How to Get Back on a Paddleboard After Falling

Even the most experienced paddleboarder will fall off their board at some point. The most challenging thing to learn as you begin paddleboarding is keeping your balance and staying on the board. Because of this, you’re going to fall a lot when you first start, but just like anything in life it’s important to get back up so we’ll guide you through how to get back on a paddleboard after falling.

You’ll find that the smallest wobble will cause you to fall into the water and leave you wondering how to get back on paddleboard after falling. But as you get more experienced, you’ll find that it’s much easier to say upright and balanced on the board.

How to Get Back on a Paddleboard After Falling

So, how to get back on a paddleboard after falling? Even though there are several types of paddleboards out there, including inflatable paddleboards, the same procedure can be used to get back on your board after falling. Paddleboard safety is important to learn, so keep reading for more information.

Tips for Teaching Yourself How to Get Back on a Paddleboard After Falling

Before you start practicing how to fall off your paddleboard, you must make sure that you have a life jacket on. You should always wear a life jacket, even if you consider yourself a strong swimmer because you don’t know what can happen in deep water.  

So how do you teach fall off your paddleboard in a safe way?

  • When you start to feel yourself falling off your board, your instincts will tell you to try to hold on. If you do this, you risk landing on the board or hitting it as you fall into the water, which can cause injury. As you begin to feel yourself fall, avoid trying to stop yourself. Instead, let yourself go and position your body away from your paddleboard. This will take some getting used to because you will start off falling next to it.
  • While it can be difficult to start doing, try turning your body so you’ll fall flat into the water, not sideways. By teaching yourself to land flat in the water, you’ll find that you won’t fall deep into the water, which saves you from landing on rocks. It’s also best to point your toes when you fall because this will help break the fall and help you slowly slide into the water.
  • If you can, hold onto your paddleboard, but if you feel it start falling back onto you, let it go. Holding on to the board is easier to do when you have a board leash, but this can cause injury too. If you can’t fall away from your board, you might find that the board leash causes you to bang your ankle as you fall.

The three tips above can sound like a lot to learn, and it can make falling off your paddle board sound scary. But with practice, falling will become second nature to you.

Now that you know how to teach yourself how to fall off a paddle board safely, let’s talk about how to get back on the paddleboard after falling.

How to Get Back on a Paddleboard After Falling
Source: Unsplash

How to Get Back on Paddleboard After Falling

Now that you’re in the water, with your SUP board floating by you, it’s time to learn how to get back on the paddleboard after falling. When you first start paddle boarding, you might find that falling causes you to start panicking, so you should always try to stay calm.

You don’t want to start rushing back onto your board, or you’ll fall right back into the water.

So, what’s the best way to get back onto your paddle board after falling? Let’s talk about it.

  1. If you haven’t found your board yet, find it and swim close to it. If you have a board leash, your board should be right next to you. Then, depending on which hand is dominant for you, position yourself, so you’re on the left or right side of the board. When you’re in position, grab hold of the carry handle on your board with your non-dominant hand.
  2. If you’re left-handed, you want to be climbing up from the right-hand side of the board.
  3. If you’re right-handed, you want to climb up from the board’s left-hand side.
  4. Make sure that you’re constantly treading water because this will help you balance your weight on the board. Avoid making the board hold your weight. Instead, with your non-dominant hand still on the carry handle, lean your body across the board with your dominant hand to grab hold of the rails of your paddleboard.
  5. Make sure that you have a firm grip on the rails and carry the handle, then raise your legs so they’re floating on the surface of the water and kick. While doing this, slide your stomach onto the middle of the board. If you start trying to pull yourself onto the edge of the board, you’re going to fall back into the water.
  6. Keep a firm grip on the rail and carry handle and slowly start sliding the rest of your body onto the board.
  7. Avoid letting go of the board and lay down on the board until the water calms down around you.
  8. When the water feels steady, shift your body into a sitting position with your legs on both sides of the paddle board.
  9. Put your paddle across your board when you feel ready to move. Then move your weight to your hands and slowly bring your feet onto the board. Ensure that the soles of your feet are flat on the board to help you maintain balance. Then slowly rise to a standing position. You can use your paddle to help you balance.

Now that you’re standing up, you can start paddling around again.

Here’s a quick video to help you learn paddleboard safety!  

Scroll to Top