DR-SUP Stand Up Paddleboard Lessons Birmingham and West Midlands

Gift Vouchers and booking forms

Are you looking to learn Stand Up Paddleboarding, (SUP for short) ? Then you have come to the right place at DR-SUP Stand Up Paddleboard Lessons.

Please read on…..

To Purchase a SUP gift voucher please click HERE, or read on below for how to make a booking online.

Our old DR SUP booking form is being re-designed at the moment so if you want to book online or redeem a voucher, use the general contact form here.

Please note you will need to be able to swim 50m (2 lengths of a 25 metre swimming pool) non-stop and un-assisted before you can attend our regular group lessons ?

If you are a weak swimmer, we may be able to offer you a 1 to 1 lesson or have extra assistant instructors on hand for your safety.

If you have a Gift Voucher code you wish to redeem, then please provide this on the contact form

Once we receive your email booking form we will:-

1. Confirm your date and joining instructions by email. We will also send you a payment request to your mobile phone using iZettle.
2. Please note, Vouchers have a 6 month expiry date from when it was issued and can be redeemed within our normal SUP operating dates and times (see our website).
3. If you bought a package deal, you may use 1 of the lessons in the package to retake a level if you feel you need to and book the more advanced lessons at a later date.
4. We may still be able to offer lessons at our other venues based on weather conditions and will make you aware if this is the case.

Paddleboard lessons will commence from Sunday 14th Apil 2023:-

We will offer Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) lessons for up to 8 pupils per session at Upper Arley, Near Bewdley, Worcestershire (Updated August 2023)

Please note, availability can vary depending on weather conditions, numbers attending etc

Upper Arley (Near Bewdley)– Monday,Tuesday, Friday – 11am, 1.30pm – Saturdays & Sundays – 11 am

If you have a party of 4 or more for Saturdays or wish to book a river tour then please call us on 07812 141742 to make an enquiry or contact us via Social Media (see links below).

Prices as of April 2023

Current Prices are as follows for the Bronze Introductory lesson as of 02/04/2023 (see further down page for Silver,Gold and package deals) :-

1 to 1 lesson Bronze – £69 .00. Please state in the contact form if you want a 1 to 1 lesson.

Groups of 2-3 booked at the same time – Bronze – £45.00 per person

Groups of 4-8 or more booked at the same time – Bronze – £39.50 per person (when part of a group lesson or multi levels booked for the same day)

We hope to see you on the water soon.

We will update our social media and this page as things change so please follow us as per the below links to keep up to date with information.

Please give follow and like us on Facebook by clicking HERE

or on Instagram by clicking HERE

or on Twitter HERE

Here at DR-SUP Stand Up Paddleboard Lessons are our Midlands Based Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Instructors.

Offering a variety of courses to get you started in this fast growing sport of Stand Up Paddle-boarding at venues across the Birmingham, West Midlands and Worcestershire areas.

All our instructors are fully qualified and insured SUP Instructors, trained by the world renowned and respected Academy of Surf Instructors (ASI).

More recently we achieved the British Canoeing Quality Mark which means you will receive safe, well equipped and well informed SUP lessons.

We also sell Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP) and other Watersports gear at our Halesowen based Shop just off junction 3 of the M5. These goods are also available on this website. Click here for a look at whats we sell online

Age

DR-SUP Stand Up Paddleboard Lessons start with the youngest age a person that can participate is 8 years old. In order to come on the course we would prefer that the participants be able to swim 50 metres in open water, un-assisted. This is not a hard and fast rule and we will assess each participant on a case by case basis.

Clothing

The ideal clothing to wear for this sport in fair weather, is a surfing rash guard, swim or board shorts and some decent beach shoes.

If you don’t have any of this gear and you don’t wish to buy any new stuff then you should try and wear old clothing like old trainers and lightweight T shirt and swim shorts. Lycra leggings are also a good idea as they are light and don’t get water logged. They also provide a bit of insulation against the wind and cold water.

This should be clothing that you don’t mind getting wet plus an old pair of shoes as you may need to enter or exit the water near a beach and you don’t want to be hurting your feet on stones and gravel.

If you wanted to buy any watersports clothing or footwear, then please head over to our ON-LINE SHOP

Please do not wear heavy cotton clothing as if you fall into the water then these will get sodden and weigh you down and make it difficult to stay afloat.

Cold weather clothing hire

Cold weather conditions can affect your performance. If you take your course in colder weather, and you don’t have the appropriate gear, you may hire a wetsuit from DR-SUP Stand Up Paddleboard Lessons @ £6 per person per session.

Purchasing SUP and Watersports clothing

Want to purchase your own gear ? Participants can buy the above gear in our shop at discounted rates . Should you wish to purchase it before hand, either pop into the shop to try the gear on or ON-LINE SHOP

Courses on offer

There are 3 lessons on offer, Bronze intro, Silver and Gold. Each lesson is designed to allow you to progress to a stage where you can feel comfortable in Paddleboarding on your own. Whether it be on our lake at Bittell Reservoir – Cofton Hacket, near Alvechurch , or on our local Rivers or Canals. Feel free to repeat the lessons if you want pointers or further coaching.

If you know of a friend or relative that might be interested in having fun for an hour and learning something really cool and new then bring them along for the Bronze intro session.

The cost of each course includes all of the equipment required to SUP, ie Board, Paddle and Leash and buoyancy aid if required.

– BRONZE LEVEL –An introduction to Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP)

On the Bronze Level course, the aim is to get you standing up by the end of it. This is a 1 1/4 hour lesson and among other things you will learn a little about the equipment you use, the safety elements required, the basic paddling techniques and self rescue. Our aim by the end of this lesson is for you to be able stand up on a SUP board and use very basic paddle techniques. If you complete the bronze level then you can move onto the Silver Level.

Price –See above– Duration : 1 1/4 hours

– SILVER LEVEL – Advanced Paddling Technique and board maneuverability

The Silver level course is a review of what you learned in the Bronze. In addition now we will look at your body position, a review of you current paddle techniques, lots of new paddle techniques and how to move through the water with the least amount of effort in an efficient manner. We cover windage correction, some more efficient ways in which to turn the board among a lot of other techniques to enable this. At the end of this lesson we will briefly go over board types and paddles. Our aim by the end of this lesson is for you to be able to make quick turns and have your basic forward stoke paddle technique dialed to paddle efficiently through the water, using less energy and teach you how to paddle in a straight line for around 100 metres without changing hands. If you complete this lesson satisfactorily then you can move on to Gold Level.

Price for 1-1 – £85.00
Price for Groups of 2-3 people – £60.00 per person
Price for Groups of 4-8 people – £49.50 per person

Duration : 1.5 hours

– GOLD LEVEL – More Advanced Paddling Techniques,and an introduction to riding rivers and basic surf

The Gold level course is a review of what you learned in the Silver Level. This is generally held on a quiet part of a river with virtually no current or flow. We will go through the safety elements of riding rivers while identifying hazards, the pitfalls that rivers can throw at you and how to get out of trouble, should the need arise. We will observe you paddling upstream and paddling downstream in a controlled manner. You will also be offered the chance to SUP from Arley to Bewdley if you feel confident and time allows on the same day as your lesson. Our aim by the end of this lesson is for you to be able to ride rivers confidently and know how to either avoid or deal with hazards the river can throw at you.

We will offer you advice on buying your first board, the difference between a £250 supermarket board and boards all the way up to £1200. What is the difference from an all rounder beginner board and an advanced SUP board. We will discuss the types environment you will be wanting use your board in and how often.

Duration : 1.5 – 2 hours

Venue: Arley Slipway, Near Riverside Tearoom, Arley Lane, Upper Arley, DY12 1XA

Price for 1-1 – £95.00
Price for Groups of 2-3 people: £75.00
Price for Groups of 4-8 people: £65.00

– PACKAGE DEAL – BRONZE + SILVER + GOLD LEVELS (GROUP LESSON) –

Book all 3 lessons (as a group lesson) either for the same day or split them up over different dates and get a discounted rate of £149.00 (normally £180.00) saving you £31.00.

Venues : mixed as per above depending on conditions at the discretion of the instructor.

To Purchase a Package Deal GIFT VOUCHER, please CLICK HERE

Terms and Conditions of Booking

Clients booking by telephone or email will be deemed to have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.

Bookings made will be deemed as provisional until the full amount has/ is paid and has cleared in the DR SUP bank account.

In the event of adverse weather conditions or high river levels, or high winds. DR SUP reserve the right to cancel any SUP trip at any time they feel it would be unsuitable to continue. In this situation, we will first offer alternative dates or offer you a full refund.

In the event of  a customer cancellation the company will first offer an alternative date for the group/person and if this is not possible for those involved, then a gift voucher will be given for them to take the lesson within 6 months of issue.