Dario Milessi, Life as a SUP Instructor In Patagonia

SOUTH AMERICA. South American born Dario Milessi is a passionate ASI SUP Instructor and SUP tour guide based in Patagonia, which is the southern end of South America. Driven by a desire to paddle and teach in the beautiful but icy cold lakes of Patagonia he tells us how he got into paddleboarding and why he became an ASI SUP Instructor.

Since childhood Dario enjoyed sports that brought him closer to nature. Trekking, body surfing and snowboarding. Then a few years ago he tried paddle surfing and for him, it was love at first sight.

Dario says: “it is the perfect sport of balance, posture and breathing. Then of course my passion went too far and I could not resist competing and for the first time I had a 3rd place prize in a 10km SUP race.

After my win, my friends asked me to go paddle together, and I realised that I enjoyed giving them tips. At the end of each paddle ride I was grateful, because I realised that they were awakening my vocation as an instructor. As soon as I knew there was a course for stand up up paddle instructors, I took it, and I do not regret it.”

Doing the ASI SUP instructor courses has helped Dario to have more confidence as an instructor and to know how to act in a safety situation. He says: “Now I am a professional instructor. I have learned that even someone fainting has a special rescue treatment. “

Dario has paddled all over the world from the northern hemisphere in Ireland down to the southern hemisphere in South America. In Patagonia, where he lives and works the lakes are wonderful but icy cold. Though in summer when the temperatures are warmer you can paddle without having to wear a wetsuit.

A funny situation happened to him while SUP racing in the Villa Manzano. A situation that neither he, nor all who saw it, will easily forget. Dario explains: “It was a very close race, in which I finished sixth. In the last kilometre a competitor overtook me by almost 100 meters but with a great effort I managed to reach him with only a few meters before the finish line. I jumped from my paddle board into the water (too soon) and I sank like a rock, the water was deeper than I thought, and my opponent took advantage of that moment, and he won. It was a very funny scene!

“The warm applause of the audience was not enough to warm the impact of the cold that I suffered when I fell into the frozen waters of that Patagonian lake!”

Patagonia covers some 400,000 square miles and is surrounded by wilderness. The Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile is the crown jewel of Patagonia. There is something for all levels of SUP with numerous lakes, rivers and coasts to explore. A truly breath taking place offering incredible mountainous scenery, wildlife and abundant marine life to see by SUP.

Dario’s love of Paddleboarding and paddle surfing has only given Dario good times and good memories. He’s a dedicated SUP Instructor who takes his career very seriously and he recently completed further studies to be a guide on the many stunning rivers and lakes in Patagonia.

See a short video on Dario here: https://youtu.be/jeKNtp5UNhs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About ASI

ASI is a professional membership organisation and international governing body for instructors, coaches and schools in the outdoor recreation industry for surfing, stand up paddle and bodyboarding.
We set the standards for education, accreditation, professional development and ongoing support for our members, offering pathways from entry level to elite level.
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ASI Accredited Schools abide by the high international standards for operations, training and safety.
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