Inflatable SUP Basics
Learn about the basics of inflatable paddle boards. Which are best for you, features, pros and cons, how to inflate, repair and more!
Inflatable SUPs have become incredibly popular due being easy to store in a car or apartment, are easy to carry and allow for safer falling on the board.
They've also been useful for touring, getting to back country location and for airplane travel.
In this course, you'll learn about the different types of inflatables both in board shapes and lengths or thicknesses for different types of paddling and different sizes of people.
You'll learn how to pump up a board with a hand pump and electric pump as well as how to repair an inflatable.
Lastly, you'll learn how to fall safely and get back on the board with ease. Some struggle to get on the thicker 6" inflatables, so I've included my Rescue video where you can learn the Stirrup Rescue for getting back on using a foot hold from the board's tail.
Your Instructor
Non-athletic, dyslexic and lacking good instruction, like many, I struggled to stand on a SUP the first time in 2007 on vacation in Hawaii.
Not willing to give up, I continued to work on it at home in Seattle. Applying skills learned from over a decade of sea, surf and whitewater kayaking, I discovered easy and effective methods for standing up and paddling with confidence.
In 2011, I wrote Stand Up Paddling Flat Water to Surf and Rivers for Mountaineers Books. This guidebook was intended to help new and experienced paddlers learn all aspects of SUP from the basics to open water touring. In 2012, I revised the 3rd edition of the NW classic paddling guide, Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, 60 Trips.
I started Salmon Bay Paddle in 2010 to provide personable expert SUP instruction in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve transformed lives by empowering and giving confidence to many who didn’t think they’d stand or enjoy being on the water.
Students have lost weight, increased their self-esteem, and have paddled in places and conditions they’d never imagined they’d be capable of. SUP has changed my life, so I love to share my knowledge and skills with students to help them become confident and skilled paddlers.
In 2013, I co-founded and am the former director for PSUPA (Professional Stand Up Paddle Association) which trains and certifies SUP instructors worldwide.
I also contribute paddling articles for SUP Magazine, Stand Up Journal, Canoe Kayak, the Inertia, NW Yachting and Kenmore Air’s inflight magazine.
My blog is a great resource for paddling tips on techniques and safety. I'm also available for private instruction both in-person and online. Contact me at [email protected] for more info.
– Rob Casey
Course Curriculum
Frequently Asked Questions
Thank-you for choosing this course! Feel free to contact me for more help or a 1-1 in-person or online lesson. Rob Casey