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Vassiliki is a beautiful place when the wind is blowing but it is an even more beautiful place when the wind is not. Andy from Ocean Elements describes his very own ‘Sunrise Sessions’
‘The sunrise brings breath taking beauty over early morning Vassiliki bay. Before the sea breeze begins to blow, you are gifted with a mirror like surface on mill pond water that is tinted with the most breath taking shade of blue. Silhouettes of various groups of paddle boarders and moored yachts towards the harbour create an otherwise vacant bay.
So why does this appeal to the stand up paddle boarder? It doesn’t matter whether it is your first time setting eyes on a paddle board or a seasoned expert; the conditions are perfect. For beginners it couldn’t be any more forgiving. The super flat water and quiet, relaxing setting makes it the ideal opportunity to work on getting to grips with discovering the sport. For the more experienced paddler, you are able to practice your techniques uninterrupted from the elements whilst escaping from the midday heat. This is when I take the opportunity to run my stand up paddle board Sunrise Sessions.
For the past 4 years I’ve been gifted with the chance to work at Ocean Elements, watching centre grow, improve and expand from an action packed fossil in Vassiliki bay, Lefkada. During this time the claim that paddle boarding is the current fastest growing sport worldwide becomes blatant fact. Each year I see more and more people taking to the water on SUP’s and more and more variety of confidence, age, gender, shape and size of people discovering paddle boarding as their chosen choice of discipline. The simple reason being that it is just so incredibly accessible. Anybody is able to learn. After receiving my BSUPA instructors ticket from the supping legend Sam Ross I have been teaching paddle boarding in the mornings and taking people out into the bay for the past couple of years and I am yet to find somebody who isn’t able to make use of the SUP’s. But most of all, I am yet to find somebody who hasn’t loved the experience and enjoyed themselves.
So what does stand up paddle boarding mean to me? Easy to learn, hard to master. The most relaxing experience, to the hardest of work outs. A social activity to a competitive race. I get to choose. It’s impossible not to get addicted to it and that’s exactly what has happened to me. From the moment I stepped on a paddle board it caught me hook, line and sinker.’
Andy Ridgeway Private Coach / Ocean Elements Vassiliki / Ocean Elements Facebook