I was planning to do paddleboarding next summer but my friend Sabrina was really keen on it so I jumped on board (*pun intended). We got a groupon for about $20 each for an hour lesson with paddleboardaddict.com. It was at Scarborough Bluffs, which is a beautiful escarpment area along Lake Ontario. The tour guide Paul was very nice and professional. Highly recommended!

Getting on the board was easy and we started paddling on our knees. I got on my board no problem but felt a little unbalanced soon after. With little practice, we were encouraged to stand up and this is where it gets tough. Standing on it is one thing but then you have to paddle and switch sides.

I was getting very nervous because I didn’t want to fall in the dirty cold water and lose my sunglasses. So I was going pretty slow and flexing my legs for stability. This got me so tired and I remember thinking “oh my god, this is so hard!” I thought I had decent balance from snowboarding and yoga but guess not.

Then the tour guide tells me, alright let’s head out to the lake and hit some gentle waves. I was thinking “You got to be kidding me…” We started hitting the waves and everyone is struggling. Someone even fell. I was like “oh screw this”, so I started to head towards flat water again but then I realize oh I can try on my knees and so I did! Kneeling down was soooo nice at this point since my legs feels like they have been holding a squat for 15 mins.

Now it started to be more fun and enjoyable. We relaxed on the waves for a while before we started heading back. The tour guide reveals my board is the least stable apparently… So I can blame my board for my slow and shaky performance. Sabrina, on the other hand was a natural clearly, she practiced standing on the waves.

On the way back, I stood up again on flat water and it felt so easy in comparison now. I was starting to get the hang of it and I would do it again (although that wasn’t how I felt at first). Next time though I’d have to have not be afraid to fall in so I can relax more.