FREE SHIPPING ON ALL DOMESTIC ORDERS TO LOWER 48 STATES

Even though paddle boarding is open to all the weather conditions, most people wait for the summers for paddle boarding ventures. Since it comes under the umbrella of water sports and most water sports events and competitions take part in the summer time, this makes paddle board ideally, a summer activity. 

However, this excludes the extreme adventurers that want to push the bounds of normality. Only some special humans are willing to long distance paddle board in freezing cold conditions. Most find paddle boarding in the summers as the more sensible and comfortable option.

Regardless of the conditions, both summers and winters can impose harm on the body. Where extreme winter situations carry the risks of frostbite, summers can put you under the threat of serious sunburn. Even though the sun exposure is something most people are looking forward towards, prolonged exposure can pave the way for drastic complications. 

The sun provides an abundance of energy that powers the planet and keeps most of our natural resources alive. It provides us with warmth, and divides our days into productive daytime and relaxing nighttime. 

It fills us with hope, enthusiasm accounts for a fun paddle boarding experience. However, like everything in the world, the sun is also not perfect. Sunrays, no matter how crucial, also provide a negative outcome. 

UV Rays are one such example of the disadvantage of the sun. What are UV rays and how are they distinctive from the common light rays that we experience? Well, the light that the sun provides is just a fragment of the electromagnetic spectrum of rays that surround us. 

Most of the light waves in the universe are invisible to the naked eye. In other words, visible light only makes up small part of the rays that enter the earth’s surface. Amongst all of these rays, a UV ray also makes it way from the sun, and beams onto your skin as an invisible entity on a hot sunny day. 

UV, or ultra violet rays are a part of the three radiations that rain down from the sun. Along the UV radiation, the visible light and infrared light are ones responsible for our sight and heat. Unlike light ray and infrared rays, you cannot see or feel their presence. 

The only way the UV waves make their presence is after the lasting negative effects on the body. The top most layer of our skin, or the epidermis, protects us from many external forces. Even the visible light that comes from the sun reflects the epidermis. 

However, some forms of the UV rays can penetrate into your skin and through the epidermis layer. This penetration of the UV rays into the skin exposes it to our DNA molecules. This exposure can be harmful, as it puts your DNA at risk of damage. 

Although a low level of damage may recover, but an overexposure to the UV rays can lead to potential damage that is hard for our body to recover. Therefore, this DNA damage can lead to many skin disorders, including inflammation, skin cancer, skin burns, and other. 

Furthermore, it can also cause your skin to develop wrinkles. Since the UV rays penetrate deep into the skin, it can disrupt the elasticity of the skin and lead to wrinkles. This makes you appear older than your age. 

Fortunately, you can find many ways that protect you from the overexposure of UV rays. One of the simpler ways is to limit your time under the harmful sunrays. Other ways include the use of helpful tools and accessories that provide you shade under the beaming sunrays. 

You can resort to certain clothing that is made of fiber that has UV protective layers. Moreover, headwear such as a wide hat also tends to help. The best measure that you can take for the protection of your skin form the UV rays is the application of sunscreen. 

Sunscreen is crucial on a sunny afternoon while paddle boarding. Both darker and lighter skin tones need to apply sunscreen in preparation for paddle boarding adventures. Summertime has many craving for some fun in the sun.  

However, the excitement to dive in the waters should not have you forget about the importance of sunscreen. The overexposure of the sun can lead to sunburn, which ultimately will ruin your paddle boarding experience. 

Sunburn, or the painful redness that your skin undergoes, is your body’s response to the damaging effects of the sunlight.  Once your skin starts to damage, the body responds by sending a blood to the skin for recovery.  This is why your skin becomes increasingly red and feels warm when you touch it. 

The damaged area can also feel incredibly sore, and some of the skin will start to peel off. These are all signs of sunburn. There are many things that will affect whether you get a sunburn or not, while paddle boarding. 

Since sunburn is a very probable outcome, especially on a sunny afternoon, the easiest preventative measure you can do is wear sunscreen while paddle boarding. Sunscreens come in different variations, most common ones being a lotion, cream and spray. 

A sunscreen acts as a protective extra layer on top of your skin that keeps the harmful sunrays from getting into your skin. Most sunscreens work by either soaking up the harmful sunrays, similar to a sponge. While others tend to reflect them away from your skin. 

Most experts’ advice that you should put sunscreen on at least ten minutes before you head out into the waters to paddle board. Moreover, putting on plenty of sunscreen can do more good than harm; thus, do not be afraid to load up your skin by sunscreen. 

Make sure you do not miss spots that are generally hard to reach, like you back. Asking for assistance by a fellow paddle boarder can be worthwhile in the presence of the beaming sunlight. Most people tend to leave out certain places, such as behind your ears and the back of your neck. 

Moreover, once you have the sunscreen on when paddle boarding, you must do everything to keep it on. In fact, you should also put on more sunscreen after every few hours to make sure that the sunscreen does not wear off.  

Paddle boarding is a highly intense exercise. It requires a vast expenditure of energy, and rowing extensively under the sun produces plenty of sweat that trickles down to your face and cause the sunscreen to wear off.   

Ahead of sunscreens, one piece of equipment stands out as an important piece and that is a leash. A leash helps keep the board close to your if you fall in the water, and it also acts as a life supporting tool for staying afloat if the tides get dodgy.  

If you are not wearing, a leash while paddle boarding, then you can put you can put yourself in a lot of trouble. There are different types of leashes; however, overall, they serve the same purpose, which is to keep the lifesaving board attached to you. 

Most of the leashes have a Velcro at the end, which then attaches to the d-ring on the back of the board, and on the other end, you have a cuff, which generally attachés to your ankle. You can get straight ones or coiled ones. The advantage of the coiled leash is that it nicely sits on the top of your board. 

Other than an ankle leash, you have the options of a waist line leash, that come in handy when you  are paddle boarding on a more fast flowing and rapid water situation. 

It is very important to carry a portable bag with you, for all the safety equipments and tools. The paddleboard has a strap in the front that allows you to store any material on the board, hence use that strap to take a bag that has sunscreen, your phone, water bottles and all the emergency supply kit.

A bag is especially important if you are venturing forward on the water for a long distance paddle tour. Make sure that the bag is waterproof to keep your essentials dry and safe. Phones help you to measure distance, notify people if you are in trouble, and other methods.

A float plan refers to recording down where you will be paddle boarding, what time you will be on the water, what time you will be off the water. Therefore, if you were going to a paddle-boarding trip, creating a float plan would involve estimating the distance that you will cover, along with the speed at which you will paddle, and get a measurable answer of your time on the water. 

You can then provide this essential information to a friend or a family member that lives close by. Then you can arrange with them to give you a call when you are off the water. If in any case you are stuck somewhere, and are unable to call them at the specific time, this will indicate emergency and investigate further. 

Standup paddle boarding is an immense amount of fun. However, it can also put you dangerously close nature’s elements, such as wind, water and sun. These elements, although essential, can also put you under severe risk of safety if you do not take controllable measures. You have to use vital tools such as sunscreen, and other equipments that account for a safe paddle board experience.