle and have the occasional unintentional swim...
- If you are seeing this in summer, then it might be that we are not at the location of your choosing for a while. Please see above (above all the questions and the booking button) where we will be for the next few months. This will be updated throughout the summer.
- If we will be at the location of your choosing but the scheduled date shows no availability, then one of two things is happening - either we are just updating the booking slots our end (in which case they will be open 30 minutes later) or we are really fully booked.... In that case, you can only really hope someone cancels, or book at another location on another day of course.
SUP, like many outdoor sports is very weather dependent. A little splash of rain has never dampened the fun of a SUP session, and we do not shy away from the odd shower, but on days with heavy rain all day we do not open. Even more important is the wind... Because we stand on our paddle boards, our bodies act like a 'sail', and if it is too windy then the paddling becomes harder work. For children or for people who have not paddled before, this takes away much of the fun and the sense of achievement, so on very windy days we also do not open. How much wind is too much varies a lot - it depends on the location where we will be, as the rivers are sheltered in some places by high banks, it also depends on the wind direction, and gusts.
To make sure everyone is safe and has 100% fun on the water, we keep an eye on the weather forecast, and do not open if the weather forecast looks unsuitable. If you have booked but the weather is bad and we need to close, we will contact you on the phone number you provided when making the booking, to cancel your appointment. You will not be charged of course, and we hope that you'll find another day and time that works for you to book yourself a new appointment, and that the weather then is better.
If you book a SUP session for a special occasion (eg birthday parties) we would always recommend you have a backup plan for the day.
If slots are not open to book, the booking system looks like we are 'fully booked', but in this case just check back later to see if slots have appeared, or make sure you receive our Facebook notifications so you are the first to know.
I HAVE MY OWN EQUIPMENT, CAN I USE IT?
Our insurance requires us to provide you with our life jackets, and we are not allowed to let you wear your own.
If you have your own board and paddle you are free to use it during your session! If the session is held at a public location, you can of course stay as long as you like. For our private locations, we do not always have permission for this from the land owner, so would ask you to leave the water at the end of your session with us, to avoid more cars and people being on site than we have an agreement for.
If we think there is a safety risk with your equipment (eg thin-skinned inflatable equipment in an area with brambles etc) we will ask you to use our equipment instead.
Bookings are per person, not per board, so you would still have to book in. That way, we can plan for the day and ensure we have enough staff etc.
If you have your own board and paddle you are free to use it during your session! If the session is held at a public location, you can of course stay as long as you like. For our private locations, we do not always have permission for this from the land owner, so would ask you to leave the water at the end of your session with us, to avoid more cars and people being on site than we have an agreement for.
If we think there is a safety risk with your equipment (eg thin-skinned inflatable equipment in an area with brambles etc) we will ask you to use our equipment instead.
Bookings are per person, not per board, so you would still have to book in. That way, we can plan for the day and ensure we have enough staff etc.
ONE OR MORE PEOPLE IN OUR GROUP HAVE NEVER TRIED SUP BEFORE?
Everyone is a beginner at something! Most people who come to us for the first time have never tried SUP before. On the peaceful rivers in North Somerset, we will not be able to train you into a fully-fledged white water paddler in one session, but we do guarantee you will finish the session smiling and with a sense of achievement! Most people keep on coming back for more SUP after they tried it once.
We believe SUP is great for people of all abilities and ages, it is one of the most accessible sports. We do sometimes meet people who have rented a paddle board elsewhere in the past and did not have a good experience. We will not let that happen with WhatSUP. When you first come to paddle with us, there will always be an instructor with you. Our instructors are great at building your confidence and will quickly have you up and paddling comfortably. After the basics, we can teach you more advanced paddle techniques if you wish. Or, if you prefer to just enjoy the scenery we will not be in your way.
We believe SUP is great for people of all abilities and ages, it is one of the most accessible sports. We do sometimes meet people who have rented a paddle board elsewhere in the past and did not have a good experience. We will not let that happen with WhatSUP. When you first come to paddle with us, there will always be an instructor with you. Our instructors are great at building your confidence and will quickly have you up and paddling comfortably. After the basics, we can teach you more advanced paddle techniques if you wish. Or, if you prefer to just enjoy the scenery we will not be in your way.
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM AGE?
The age at which a child really starts to enjoy the adventure of paddling varies a little, but we do ask that they must be able to follow instructions, and be comfortable in the water should they fall in. Parents and an instructor will be near and of course they will be wearing a life jacket too, but (especially with very young children) if they panic when they fall in, it would just not be a good experience with SUP for them. So we would strongly recommend not bringing a young child that dislikes water.
Will they be able to paddle independently? The age a child picks this up also varies a lot. The youngest children will usually go on the board with their parents for their first SUP experience. They would not paddle themselves. With more grown children, it can become very difficult to balance the board with two people moving around, so we advise they go on their own board. If they are a little too young to understand paddling, or very nervous, we usually set them up in tow to a parent or the instructor. That way, they cannot drift off if they do not get their paddle strokes right. If they pick things up quicker than expected and their confidence grows (it always does!) they can choose to come off their tow during their paddle session, and then paddle on their own. When you arrive, we will decide together with you if younger children will go on your board, on tow or independently. You would not need to take this into account for your booking - the bookings are per person, not per board.
Will they be able to paddle independently? The age a child picks this up also varies a lot. The youngest children will usually go on the board with their parents for their first SUP experience. They would not paddle themselves. With more grown children, it can become very difficult to balance the board with two people moving around, so we advise they go on their own board. If they are a little too young to understand paddling, or very nervous, we usually set them up in tow to a parent or the instructor. That way, they cannot drift off if they do not get their paddle strokes right. If they pick things up quicker than expected and their confidence grows (it always does!) they can choose to come off their tow during their paddle session, and then paddle on their own. When you arrive, we will decide together with you if younger children will go on your board, on tow or independently. You would not need to take this into account for your booking - the bookings are per person, not per board.
Is all equipment provided? What do I need to bring?
We provide everyone with a life jacket, paddle, and board.
We do not provide wetsuits, because we cannot disinfect/dry them quick enough and also because they are not really needed. Most people paddle just in clothes that they are comfortable in. The majority of people do not fall in, but there's always that possibility... So we recommend you bring some towels and a change of dry clothes just in case!
There will be someone around staying on the land so you can leave your shoes, sunglasses, phone, car keys etc with us while you paddle and we will keep them safe.
We do not provide wetsuits, because we cannot disinfect/dry them quick enough and also because they are not really needed. Most people paddle just in clothes that they are comfortable in. The majority of people do not fall in, but there's always that possibility... So we recommend you bring some towels and a change of dry clothes just in case!
There will be someone around staying on the land so you can leave your shoes, sunglasses, phone, car keys etc with us while you paddle and we will keep them safe.
Where do I find you?
We are a mobile bunch of people, and you can find us throughout Somerset on beyond at different dates! A schedule is posted on top of this page, so you can see when we will be at which location. Below are the locations on a map, so you can navigate there when you've booked with us. Yellow are 'bubble' sessions (and kid's parties), blue are rivertrips, green are both. The red locations are 'others' - activity days or adventure trips.
If you paddle with us, we make sure all the permissions, permits etc are in place of course. Not all of these sites are accessible if you would decide to go paddle by yourself. If you have your own board and are looking for inspiration where to paddle (without us, sad as that would be), we would refer you to the website www.gopaddle.info.
If you paddle with us, we make sure all the permissions, permits etc are in place of course. Not all of these sites are accessible if you would decide to go paddle by yourself. If you have your own board and are looking for inspiration where to paddle (without us, sad as that would be), we would refer you to the website www.gopaddle.info.
The rivers and lakes in North Somerset are gorgeous, and we paddle on different rivers from time to time. The location where we will be will be stated in our Facebook posts when we open bookings for the day, and it will also be on your booking confirmation.
IS THERE A WEIGHT LIMIT?
We can accommodate everyone, but for people 19 stone or more we would like a little heads up. We can then bring our white-water board (we only have one), which is the same size as others but a slightly different shape. That makes it more stable in rapids, but also makes the difference for heavier people to be able to balance easier. It is harder work to paddle though, requires a little more arm strength, which men don't seem to notice but women may find it more difficult...
What is your cancellation policy?
When you book with us, you'll see we have a very strict cancellation policy:
So why are we so strict?
WhatSUP is not a business with an intention of making profit. All our instructors have 'normal' day jobs to pay their bills, and we see WhatSUP as a hobby. Our fees are much lower than most places in the UK that have the same level of service. But we do have to charge something to keep WhatSUP alive - we need to be able to pay for the high quality equipment that people are comfortable to learn on, certified safety equipment, instructor training, our insurances, our petrol and land rental for some of the locations. Also, from every booking made, we put a percentage aside so we can run charity days for disadvantaged children. We love SUP, and strongly believe it is one of the best confidence builders. We want to be able to provide sessions for those that need that extra confidence most, and would otherwise not have access or money to enjoy activities like this. More information on what we do in the community here.
Unfortunately, in the past we have had people cancel at the last minute or just not show up. As you'll understand, when that happens WhatSUP runs at a loss and that directly affects what we can provide for charities. To avoid loosing the ability to help disadvantaged people we had to bring in our strict cancellation policy.
- If you do not show up on the day, you will be charged the full amount of your booking.
- If you cancel, you will be charged 50%.
- If there is enough time, we will always try and fill your slot with other people who had tried to book but missed out. If anyone else can step in, they will pay for their session as normal, and you will be refunded your cancellation charge.
- In the very rare event that WE have to cancel your session (eg unpredicted severe weather / thunderstorms etc) you will of course not be charged.
- If there is only a little rain, SUP is just as much fun as in the sunshine. If the sessions are going ahead as planned, but you decide you do not want to paddle, then you will be charged.
- The money you are charged for no-show or cancellation is needed to keep WhatSUP alive and our charity work going, so it can NOT get turned into a voucher for use at a later date.
So why are we so strict?
WhatSUP is not a business with an intention of making profit. All our instructors have 'normal' day jobs to pay their bills, and we see WhatSUP as a hobby. Our fees are much lower than most places in the UK that have the same level of service. But we do have to charge something to keep WhatSUP alive - we need to be able to pay for the high quality equipment that people are comfortable to learn on, certified safety equipment, instructor training, our insurances, our petrol and land rental for some of the locations. Also, from every booking made, we put a percentage aside so we can run charity days for disadvantaged children. We love SUP, and strongly believe it is one of the best confidence builders. We want to be able to provide sessions for those that need that extra confidence most, and would otherwise not have access or money to enjoy activities like this. More information on what we do in the community here.
Unfortunately, in the past we have had people cancel at the last minute or just not show up. As you'll understand, when that happens WhatSUP runs at a loss and that directly affects what we can provide for charities. To avoid loosing the ability to help disadvantaged people we had to bring in our strict cancellation policy.