Carlo Raffa

Carlo Raffa is a blogger, stand-up paddleboard enthusiast, water lover and local to Brighton city in the South of England.

Paddle boarding is my escape and this is only the starting point. Being a larger guy at 260lbs I am finding it very good exercise as well, especially for building core muscles. This is something that believe it or not cycling 16 miles a day at 6 miles per hour doesn't seem to be doing.

Paddle Boarding allows me to just grab my board and walk right through the busy bar filled beachfront between the two piers in Brighton and head straight out of shore. It's not long before the shouting and cheering of our buzzing beach fade into just the lapping waves and the people to just small dots of the Brighton shoreline.

There are an increasing number of paddleboard brands popping up. However, Bluefin is a really good well-established brand with quality boards. They have brought prices down to stay ahead of these newcomers. Bluefin paddle boards are incredibly well-rated and reviewed. They are among the stiffest boards on the market. Their weight carrying capacities are accurate. …

Outdoor sports equipment is inevitable to wear and tear. Paddleboards are no exception no matter how much effort you make to be careful. Your paddleboard might hit a corner when taking it out of the shed, or just simply slip out of your hands and hit a rock. The surf fanatics would know the value …

Deals: we love ‘em. Any chance there is to save money, you, of course, will jump on it. That said, you always keep the old adage in the back of your mind: you get what you pay for. If you were to scrimp and opt for a cheaper paddleboard, are they worth considering? Cheap paddleboards …

As we discussed in a recent article, paddle boarding requires bodily strength, the right gear, and of course, a paddle board. You won’t get very far on your board without a paddle, though. How exactly do you hold a paddle when paddle boarding? To hold a paddle when paddleboarding, you have to: Stand straight Put …

Every spring, Costco stocks a number of paddleboards for sale. Paddle boards have been a recurring element in Costco spring range for quite a few years now. As always with low-cost stores and chains of stores, there is an excellent reason to question how good these boards really are. Yes, indeed they are. The boards …

Deciding to buy a paddle board is only the beginning of your journey. Next, you have to select the board brand you’ll use. One brand that may have come up in your research is Decathlon. Are their paddle boards any good or should you keep looking? Decathlon paddle boards are indeed regarded as quite good …

You’ve been recreationally riding a paddle board for a while now. You love it, but you’ve also decided you want more of a challenge. Thus, you’ve entered a paddleboard race. How do you go about preparing your body and mind for this demanding type of SUP riding? To have a successful paddleboard race, we recommend …

You like the convenience of using an inflatable paddle board over a hard board. Should you want to inflate your board before you go out on the water, you can. You also have the freedom to pump up your SUP at your location. Still, when it comes to how you inflate your paddle board, you’re …

After a satisfying day of stand-up paddle boarding, you wake up the next morning feeling sore. It’s the same type of soreness after a good workout. That has you wondering, are you working your muscles when SUP riding? If so, which ones? Overall, there are 11 muscles paddle boarding works: Lungs (diaphragm) Heart Quadriceps Hamstring …

During the Spring and the Summer, my paddle board has been very happily living in the boot of my car, but once we start heading into the cold seasons, I will be properly storing my paddle board equipment away till next year. The way your stand up paddle (SUP) board is stored depends on whether …