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YOLO Stand Up Paddleboards in Southwest Airline's Spirit Magazine

Posted on: 2010-05-19

YOLO in Southwest Airlines's magazine Spirit!

Paddle Pusher

The best way to see the area’s 26 miles of Blue Wave-certified beaches—meaning they meet strict criteria for water quality, habitat conservation, and education—is atop a stand-up paddle board. Learn how to ride one with a one-hour private lesson ($60) or grab your friends for a group lesson ($35/hour) through YOLO Board .

Stand-up paddleboarding combines surfing (you’re on a board) and kayaking (you have a paddle). “It’s the water sport for people who didn’t think they could do water sports,” says Jeff Archer, co-owner of YOLO Board and boarding instructor.

Meaning you don’t need bulging biceps to row from the seated position or buns of steel to ride a wave. Just stand up, keep your balance on your 12-foot polyethylene beginner YOLO board, paddle left, then right, and enjoy the view.

Getting to that point requires some training. The lesson begins by practicing balancing and paddling on dry land under the watchful eye of an instructor. Then you’ll shove off into Choctawhatchee Bay off Sandestin Resort in Destin. You’ll paddle along the coast and explore Jolee Island, a 5-acre nature park studded with pines and magnolias.

Back on your board, take in the view. Watch grouper and speckled trout swim alongside you, while herons and egrets flap by at eye-level.

“One time I saw dolphins teaching their babies how to feed,” Archer says. “That’s what did it for me.”