SUP injuries cluster on shoulder overuse, fin cuts, and separation from the board in wind. Drowning is the worst case when a leash was skipped or a channel was treated as a lake. This is not a lifeguard manual.
Offshore wind is a sentence, not a fitness test.
Hazards
- Offshore and afternoon wind — The board becomes a sail someone is standing on.
- Shipping and ferry wash — A harbour is not a yoga studio.
- Separation from the board — No leash, or a leash that failed.
- Cold-water shock — A summer canal can still be a winter river.
- Fin and rail cuts — Including one own board in a fall.
- Rip and dump at a surf exit — Surf-SUP inherits the surfing chapter beach map.
Rules
- Leash on — The default.
- PFD where required — And on any water that is cold or moving.
- Stay out of channels — If a chart shows a lane, it is not a shortcut.
- Tell someone a return time — Especially on a solo lake.
- Flags and towers on a surf beach — The same law as the surfing chapter.
Red flags
- Whitecaps building and a long fetch — Turn around now.
- A ferry horn — Get out of the lane; do not argue with a timetable.
- Numb hands or chest tightness — Exit. Not a diagnosis.
- Lightning — A carbon paddle is not a toy to test.
First response
- Stay with the board — It is the large float. Signal if there is a tower.
- Shoulder or head impact — Clinic over folklore. Reef and fin cuts infect.
- Not medical advice — Hypothermia and drowning are emergency-service problems.
SUP safety is a leash, a lee and a harbour chart. The downwind run can wait for a different year.