Paddle boarder
The Sandals watersports staff
A swim-up suite at
Sandals Royal Caribbean
Jennifer Aniston’s doing it – when she’s not pining for Brad. Matthew McConaughey’s doing it too, when he’s not throwing off his shirt and beating the bongos. So, coolhunters that we are at Open Jaw, we just had to jet off to Sandals Royal Caribbean to check out the hottest new water sport, now part of the Sandals Luxury Included recipe.
Stand-up paddle boarding (or paddle surfing) is considered an ancient form of surfing with roots in Hawaii. According to Wikipedia, famous wave riders Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama re-introduced the pastime to the modern water sports world and it made its way to the shores of California about a decade ago.
The sport is well described by its name. The equipment consists of a large, wide surf board, up to 12 feet or more in length. With either a foam or hollow core, the paddle board features a padded deck and concave hull, and one to three surfboard-style fins on the underside of the stern. To mount the board you manoeuvre your body on top of it, rise to your knees and carefully stand up. The second piece of equipment is a long, single-bladed paddle used to propel and steer the board. A Velcro leash attaches around the ankle so board and rider remain together.
Even for the seriously sedentary, stand-up paddle boarding is pretty easy to master, especially in flat water. It offers an entirely different perspective than kayaking, and provides some solid core strength exercise thanks to the combination of maintaining balance and paddling.
The occasion at Sandals Royal Caribbean was the launch of the paddle board as one of the included water sports at Sandals resorts across Jamaica and the Caribbean. Open Jaw was on hand for the training of Sandals water sports staff and the first attempts by guests to try out the boards.
The water sports managers from several Sandals resorts made it look easy – well, it is easy, but this ridiculously fit bunch made it look graceful. Within half an hour of standing on the board for the first time, a dozen of them were racing around buoys, while their colleagues cheered and jeered in true Jamaican style.
With Sandals already the largest water sports operator in the Caribbean, SUP adds another layer of depth to the product. From the reaction of Sandals guests who gathered to watch the training session, the boards will be a popular attraction.
During the brief visit to Sandals Royal Caribbean, Open Jaw was able to catch up on the many enhancements to the resort since our last visit. Highlights include the beautiful ‘lazy river’ swim-up suites with private patios, large bedrooms and some with separate living areas. These are butler-service suites ideal for honeymooning couples.
