Paddleboard safety: leash types, buoyancy aids, offshore winds and cold water
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Paddleboarding feels gentle, which is part of its appeal, but a board is light and sits high in the wind, and many paddlers wear less protection than they would in a kayak. Lifeboat crews and coastguards are called to paddleboarders every summer, often for the same few reasons. This guide covers the basics that prevent most of them.
Choose the right leash for the water
A leash keeps you connected to your board, which is a large float. A board blown away in the wind can move faster than you can swim. But the wrong leash in the wrong place is dangerous, so match it to the water.
- Ankle or calf leash: suits lakes, canals, sheltered coastal bays and surf, where there is little risk of the leash catching on anything.
- Quick-release waist belt: for moving water, such as rivers, tidal rivers and estuaries, Paddle UK recommends a quick-release waist belt instead of an ankle leash. A leash on your leg can snag on a tree, bridge pillar, mooring buoy or pontoon, and the flowing water then holds you against it. A waist belt lets you pull the release and free yourself. Some authorities require them on their water.
- White water: Paddle UK advises no leash on white water rivers.
Practise operating the quick release so you can find it without looking. Even with one, keep well clear of obstacles that water flows through, because a quick release can be hard to reach under pressure.
Wear a buoyancy aid
Wear a buoyancy aid every time, done up and adjusted. It keeps you afloat if you are separated from your board, gives you time to recover after an unexpected fall and holds you up if you are hurt or tired. Choose a paddling buoyancy aid that leaves your arms free. Some paddlers use a belt-pack inflatable instead; if you do, understand how it works, keep it serviced and know that it must be deployed and put on in the water.
Avoid offshore winds
Offshore wind blows from the land out to sea. From the beach the water looks calm, but you are standing up like a sail, and the wind can push you away from the shore faster than you can paddle back. The RNLI and coastguard advise avoiding offshore winds. Check the forecast for wind speed, gusts and direction before you go.
If you are being blown away:
- Get down onto your knees, or lie on your stomach. You catch much less wind.
- Paddle or arm-paddle towards the nearest shore, not necessarily where you started.
- If you cannot make progress, stay with your board and call for help early.
Cold water
Water below 15°C is classed as cold, and UK waters are that cold for most of the year. Falling in can trigger cold water shock, a gasp and uncontrollable breathing. If that happens, follow the RNLI's Float to Live advice: lean back with your ears in the water, extend your arms and legs, move them gently to float, and get your breathing under control before you try to climb back on or call for help. Dress for the water: a wetsuit, or a drysuit in colder months.
Calling for help and planning
- Carry a phone in a waterproof pouch on your body, for example in a buoyancy aid pocket, not strapped to the board. A whistle is a useful backup.
- In the UK, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard if you or someone else is in trouble at the coast.
- Check tide times on the coast and in tidal rivers.
- Paddle with someone else where you can, and tell someone on land your plan and your return time.
- Stay within your ability and turn back early if conditions change.
Guidance changes, so check the RNLI and Paddle UK, or your own country's lifesaving and paddling bodies, for current advice. What safety lesson has stuck with you? Share it in the comments below.