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. (Bubble sessions for people in bubble together, 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
- 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!)
- Bubble sessions @ Congresbury Millennium Green - in July: Sat 24th, Sun 25th, Sat 31st (am)
- Rivertrip @Congresbury Millennium Green - Sat 31st July 3pm start
- Rivertrip @Congresbury Millennium Green - Fri 6th Aug 6pm start (fully booked)
- Bubble sessions @ Congresbury Millennium Green - in August: Sat 1st, possibly also Sat 7th & Sun 8th (will be at marine lake if open again by then)
- Bubble sessions @ Marine lake WSM - in August: Possibly Sat 7th & Sun 8th, Definitely Sat 21st, Sun 22nd, Sat 28th, Sun 29th
- WEST Weekend @ Woolacombe - 14th and 15th August Bookings NOT via button below, but via WEST. More info about the weekend and bookings via this website link. The weekend bookings are for the campsite, and from there people go kitesurfing if windy or paddleboarding if not windy. Once we know more about the weather forecast, we will post about SUP that weekend (if it is too windy paddling at sea is not safe).
- Rivertrip @King Sedgemoor - Fri 3rd Sep 6pm start
- Bubble sessions in Sept @TBC - most weekends
Household (Bubble) session, rental, rivertrip or children's party... what do I book?
We currently offer two types of SUP sessions:
- If you are booking with a household or 'bubble' including children, then the Household SUP session would be for you. In these sessions, we do not allow a mix of different 'bubbles', so we can comply with social distancing. There is more information on household sessions here. 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 minutes, guided by an instructor.
- On some locations, we also offer rental of boards. The boards cannot be taken away from that lake. The price is £15 per board, not per person. Use of our life jackets is obligatory (for safety and insurance purposes), and because there is not much time to disinfect them between people we can only offer 2 lifejackets per board rental max, so this means a board could only be shared between 2 people maximum. The session is 50 minutes, not guided by an instructor.
- If you want to book for one person only, or for several people who are not in the same 'bubble', then you could join a group session for a rivertrip. These trips are longer, and there is one instructor per 5 clients. The guidelines for outdoor sports allow this as this means there are two groups of 6 on the water of mixed households. Social distancing is paramount, and for this reason and also because most rivertrips are in the evenings and some people do like a beer in the break at the weir, 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 household sessions until you reach the rivertrip options.
- Unfortunately we cannot offer 'real' children's birthday parties like we have in other years. These parties typically would be a mix of many households, and even if each child arrived with separate transport (for which we would have limited parking), we would not be able to maintain social distancing between the children throughout the SUP party on the water. So sadly, we have had to make the decision to NOT take bookings this year for our children's Bday parties, we would hate to plan one and then have to disappoint children if such mixing is still not deemed safe at the time of the party. However, you could celebrate a child's Bday by booking a SUP session or even a double SUP session with people of you 'bubble' together only (this includes a group of children that are in a school bubble together). For a 45 minute session, this can be booked as a bubble session the normal way. If you are interested in a double session (1h 45 minutes), please get in touch via Facebook or the contact form on the website so we can help you find a suitable time. 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 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 with kids/people from same 'bubble') 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.
WHAT ARE YOUR COVID-19 PROCEDURES?
By booking, you confirm you will abide by our COVID-19 procedures.
- You will follow all instructions by WhatSUP staff.
- Pre-booked SUP sessions preferred. We will be accepting walk-ins again but may ask you to wait a while (at a safe distance) until boards are free and equipment disinfected for you.
- If you book a household session, you will book for members of your household/'bubble' together only. We do not accept mixed 'bubbles' and you will be turned away if coming in a mixed group.
- Please do not arrive early before your session, we must avoid mixing of households/'bubbles' near the riverbank.
- We work with staggered arrivals - some households arrive on the whole hour, and other arrive half past the hour. The household session is about 45 minutes on the water. This gives us 15 minutes to disinfect all equipment before the next household arrives.
- We ask your household/'bubble' to keep your distance from other households and our staff.
- All children must be accompanied by at least one adult (from their 'bubble') who is also paddling, in case they need any help.
- If you book a rivertrip, you will keep 1m+ social distancing from everyone not in your 'bubble', including our staff.
- On arrival, we ask everyone to wash their hands with water and soap provided.
- BY BOOKING, YOU CONFIRM
- Nobody in your 'bubble' (even if not coming to WhatSUP on the day) has tested positive for or shown any symptoms of COVID-19 during the 2 weeks before coming to WhatSUP.
- Nobody in your 'bubble' has been in contact with anyone testing positive for or showing signs of COVID-19 (exception: NHS workers in full PPE when caring for patients) during the 2 weeks before coming to WhatSUP.
- If circumstances regarding the above change in between you making the booking and attending your appointment with WhatSUP, please contact us directly.
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 (disinfected) life jacket, paddle, and board.
We do not provide wetsuits, because we cannot disinfect 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 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.
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, plus ensure we can stay within social distancing guidelines.
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, plus ensure we can stay within social distancing guidelines.