We have talked to Swedish yoga teacher Sofie Ringsten about why she think Mallorca is such a great place for SUP.
By Swedish Roxy paddle boarder, BlackCat team rider and yoga teacher, Sofie Ringsten
Time to pack your inflatable stand up paddle board for a trip? I can´t think of something better. Holiday AND stand up paddle boarding, combining the best of both worlds.
SUP definitely beat standard ways of exploring. It gets you close to nature itself and offers you a way to explore all beautiful sceneries that nature created for us. Sunsets on the ocean, a flat water senerity tour, wave sliding, family fun or SUP Yoga. Pure magic.
Get into the water whenever you like. It all comes down to location.
With beaches everywhere, Mallorca provides easy access to launch a paddle board from basically anywhere on the island. This means you can explore a new coastline every day. The ever-changing conditions on the water bring in new types of sea life that you may not have ever experienced at one place before. So if you want to really explore Mallorca, do it through the world´s fastest growing water sport!
With an inflatable SUP, you can SUP wherever you like.
Inflatable SUP´s are designed to be easy to carry around, in bags that also include your necessary items like your pump, paddle, leash, wet suit and towel.
Inflating is also the perfect warm-up. If it´s a cold day, pumping gets the initial bit of warmth that you need to keep going. So feel the pump and get ready to hit the water!
If Mallorca wasn´t on your SUP bucket list before, you might want to get it on there. Here are my five favourite spots and the reason you should let your SUP tag along to this magic island!
– Sofie Ringsten
1. POLLENSA – For family vacation or yoga sessions
Going on a family vacation? A SUP Yoga session? Less concerned with action than with enjoyment?
Pollensa offers calm water and a great beach for the whole family. While you are launching your SUP, your family can relax on the beach, one of many great restaurants, ice cream bars, or cafés along the beach walk. Pollensa is a perfect spot for the whole family.
SUP Yoga is far more challenging than regular yoga on your mat, because your board is unstable and sensitive to even the slightest movement. In Pollensa, you can find the right conditions for sliding across the water, which can be an enormously relaxing activity. And at this beach you can even put your kid on it.
So, get out on the water together for some family fun on a SUP. Exploring is much more fun together, right!? Or go by yourself floating around in yoga poses while your family cheers from the beach.
Inflatable BlackCat board
2. AUCANADA – Don´t miss out the surf
Are you craving more of an adrenaline rush? Maybe you´re an experienced surfer?
Park your (rental) car next to Club de Golf Alcanada, grab your board and take a walk to the left along the beach (through the forest) until you hear the familiar sound of waves. About a 500 meter anticipation walk where you´ll probably meet other surfers that´ll tell you if it´s worth to go on that day.
SUP boards are generally longer than a standard surfboard, but you can take them into surf and either stand up paddle or paddle with your arms. If you´re going to bring your SUP board into surf, make sure to know that your paddle can be a dangerous weapon. This spot is available for all surfers, but make sure you have the arm strength to carry your SUP all the way from your car to the beach. If not, yes you can paddle! Just hop into the water, and paddle left until you face the waves!
3. PAGUERA – Variety is key
Whether it is an early morning yoga session, SUP tour on flat water or trying out catching waves with your SUP for the first time, Paguera has a lot to offer.
Summer time can be crowdy, of course, and during this time of year, you´ll also find a SUP shop, where you can team up with new paddle boarding friends. If you´re more of a wave hunter, the best time to go here is during the colder times of year when the swell might be coming in.
4. CAN PASTILLA – family time and surf cafe´s
Want to explore the ocean and stay close to Palma City? Can Pastilla is only a short distance from Palma de Mallorca and offer several SUP shops, where you can talk to the locals about surf in general, or maybe join them for excursions. If you don´t have your inflatable SUP, you can rent one, cross the street and be in the water in no time.
Can Pastilla have some great beaches where you can relax, paddle and have coffee with equals! Great for the whole family!
5. CALA AGULLA – wave sliding and sandy beaches
Waves, mountains and sandy beaches. Sounds good, hah? Well, on a lucky day you´ll get 8 feet waves on this beach, so make sure to be there when the Mediterranean starts pumping. And your family has got a hot sandy beach to relax on and to cheer you on.