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Jenna Owen
If I had to describe myself I would say Thalassophile . A lover of the ocean. I love to be on, in or around water. Water produces negative ions which are super good for our mental health. They help to balance all the positive ions that are produced by all the man made technology that we are surround by. I started paddle boarding in 2015 and have loved it ever since! I joined the whatsup team in 2019 running river trips with the boss man Ben! I love whatsup because we introduce people to this most amazing sport which is so good for body and mind and at the same time get to help so many people in the community. I am also a yoga teacher and have my own studio in Weston so you might catch me doing the odd headstand on the boards too! My kids love paddle boarding & have paddled since they were super young! It’s a wicked thing for the whole family! |
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Robert Evans
is an amazing instructor and always steps in to take charge when Ben is not around, a world class instructor that people adore, always very chilled out. |
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Phil Parry
is a true gent, one of those type of guys you just want to be around. Phil sorts out all the kit for whatsup as well as being one of the instructor team, so when you want anything thing SUP he is always around to help. |
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Jade Vincent
Our wild warrior woman of sup yoga Jade is all things nice and unique and is bringing a mindful and soul nourishing practice. If we could have more Jades we would! She’s fun to be around - always encourages peace relaxation and tranquillity throughout her class. You will definitely feel connected with nature in her class! |
I first started sup yoga last year after rebecca miller yoga and whatsupuk made it available to me before then it was just a daydream watching @yoga_girl on Instagram on her paddleboard and thinking to myself one day I might be able to travel somewhere hot and try this thinking it would never be available in the UK.
When I seen this advertised last year I could not wait to jump on board, I enjoyed every single minute last year although a little anxious about doing it alone the people I met the atmosphere and the feeling that flows hand-in-hand with floating on water made me feel Beyond happy it was pure bliss and I was super proud of myself for giving it a go. .
The people I met which I now genuinely call friends made it worth every single penny I could not wait to signup again this year. .
ln the meantime I qualified as a yoga teacher and I was sat on my settee pondering what to do and I get a message from Ben asking me if I would come teach and be his sup yogie this year I was genuinely crying tears of happiness I could not believe my luck and the only reason this opportunity is available to me this year was because I joined last year and obviously qualifying as a yoga teacher in the mean time.
I stepped slightly out of my comfort zone gave it a go and I’m now teaching sup yoga and able to advertise as a qualified Sup yogie.
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Danielle Powell
Whatsup fitness instructor - if you think you get a good work out on land wait til you try the water, Dani's classes are amazing; every exercise pushing your core to stay stable on the board. 1 hr of just paddle boarding burns 1000 calories! Add a work out on top and trust me, it's not one to miss out on. |
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Bear
The amazing Katy Smith a Pro paddle boarder. She lives for the sport and has really stood out from the crowd in the endurance paddling world. with a number of long distance paddles to her name and years of teaching SUP under her belt we are blessed to have her. |
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Liz Parry
Wife of Phil Parry, keeping the SUP passion in the family. Liz is a keen ultra marathon runner, mountain biker and a real water baby and loves the endurance, strength and stability training SUP can provide. Liz is the big kid of the instructors and loves having fun out on the water with all the families. |
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Sanne Wilmink
From the Netherlands and loving watersports as well as hikes, Sanne landed on her flippers in North Somerset, being close to both the hills and the beaches. Sanne has been part of WhatSUP since the very beginning, but has remained behind the scenes and just enjoyed paddle boarding in her own time, until she found more time in 2020 to complete her instructor training and join the team on the weekends that WhatSUP is open. |
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Bailey Williams
Bailey is our youngest instructor. He is also Ben’s nephew. He’s been paddle boarding for nearly 4 years now with Whatsupuk, and started helping out as a summer job, but paddling turned into something he loves endlessly and he completed his instructor training to join the team more often. |
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Mike Ritchie
There’s nothing more relaxing for me then spending a beautiful sunny day on the river on the paddle board. It’s the perfect way to spend your day! I’ve been paddle boarding for quite a few years now and love seeing new people take to it on our river sessions. I also enjoy watching people fall in on the odd occasion.. It’s quite different to my day job as a musician and I love that. Brings a much need contrast to my life! |
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Jack Greatwood
Will write something soon! Well, having said that, he is kind of a surfer-type, so we think we might have to wait for a while.... |
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Chloe Hawkins Ritchie
I love that you get out of paddle boarding what you want from it. Want to have fun with the family? GREAT! Let’s play games, have competitions and be silly. Or want a beautiful relaxing paddle? Then let’s be calm and chill out. It’s sort of like my personality. Crazy and calm! I’ve been paddle boarding for a few years now but with my normal job being a performer and children’s entertainer I can easily respond and “perform” to any situation and mood. But my favourite thing about taking groups out is meeting new people and watching new memories being made. |
