Four New Ways to Try Paddleboarding This Summer

Photograph by Jodi Caplan

Touring

Rent a board at Charles River Canoe & Kayak to explore the Charles River and the Esplanade lagoons either on your own or with a guided tour, many of which start at the outfit’s Kendall Square location. Beginner and intermediate lessons are also available.

$49 for rental and guided tour, 617-965-5110, paddleboston.com.

After Dark

NightSUP, created by Cape Ann SUP co-owners Dominic Olivo and Tyler Knight, offers evening paddles on patent-pending glow-in-the-dark boards. “We take a board that’s perfectly fine and then scar it up with some sandpaper, then install LED light strips, smooth it out with resin, and waterproof it,” Olivo says.

$65, 978-233-1787, capeannsup.com.

Yoga

The extra balance required to do yoga on a board helps build concentration and core strength, and being on the water can be very meditative. For stability, SUP-Yo’s boards are secured with one-and-a-half-pound anchors. The Beverly and Hingham classes are led by owner and yoga instructor Jana Olenio.

$35, 978-361-5394, sup-yo.com.

Surfing

While most paddleboarding is done on flat water, SUP Sonas offers participants the chance to “take a wave like a surfer would” on breaks at Nantasket Beach, in Hull, or at beaches in Rye, New Hampshire, says owner Stacey Mac. Classes start between 6 and 9 a.m. to avoid swimmers.

$45–$85 for lessons, 707-847-6627, supsonas.com.

Summer Sun, by the Numbers 

200
Number of deaths caused by melanoma in Massachusetts every year.

50
The highest sun protection factor (SPF) you should seek out in a sunscreen, according to Joseph Merola, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Higher SPFs aren’t any more effective.

17.6 to 21
Number of people per 100,000 diagnosed with skin cancer in the state in 2010 (tied with California).

30%
Percentage of men’s melanoma cases originating on the back.