Stand up Paddle

On the beach at Las Canteras, which is well known for its great waves around these parts, there are some days that the sea stays calm. On days like this the tide hardly moves, the fish linger at the bottom, staying as still as children on Christmas Eve. These are days the local surfers have to do without waves, the odd time they are not out scudding on the waves letting out all their adrenalin. But it does happen sometimes.

So what dothe girl and boy surfers from the capital do on the days the sea dozes off?

The answer is Stand Up Paddle Surf. A new sport which lets you make full use of calm days on the sea.  At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether it is high or low tide, or if it’s February or August. On Las Canteras beach, in Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, there are 1457 different options for fun and sport, which is what it is all about. Among them you have Stand Up Paddle, a type of sport combining surfing (the surfers glide over the water as if they were skating, thanks to the boards) and rowing (using a long oar which helps them to move along).

A different way to slide over the water, quite uncommon, in fact.

Even though it seems strange, nobody in the neighbourhood was surprised when they saw their neighbour gliding on the board with the oar in his hand for the first time. He was going at full tilt, like a silver surfer, zooming over the bay in a jiffy. It was a bit weird, but nobody batted an eyelid. Here there is a total understanding, because the surfers around here have the well earned right to turn their hand to anything. They will do whatever they need so as not to be away from the beach for too long. They are capable of making up 14 and a half sports, as long as it allows them to stick close to the long strip of sand of Las Canteras.

So now you know. What does aLas Palmas de Gran Canaria surfer do when the sea goes as flat as a pancake? Well, it’s obvious. Stand Up Paddle Surf.