Learn how to stand up paddle and have SUP lessons and tours at The Paddle Shack, an ASI accredited learn to stand up paddle school in Dartmouth, Devon, UK.

Offering SUP lessons and tours on the River Dart and specialising in marine environmental sessions.   Paddle past wildlife, including a seal colony and learn about the environment. Also hear about the local history as you paddle past castles built by King Henry 8th and other historic sites.   

The Paddle Shack is owned and operated by Alana Bonnik. Originally from Wales, Alana grew up kayaking, windsurfing and sailing.  It was a natural progression into SUP, and she has been paddling, cruising, racing and SUP surfing since  2011.   Alana holds a Degree in Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology, then worked as a marine educator, where she skippered boat excursions, ran educational marine walks and travelled the UK country delivering talks about the marine environment.  

In addition to holding her ASI SUP Instructor qualifications, rescue and first aid, she holds Sea survival course qualifications and the RYA level 2 powerboat.

Her partner, Sam Bonnik, after being a nurse studied marine sports science and worked as a surf instructor for many years, become an ASI SUP Instructor, worked in the boat construction industry and currently owns an outdoor first aid training business.  

Through both our experiences working in the environmental education field and marine sports sector, they decided to take the plunge and set up The Paddle Shack in the summer of 2017.  

Alana loves teaching people, meeting people and imparting some marine biology knowledge as you paddle.  The more people that have a positive experience with the water, the more they are going to care for it in the future!  

And SUP is also an amazing way to do this.

The Paddle Shack offers group and private lessons, SUP Wise learn to SUP certificate courses, SUP tours, team building and rentals  for kids, adults, backpackers, parties, hens and stag parties, school groups, and corporates.

They also offer rentals and doggy paddles. 

Tours explore the local river and landing at secret coves.  Also includes the infamous SUP & SIP paddle.  Get on board and paddle up the river Dart to the beautiful riverside town of Dittisham, (about 3 hours), stop for lunch and get the ferry back. 

In all the sessions, Alana provides a wealth of information and interesting stories about the local wildlife and marine environment.

Sessions can be tailor made for a special occasion or groups, so there is something for everybody. 

The Paddle Shack also hold AALA licencing so they can work with school groups and have in the past worked alongside young people with learning difficulties, to give them the opportunity, like everybody else, to get on board and get exploring

The Paddle Shack is based out of Coronation Park, Dartmouth, Devon, UK. 

They are lucky to have both the beautiful river Dart and the South west coast on their doorstep to explore, which means they have some beautiful spots to explore and you can spot a huge variety of wildlife too, including the lovely resident seal colony! 

There is also a lot of history in Dartmouth.  Paddle past the departure point of the Mayflower in 1620.  See the 2 beautiful riverside castles built by King Henry 8th (16th century), situated at the mouth of the river and paddle up to Agatha Christie's house up river.  

Dartmouth is a lively, bustling old town with a rich maritime history, tonnes of pubs, restaurants, shops, cafes and amenities, so it has something for everyone. 

Based on River Dart, and near the ocean  there are plenty of locations for water activities. 

Discover Dartmouth. More information....