We’ve tried Sunset SUP, we’ve tried Mangrove SUP. Now let’s go MEGA with Surfmate Borneo!
Bond with family or friends as you work as a team to steer and paddle this huge paddleboard through the water, and explore the enchanting beauty of Tanjung Aru beach!
Hello Sabah team had the opportunity to join Surfmate Borneo for a day of fun in the sun with their Mega Stand Up Paddling.
This board is basically a monster-sized SUP! It can fit up to 8 people and is ideal for team building activities (you’ll need as much teamwork as you can get for this water activity).
The challenge is to stay balanced on the board as a group while paddling at the same tempo. This activity not only puts your teamwork to the test, but is also a total body workout.
Our experience begins at Tanjung Aru, where we met Darrel at Surfmate Borneo’s base camp to sign up and grab our SUP gears – a life jacket and a paddle for each of us.
Following that, our SUP guide, Joe (who has accompanied us on many of our SUP adventures), walked us to the beach and gave us a safety briefing and paddle tutorial.
Things to check:
✔ Everyone is wearing a life jacket that is tightly strapped to their body. Be sure to tighten your life jacket between your legs to keep it from riding up above your head in case you fall in the water.
✔ The paddle is within the correct length for you to paddle comfortably. An incorrect length will result in poor posture and muscular soreness in the wrong spots.
Once we’re all set up, off we went into the waters!
The first step of riding the SUP is to make sure all your team members get on it first. The way to do it is to sit on the board (as the water is still steep) and climb yourself up.
We took our time figuring out the best position for our team to balance the board. And once we were ready, we slowly paddled our way to the Sand Bar!
Paddling itself was exhausting! Not only did we have to stay in sync, but we were also going against a strong current that day, which was quite a workout for us. Having the right teammates, on the other hand, makes a difference since you will be motivating each other as you paddle (or laugh throughout the whole ride).
This is us at the Sand Bar!
Because the tide was high, the entire tiny island was submerged, and all that could be seen were waves crashing on top of it (something we’ve never seen before).
Joe wanted to snap a picture of all of us standing on the board, but it’s not as simple as it seems.
Standing on the board requires a lot of balancing practise. Some people may find it easy, while others may struggle. But that’s the fun of the Mega SUP!
We were fortunate that day to be able to see both the magnificent Mount Kinabalu and THE MOON! It was such a rare sight!
We returned to land at the end of the day after various photo sessions and as the sun set beautifully over the sea. Back at the camp base, we returned all of the equipment and changed into clean and dry clothes.
Thank you Surfmate Borneo and Borneo Exotika for this fun adventure!
Hope to see you guys again soon!
If you’d like to experience it yourself, book an activity with Surfmate Borneo. You can also test out their standard SUP if you want to explore the water on your own board. Plan a session whether at sunrise, sunset, or even at night!
For more activities, check out:
Borneo Exotika – Website, FB, Instagram
