Please Wear Your Leash While Stand Up Paddleboarding

It may seem like a needless hassle but in fact your leash is one of your most critical pieces of equipment. Thanks to Warren Currie and David Kalama for the graphic and picking up the charge to get the word out.

One of the worst things that can happen to you on the water is to become separated from your board. Not only is your board a PFD, it's also an anti-hypothermia device that can keep you afloat and far more visible than if your in the water bobbing. The temptation for some paddlers may be to look at a calm lake and say "I don't need a leash here" but the fact of the matter is you should use them everywhere and all the time. Particularly here in San Francisco Bay where conditions can change in a heartbeat.

Skip to the 4 minutes and 40 second mark of the below video to see the horrible results of no leash. Need more reason? Then advance it to 5:30 to see nightmare #2.

Downwinding safety.. from DavidJohn on Vimeo.

One area where leashes have been controversial is the river and in particular fast moving white water situations. Check out the video below from Nikki Gregg on how to wear a leash in the river.

Please Wear Your Leash.