Lake District Mountain Rescue paddle board warning
They are urging people to take safety precautions if they head out into the water.
Last updated 22nd May 2024
The lake district mountain rescue teams are urging people to read the correct safety instructions and ensure they have all the right equipment before heading out on their paddle boards.
As the bank holiday approaches they are concerned that more and more people may be inclined to hit the water, despite not having the right experience or gear.
It's the UK's fastest growing sport and a new world-leading joint governing body is now being created to oversee safety for the boards.
The joint approach will see Surfing England leading on 'coastal SUP safety' with British Canoeing leading on messaging for inland waterways - as they both aim to stop those new to the sport getting into trouble.
The agreement follows calls by two coroners, a marine accident investigation branch report and a plea from the RNLI after a huge rise in call outs to rescue paddleboarders in recent years.
Around 100,000 boards are now sold each year in the UK and paddleboarding has also been included in a list of potential 'treatments' for GPs in Nottinghamshire to prescribe as part of a two-year trial to use outdoor spaces to help improve mental health.
We started the campaign in Simon Flynn's name after a coroner called for changes following the preventable death of the 42 year old tutor from Cheltenham in Cornwall's Camel Estuary in August 2020.
The new Governing body will be able to set standards to ensure retailers selling boards provide industry-agreed information, including on safety equipment such as leashes, at the point of sale to prevent anyone else drowning.
Lake District mountain rescue officer Richard Warren said: "It's very easy to pick one up and when you go to a supermarket they don't really tell you that it's important to get yourself a buoyancy aid and the correct tether to tether yourself to the board.
"You see adults standing on boards with children on the boards. It doesn't take much for you to lose your balance. If your kids and yourself haven't got the right equipment and buoyancy aids you can get yourself in serious trouble."