If you’ve seen someone paddling around on what looks like a surfboard and thought, I could never do that, think again. It’s actually not that hard, it’s a lot of fun, and this is the perfect place to try it.
Paddleboards are longer, wider, and more stable than surfboards. And you’ll be in calm, relatively flat water – which brings me to my first bit of advice: Look at the water before renting the paddleboard. Don’t do as I did, which was to wonder why I was the only one renting a paddleboard – and then notice the large whitecaps on the bay.
Paddleboarding is simple enough that most folks can have a decent experience the first time. It does require some core strength, but an enthusiastic youngster or a fit senior could both expect success. It helps to get tips from the person you rent from, but even better, watch a YouTube video before leaving the house: youtube.com/watch?v=t8H4TDi6XWk&t=94s.
My favorite place to paddleboard is next to the fishing pier in Cape Henlopen State Park. The water is generally calm, shallow, and contained within the breakwater – thus reducing the likelihood that you’ll end up in, say, New Jersey.
Quest Adventures has a rental location right on the beach. Their minimum rental period is two hours, which can seem like an eternity when you’re using every muscle to stay upright. For this reason, you may want to rent one board for two people and take turns. Taking a break and watching the other person will let you reenergize – and may provide some welcome comic relief.
