Trend sport under fire What makes stand-up paddling so problematic
Stand-up paddling is popular. But the trendy sport poses dangers - for people and animals.
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- The number of accidents involving stand-up paddling has risen in Switzerland.
- The trend sport is also a danger to water birds.
- The reason for this is that many water sports enthusiasts do not follow the rules of conduct on rivers and lakes.
On sunny days, they are omnipresent on Swiss waters: stand-up paddlers. Many people use stand-up paddle boards, or SUPs for short, for easy access to the water.
However, this trendy sport comes with risks. Last weekend, a 43-year-old stand-up paddler had a fatal accident on the River Aare. According to accident insurers' statistics, the number of accidents rose from 500 in 2020 to 600 cases per year today.
The increase has to do with the rise in popularity of the sport. After the heavy rainfall of recent weeks and months, the rivers are currently particularly full of water and the current is correspondingly strong.
Water birds abandon breeding
However, the many SUPs not only pose a danger to people, they also threaten the habitats of water birds. And this is true even when the recreational athletes move silently across the water.
The "Natur & Freizeit" association is committed to a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. On its website, it writes: "The silhouette of a human being visible from afar is a threat to most birds, even at a great distance."
If an SUP approaches, some bird species will abandon the nest and their brood. Only a few species, such as the mute swan or the mallard, have become accustomed to humans.
Numerous breaches of the rules
On Swiss lakes, zones where stand-up paddlers are not allowed to paddle are usually marked by signs with a white line on a red background or by yellow buoys. In many places, water sports enthusiasts must keep a distance of 25 meters from the shore; "Natur & Freizeit" even recommends 100 meters.
In reality, however, not everyone sticks to these rules. In the summer of 2023, a master's thesis at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences investigated the misbehavior of SUPs on Zurich's Greifensee and Pfäffikersee lakes. Using surveillance cameras, the student recorded 606 rule violations within two months.
On a cloudless Sunday in July, 47 stand-up paddlers failed to comply with the regulations that apply to the protection of water birds.
It is therefore clear to various nature conservation organizations that further investment in education is needed. Especially as the summer, after a rainy start, is now attracting numerous stand-up paddlers to the water with temperatures of around 30 degrees.
