How paddleboarding conquered Britain: the delights and dangers of the nation’s fastest-growing sport

It is calming and meditative – but more and more paddleboarders are needing to be rescued. Here is how to enjoy the water while staying safe

Pamela Muirhead had been looking forward to her first paddleboarding session, but the enjoyment lasted all of seven minutes. “Then, pure terror,” she says. She had won a competition for a free session at Maidens beach in Ayrshire, and set off cautiously while her two teenage children and the instructor watched from the shore. After about five minutes, she was attempting to stand up on the board. A few minutes later, “the weather changed very fast”, she says. “The wind really picked up – and the rain.” She found herself quickly drifting out to sea.

Muirhead was swept three miles out, in winds that got up to about 46mph. She tried frantically to paddle back, but didn’t get anywhere. When she stopped, she could feel herself being blown away faster. “The waves were horrific,” she says. The board rocked violently, but she managed to stay seated. “I thought: ‘This is getting really bad.’ I just had to keep myself centred on the board and stay upright. It was my main focus and very draining.”