Stand Up Paddle Boarding

When my alarm went off at 7 am on a Saturday morning, I was pretty tempted to turn it off and go back to sleep. But, we'd already taken the REI clinic on stand up paddle boarding; and, the lure of a $20 discount for a lesson got me moving. A groggy drive east on Cesar Chavez past I35 brought us to Robert T. Martinez, which we followed south to the river. We quickly slathered on sunscreen and headed toward the paddle boards waiting on the dock. I had made one previous (terrible) attempt at surfing; and, I approached the paddle board with low expectations. Hopefully, we could just sit on the board. Did we really need to stand up? However, within a few minutes of floating on our knees, the instructor was encouraging us to stand. Amazingly, it was easy! Soon, the entire group was paddling back and forth across the lagoon. One guy fell in; and, that broke the unspoken "don't fall in" tension. We were falling in trying the instructor's different tricks - "walk to the front of the board", "walk to the back of the board", "stand on your head". Overall, it was a very enjoyable early morning outing.

The Expedition School gives Stand Up Paddle Board Lessons by appointment. First time lessons are $45. Subsequent lessons are $25/person or $15/youth. http://www.expeditionschool.com/safety-courses/day-trips/