SUP Quick Release Leashes

Are you using the safest SUP leash set up? 

SUP safety has been heavily discussed in the past few years, as more of us take to the water in the fastest growing water sport of the decade. In canoeing and kayaking, the thought of attaching yourself to your craft is considered ludicrous yet in the world of SUP it's widely considered the safest option. 

Being linked to our paddleboard certainly has it's benefits. Much like a surfboard, when we're separated from our board it won't disappear off into the distance with a leash firmly attached to our body. Without a secure connection between us and board, we can be rendered stranded hundreds of metres away from dry land. An inflatable SUP, or iSUP, is lightweight and without us on the board, can travel quickly with wind or water flow. 

We don't just need to think about how the leash is attached to us but also the type of leash we're using. As with any piece of equipment, we should ensure the leash is undamaged across it's entire length so it's unlikely to break and fail when we need it. There are three main leash types; straight, coiled and elastic. 

Straight.

In short, a straight (uncoiled) leash should only be used in surf. In this environment, once we're separated from our board, we want it to drift away from us to the maximum length of the leash. This ensures that the board isn't clattered against our head by crashing waves, saving us from some potentially nasty injuries. A long uncoiled leash does produce a larger entrapment hazard because the extra length has a higher chance of getting snagged on obstacles in the water, hence we only use straight leashes in surf. 

Coiled.

These are used in every other environment other than surf. Most of these actually have the same length as the straight, uncoiled leashes. The coiled shape of them provides two major benefits; when being worn they are much shorter (when not under tension) so have a lower chance of being snagged, and they are springy! A springy leash means that once we're separated from our board, the board will drift back to us once the leash has been stretch out. 

Elastic.

These leashes have all the same benefits of a coiled leash but don't have the same coiled shape. Instead, they consist of a sheathed length of elastic cord. Without coils along their length, there is an even lower chance of snagging objects in the water. We've found that two coiled leashes have an extraordinary ability to intertwine themselves, connecting two boards and two paddlers! Using elastic leashes avoids this problem. 

How do we safely attach our leashes?

Almost all leashes have cuffs at their ends which are secured with velcro around our ankle. Some have larger cuffs that can be put around our thigh above our knee; doing this means the leash isn't draped across the boards surface and isn't in our way once we're trying to move around the board. 

With the leash attached to our ankle or leg, it's impossible to reach and undo if the leash gets tangled. The video below shows what can happen when our leash is entrapped and the flow forces our body downstream. 

To more safely attach the leash to ourselves, we can use a quick release belt. This is worn around the waist or chest, and the leash is attached to this belt instead of our leg. Using a waist belt has a number of safety benefits; we can quickly and reliably detach ourselves from our board, we can detach ourselves proactively before becoming entrapped and if our leash does get snagged, it's still possible to reach the release buckle on the belt. Towards the end of the video above, Barry shows the difference when using a quick release belt. 

Our video below shows just how simple it is to release your leash when it's connected to a quick release belt!

Author: Jordan Palmer