Tracing Tamil Nadu’s stand up paddle awakening Premium

As stand up paddleboarding gains ground in both competitive and recreational circles, villages along the Ssouth-eastern coast turn hubs for a homegrown movement

The calm waters of Pirappanvalasai Beach along the Palk Strait usually scream shades of azure under the unforgiving afternoon sun. On one afternoon in September, this stretch of white sand along the bay, saw a group of spectators snug under a tent, breaking into loud cheers. They were here from villages in and around Rameswaram, to show support in numbers as young stand up paddlers from the neighbourhood participated in the Palkbay SUP Challenge 2024.

For those of us who are not used to the pristine blues and whites of the south-eastern coast, the challenge was a sight to behold. The waters were dotted by white and orange buoys and floats, markers of distance for a technical Stand Up Paddle (SUP) race. The third national edition, which saw 120 participants from around the country, stretched SUP’s possibilities of becoming the ‘next big thing’ in water sports.

Fourteen-year-old Arathi was one among them. Having just won in the Groms (U-16 girls) category, she said, “I have been paddling for the last seven years.” But what keeps her interested in the sport? “It will be useful for me in the future,” she declared. Later that weekend, the paddler from Pirappanvalasai went on to win the Women’s Nationals and was ascertained one of the promising stars to have come out of the coast, an evidence of Tamil Nadu leading this sporting movement.

Stand up paddleboarding, a less intimidating cousin of surfing, makes use of a longboard and a paddle to glide across waves, or still waters. The tricky side of the sport shows itself when one’s balance is challenged by small waves or ripples. For more than a decade, surfing’s homegrown revolution along the East coast — especially in Kovalam and Mamallapuram — has produced athletes who represent India on a global scale. Now, SUP follows suit as the southern coastline moulds athletes from villages along Puducherry, Chidambaram, Rameswaram and Thoothukudi, apart from Kovalam and Mamallapuram. 

The sport is considered far more accessible, both in the competitive circles and for recreational purposes. This decade is earmarked for its development, says Jehan Driver, founder, Quest Adventure Sports Academy in Ramanathapuram. 

“Arathi’s win goes to say that we need to encourage coastal youth with access to equipment and guidance to come forward and participate. They know their waters well. It has to start with creating awareness. When one 14-year-old sees another 14-year-old competing, they would want to participate too,” says Jehan, who is also her coach. He tracks a year-on-year growth of SUP competitors at around 30%. Away from this circle, Jehan adds that there is a 60% growth in the number of people wanting to learn SUP as an interesting sport-based activity. 

Even for this competition, a lot of athletes arrived almost a month before the event to practise. “It shows good camaraderie, and also opens up the sport to other people,” adds Jehan.