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White Water SUP Safety – Inverted Body Roll


When SUPing on whitewater, one overlooked aspect is how to swim safely through stoppers and other obstacles. In this article, Saltwalk Raceteam Captain, Deke, provides a flawless demonstration of an Inverted Body Roll (IBR). The IBR is an extremely valuable skill to have in your WW SUP toolkit. Essential, the IBR is a method of reaching the other side of the board, quickly and safely by using the hydraulic features of the environment to your advantage – There are times when you will need to move from being upstream of the board to being downstream to minimise the risk to you as a swimmer, and moving around the edge of the board will take too long.

The IBR will swiftly move you under the board, and simultaneously flush your sinuses.

In the water
In the water

In the first picture, Deke is in the water, swimming defensively downstream with the board. He’s already spotted an obstacle and is looking to position himself for the IBR.


Starting to roll
Starting to roll

Deke is now entering a large stopper. Underwater, he is bringing his feet up ready to roll.

Rotating
Rotating

Halfway round
Halfway round

In the last two photos, you can see the roll being performed. The key is to let the water do the work for you.


Roll complete
Roll complete

The roll is now complete, and Deke is safely in the downstream side of the board.

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