DL3’s Shop Policy On Unaccompanied Paddle Board Rentals **This Is Long, Verbose And Kinda Unnecessary, So Grab Your Coffee First** The Atlantic Ocean And Our Beaches Off Saint Simons Island Are A Fantastic Proving Ground For The Rigors And Enjoyment Of Paddleboard Training, Paddle-Surfing, Cruising And Touring. However, These Very Same Waters Can And Often Present Extreme Challenges To The Novice Paddleboarder. Due To The Island Longitudinal Position And A few Other Geographic And Oceanographic Features, We Experience The Second Greatest Tidal Change On The East Coast, Only The Bay Of Fundy Is Greater. During This Tidal Change, The Unaware Or Novice Paddleboarder May Very Well Find Themselves Paddling In A 7-10kt. Current, Then Throw In Astrological And Meteorological Stuff Like The Moon Phase And Winds And That Challenge May Rise To A Threatening Level. I Cannot Tell You How Many Times I Have Witnessed The Inexperienced Paddler Being Supplied With A Paddleboard, Paddle And Off They Go, Into The Outgoing Tide. Using Gould’s Inlet As An Example, This Dude Or Dudette Finds Themselves Being Propelled Or Jettisoned Very Quickly North And Finds Themselves Jacked Against The Rocks And Pier At Gouls. Although, At A Low To Moderate Tide, You Can Stand And Free Yourself From The Obstructions. Our Concerns Here Are Not Only For The Obvious Rocks And Piles But The Bacteria Laden Marine Life You May Encounter, Oyster Beds, To Name The Most Prevalent. More Than Likely You Will Not Be Wearing Any Sort Of Footwear While Paddleboarding (Why Would Ya, Kinda Defeats The Whole Freedom Thing), Oyster Bed Are Sharp As Glass And Cut Deep. The Oyster Beds Are Present And Grow On The Rocks, Jetty’s, Piers, Piles And Are Prevalent In The Salt Marsh Areas. If You Don’t Know…. Don’t Go! Winds, Waves, Cross Shores, Bars, Rips And Unaccompanied Paddleboard Trips. One Of The Best And Most Pleasant Features Of Our Island Are Our Ocean Breezes. Here Is Our Rule Of Thumb Concerning The Prevalent Wind Conditions: 0-5mph – Good To Go, 5-10mph – You Better Know, 10-15 And Greater Is Like Wrestling A Gator (Your Gonna Lose). It’s Been Said We Use An Over Abundance Of Caution When And To Who We Provide An Unaccompanied Rental To, We Are Proud Of That And Will Continue That Practice. Quite Frankly, I Prefer A Ripping Current To A Stiff Wind Any Day. With Experience There Are A Number Techniques That Are Employed To Paddle Through Or Against The Wind, In Fact Going Against The Wind Builds Strength, Endurance And Is A Fantastic Cardio Workout Or Race Preparation Strategy. To The Novice, Nothing Beats That Feeling Of Having The Wind To Your Back And Gently Cruising Downwind For Some Distance. Problem Here Is Ya Gotta Get Back. I Have Witnessed Boards Being Abandon On The Beach When The Exhausted Novice Is To Tired To Make It Back To The Starting Location And Have Seen The Fear Induced, White Knuckled Death Grip On The Paddle And That Look Of “Dern, He Said It Was Easy, This Sucks”. Nothing Beats The Bummer And Embarrassment Of Having To Drag The Rental Board Back Up The Beach To Where You Begun. And You WILL Be Charged For The Deep Scratches And Paint Removal Caused By Dragging That Board Through The Sand. To Avoid That Charge You Will Have To Carry The Board In That 15mph. Wind….Good Luck With That. Last Thought On Wind..A One Way, Downwinder With Transportation Back Is One Of The Most Enjoyable Paddles You Will Ever Experience, But you MUST have The Necessary Skills, Strength And EXPERIENCE First Sand Bars And Rip Currents. Ask Any Local And They Will Be Glad To Tell Ya Just How Much The Bars Have Changed Recently (There Are Exceptions. Bubba’s Gnats, Brogans, Catch, Ziggy’s, And A Few Others Will Always Be Here And Ready To Serve). With These Changes Come A Few Features That Ya Gotta Know About. Rip Currents Have Formed At The Extreme Ends At Just About Every One Of These Bars. If You Have Stated To Us That You Are Indeed An Experienced Ocean Paddler And Have One Of Our Rentals, You Know How To Engaged A Rip, Not A Big Deal. To The Inexperienced it’s Frightening And Exhausting. Eddies Are All Over The Place, Look For Em And know How To Navigate Thru Em. Again, Not A Big Deal To The Experienced Paddler. To The Novice…Ya Gonna Get Wet. I have Seen Advertisements That State “Paddle-Surf On You First Day, Its Easy”. 1) It’s Not Easy 2) You Need, Really Need To Be A Proficient Paddler B4 You Attempt Paddle-Surf. A Surfing Background Helps. 3) If Your Guide Takes You To “The Locals Break” And They Might, Question This. More Than Likely You Will Present A Danger To Yourself And Anyone Else In The Salt. There Certainly Times And Especially Location For Your First Attempts At Paddle-Surf. I Could Go Into The Elements Of Surf Etiquette Here But I Wont. Trust Your Instructor Or Guide. Paddleboard Eco-Tours Through The Salt Marsh. It Is Our Policy That You MUST Be At An Intermediate Level Or A Least Demonstrate The Skills Necessary To Navigate This Wonderland. Secondly, We Are Not Ecologist, Through Training Or Education. Oh, We Can Identify Things Like Marsh Grass, A White Or Brown Birds, Point Out A Fish, Dolphin, Manatee Or Turtle And A Seashell As A Seashell But That’s About It. Know Your Eco-Tour Guide; Know His/Her Training, Experience And Education. Want A Truly Fantastic Marsh Eco-Tour? Call Southeast Adventure Outfitters In The Village; Take A Kayak Trip Thru The Marsh.. Look, I am Not Trying To Scare Ya Away From Paddleboarding, To The Contrary, It’s Our Livelihood, But We Do Want Your Experience To Be SAFE And ENJOYABLE. We Want Ya To Love It, Dig It, And It Become You Passion. Then You Just Might Buy A Board From Us…Or Not..Just Get Up, Get Out & Stand Up! Bottom Line, Your Safety Comes First. Therefore We Only Provide Unaccompanied Rentals To Experienced Paddlers. HOWEVER, Take A Lesson, Prove You Have The Necessary Skills To Defeat The Elements Then Of Course, Rent From The Oldest, Most Established Paddleboard Shop On The Island.. Rent From Davis Love, III’s Paddle And Putt!
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 13:21:37 +0000
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