Club Med Bintan Island: What’ SUP!

SUPing, short for stand up paddle, is the art of balancing on your surfboard and using your paddle to propel yourself through the water.

This form of water sport originated in Hawaii and I can now proudly say I have tried  (and thoroughly enjoyed) it thanks to Club Med Bintan Island.

It was on day one of our week-long breakaway in the beautiful all-inclusive tropical island of Bintan that I tried SUPing. The Sunday afternoon was complemented by a majestic beach setting where the Club Med resort watches over its white sands and an infinite ocean backdrop.

Team CN&CO arrived on the beach with much enthusiasm and, like kids at a candy store, not knowing where to turn and what water sport to try first…canoes, sailing, paddle bikes or the SUP.

My good friend and business partner, Kurt immediately pointed out a number of people standing in the ocean, gliding their way through the waters. We were curious and before we knew it, we had surf boards strapped to our feet (provided by the ever-helpful CLUB MED GOs) and found ourselves trying to accomplish our first SUPing experience.

I must admit, it took a few minutes to get the balance right between keeping your feet in the right place in the middle of the board and deciding just how much you need to bend your knees in order to achieve the right balance and rhythm to move. Once standing, the paddle part is a strategic and wonderful test of your reactions needed to control your direction and movement.

We got into the stride of things and before we knew it we were about 100m out at sea, racing, joking, laughing and occasionally falling and getting back up.

We were even joined by our fellow team mates on canoes moments later and had a great rendezvous all together in the warmth of the South China sea, connected by the beauty of Club Med’s water sports.

Discover more about Club Med Bintan Island and it’s experiences here.