In this wet season, it can be a bit tricky to Hanalei river SUP. The thing is that the weather can change drastically in second. One time it is calm, then seconds later it will be pretty windy.
You may get convenient by paddling in the friendly water in Kauai. But that does not mean you can just leave the risks out of your minds. Paddling upwind can be a bit tricky since you need to maintain the balance and working on your techniques of paddling. Your skills will be tested when it happens.
Upwind can be a real challenge since it is one of the most common factors to make the paddlers fall into the water. Paddling against upwind is like the difficulty in running into the wind. But it is relatively harder than running. You will need to make your body work hard to fight against the upwind.
Whether you are going to go back to the starting point or just start from your downwind paddle, you will need to encounter some upwind beast in the certain striking zone. So, you will need to be prepared for this. It is the workout of a lifetime. Well, what does that mean? It is inevitable. But, there are some ways to outsmart this and make this an enjoyable experience.
When you meet the upwind, you could stand forward on the board. Put yourself closer to the front of the board without making unnecessary movements. The point is that you need to have a winning position to push the nose of the board down when the upwind strikes you. This will prevent you from losing the balance. Of course, you will need to rent the right paddleboard for this. In this wet season, it is much better to choose the Hanalei river SUP board with the keeled nose.
The next tip is to turn your paddle blade. Rotate the blade when paddling your board so that it can break the upwind strike. Finish the stroke and paddle through the rotation to get a great stroke.
If the upwind is too strong so that you barely make yourself balanced, you could kneel if you have to. When standing up, your body will make more wind resistance. To lower the impact, you could kneel a little bit. This will reduce the wind resistance properly.
Also, take shorter and faster stroke. Long strokes will only give the wind slit to push you backward. So, don’t lose it. Keep stroking with confidence.
Consider these tips when you face the upwind of Kauai river. And you are good to go.
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