My daughters and I decided to learn how to stand-up paddleboard. My girls are young teens now and this sport scored high on their hipster gauge.

Paddleboarding is part surfing and part kayaking. The basic idea is that you stand up on a large surfboardlike board in calm water and use a long paddle to propel yourself.

Additional Photos

The Almeida 13-year-old applies her newly acquired paddleboarding technique at Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth. For balance, it’s best not to let the paddle get too far behind you. Shannon Bryan photo

The girls and I took our lesson from SoPoSUP (South Portland Stand Up Paddleboarding) with owner and instructor Rafael Adams. He started our lesson on the shore at Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth.

First we were told where to place our feet on the board. Then we were shown the basic paddling technique. The paddle is sort of like a one-sided kayak paddle that’s extra long.

My daughters have done a fair amount of paddling in a canoe and kayak. This was helpful when Adams explained this sport’s paddling technique. For balance, it’s best not to let the paddle get too far behind where you’re standing on the board.

Although Adams doesn’t have an age requirement for paddleboarding lessons, he did indicate that the size of the board, and paddle, can make a difference for younger, smaller paddlers as they strive for a vertical paddle angle.

“There are not a lot of boards out there for kids. Most boards are too big and that makes it hard to do proper strokes,” he explained.

But he clarified that younger kids pick up the sport very easily using adult gear. It’s not a problem to get them up on boards and having fun.

“I can give a 7-year-old a paddle and a board and within seconds they are paddling away.”

I can attest that my daughters picked up the sport a lot easier than I did. Within a minute on the water, the girls and I were paddling around the cove. I did more falling off while standing on the board because I was over-thinking my actions. The girls did not have the same problem.

My younger daughter is a 100-pound, agile 13-year-old. She made standing look effortless, although she did fall off once when she tried to stand while parallel to the shore. That’s a common beginner mistake. When going from kneeling to standing, it is easiest when facing away from the shore. Hitting the waves with the nose of the board makes them more manageable for a novice.

My 15-year-old is my more cautious child. She felt content getting a feel for the ocean current on the board while kneeling. She did a fair amount of standing but commented that her legs felt like jelly after a few minutes. My legs felt similar. It takes some stamina to stay in a standing position (with knees bent) for any length of time on the board. But the initial standing up — and staying up — was done within minutes of getting in the water for all of us.

Adams said he’s had kids of all ages try to paddleboard with good success.

“I do not recommend a certain age to begin paddleboarding, but being able to swim is a good benchmark,” he said.

Parents of younger kids can learn the basics of paddling during a lesson and then have their kids pile on the board for a ride at the end. Kids can also go out on boards with a couple of their friends as a group affair.

Even though I did more falling off than my girls did (actually my 13-year-old fell off only once, my 15-year-old did not fall off at all), we had a lot of good laughs out on the water (mostly at my expense). We all found success at standing up and paddling around, which was a great confidence boost for my girls. It feels good when you can learn something new so quickly and easily.

Adams said that a lot of families enjoy paddling together and it really is easy to do.

“It’s a very family-friendly sport,” he said.

Staff Writer Wendy Almeida can be contacted at 791-6334 or at:

wea@mainetoday.com

Twitter: RaisingMaine

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