Surf paddleboarders urged to get insured

Surf paddleboarders urged to get insured

Amid the prolonged spell of warm weather, hundreds of Islanders are now taking to the water on the craft but risk a £2,000 fine if they are caught surfing them without the correct policy in place.

Bjorn Risebrow, deputy Coastguard and VTS manager, is now calling on anyone who wants to surf paddleboards in Jersey to join one of the dedicated clubs.

‘There is not a registration scheme per se for stand-up paddleboards but there is a requirement there for anyone using [surfing] a board to be insured for third-party liability,’ he said.

‘If you should have an accident without insurance in place and injure somebody and it is brought to our attention, you could be sued for damages and you would also be in breach of the law.

‘A club will often offset the cost of insurance or include it altogether and they should be your first point of call.’

Tim Rowe, chairman of the Jersey Paddle Club, said the numbers of people taking up paddleboarding had increased over the last few years.

‘We have seen a real acceleration in the growth of paddleboarding. It is not necessarily people who have joined the club or people we surf with but just generally,’ he said. ‘Inflatable paddleboards have had a huge influence on the popularity of it and sales of them are doing really well.

‘I could not put an exact figure on it but there are hundreds more people doing it than there were a few years ago. It is just such an accessible sport.’

The Coastguard said that surfboards, windsurfing boards and surf-riding kayaks must also be insured.

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