Adventuring and Instructing - With WSA's Ben Longhurst

In this week's interview we feature Ben Longhurst, the Technical Director of the innovative UK organisation, The Water Skills Academy (WSA).Water Skills Academy cover a number of bases … they run expeditions and SUP holidays across the world, they run SUP industry events and in person events to inspire and keep paddlers informed and they were particularly active during the initial UK lockdowns with webinars...which certainly kept morale up when we couldn't get onto the waterWSA's core mission is to offer courses to build skills and certify instructors for adventure guiding, surfing, lifesaving and a number of other specialisms. The topic of instructors isn’t something which we’ve covered before on the podcast, and while there are some clear benefits to getting coached, whatever your level, there are also real benefits to becoming an instructor, because it's fun particularly introducing people into the sport.Ben is an experienced adventurer in his own right and we also talk about his experience descending the worlds deepest gorge in Nepal and the west coast of ScotlandIn the episode we also talk about:Sian Sykes' SUPfm Episode which is here: https://www.supfmpodcast.com/episode/circumnavigating-wales-by-sup-and-other-adventuresWSA's Lockdown Webinars here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7USWXLNQdYDnBXJZ-AkTlbFn8R6kKsp_Check out the video of Ben's spectacular expedition in Nepal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH4Ts3XTnZgVisit the WSA Website here : https://www.waterskillsacademy.com/Connect with WSA on social media Facebook https://www.facebook.com/waterskillsacademyInstagram https://www.instagram.com/waterskillsacademy/This episode is brought to you in association with Starboard. Starboard has a long history in board design, with Svein Rasmussen entering the windsurfing market with innovative designs back in 1994, building the brand to become market leader within a decade. The brand was quick to recognise the huge potential of stand up paddling and while maintaining careful consideration for their environmental impact, have continuously strived to produce the best boards and paddles for all abilities. Visit Starboard at https://sup.star-board.com/Keep up with SUPfm on Facebook: @SUPfmPodcast  Instagram: @supfmpodcast or subscribe to our newsletter and get your free guide to the best apps we recommend, to live your best SUP life (scroll down) https://www.supfmpodcast.com/ Our comprehensive online SUP safety course gives you the knowledge you need to keep safe on the water and all for less than the price of an hours on water tuition (£37) . It's available here at https://supfm.thinkific.com/See you on the water!

Om Podcasten

We talk with guests about fitness, technique and any SUP subject geared to help and inspire across all skill and experience levels and give you what you need to get the most out of your stand-up paddleboard experience. We cover all disciplines from SUP foiling and white-water SUP to down-winding and we discuss issues affecting stand-up paddlers globally. Our mission is to help you get on your board more, move your paddling onto the next level and increase the physical and mental health benefits for everyone who has embraced the sport world-wide. If you have a story to tell, or would like to share your stoke then DM us on Instagram @supfmpodcast