WSA welcomes the MAIB report into the tragic incident in October 2021 on the Western Cleddau river in Haverfordwest. As a Membership organisation for the Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) sector, we would like to make our Members aware of the MAIB’s important findings to help ensure an incident such as this does not happen again.  This report highlights some important lessons for everyone using a SUP, particularly on a river - recreationally or professionally.  Firstly, we must recognise the enormous impact this incident has had.  Four fellow SUP enthusiasts lost their lives and the lives of many more will have changed irrecoverably. Our thoughts and condolences go to those who have lost loved ones or been impacted by this incident.

As with all serious incidents, there is little positive to come from them. There is however an opportunity to learn vital lessons that will help reduce the likelihood of a repeat event in the future. WSA is one of the most established SUP organisations in the UK and is one of very few training bodies for the SUP sector at the heart of this fast-growing adventure activity. That is why we want to help ensure that WSA Members, and all those recreational SUP owners, are clear about the lessons this report highlights. We will therefore take the time to review this report in detail and liaise with other organisations invested in SUP safety to prepare some guidance based on the learning this report highlights. Ahead of this, our top ten tips to safer SUPing might be of interest to some here.

The fast rise in popularity in the SUP sport is great to see but it is important that everyone is aware of the inherent risks and how to mitigate them, particularly when SUP’ing on rivers. For many years, WSA have been working with manufacturers of SUP equipment to improve the safety of paddlers, we have written articles and produced videos, we have trained hundreds of people from entry level personal paddler courses right up to expedition SUP Guide training and we have hosted SUP conferences with a strong focus on safety.  

This MAIB report will spur our team on even further to continue this education and training focus in order to help spread the word about safe SUPing to help reduce the likelihood of any similar incidents.