While navigating the waves, remaining upright is vital for spotting the edge of the earth in time to savor how wrong science was. Stand up to geology with today’s Groupon to SUP Shack, formerly known as Tri Shop Santa Cruz. Choose between the following options:
- For $40, you get a two-hour standup-paddleboard lesson for one (an $80 value).
- For $75, you get a two-hour standup-paddleboard lesson for two (a $160 value).<p>
Founded by endurance enthusiast Trudie Ransom, SUP Shack provides paddleboarding beginners with appropriate gear. By the end of a two-hour introductory SUP lesson, confident swimmers with no prior surfing, paddling, or standing experience can manipulate the blade of a standup paddle with ease as they glide around the calm waters of Santa Cruz Harbor. As paddlers become proficient, they can tone their cores, maintain upright equilibrium, and fend off chain-swinging porpoises as they leave the harbor for a more challenging workout in the open water.
SUP Shack
Trudie Ransom knows just how addictive the sensation of standing above the waves can be. After just a few trips out on her board, she not only began training with the standup-paddleboarding master Andy Whitman from Angulo boards, but also opened up SUP Shack. From her experience shadowing Whitman, she decided the best way to introduce people to the sport was with Angulo's soft, 10-foot boards, which serve as an easy surface to learn on while spending a day on the waves or taking one of the shop's classes or tours. Classes never contain more than six students, allowing each student to have the one-on-one attention needed to master the art of balancing and maneuvering the board. Once pupils are sure of their strokes, the shop's instructors lead guided tours that slip out across the rippling blue mirror and past the sights of the harbor or tackle the more advanced paths past sea-lion habitats. Late-evening tours pause as the sun sets over the ocean, filling the sky with color like somebody inciting peacocks to riot.