More Than a Workout: Studying SUP and Mental Well-Being

If you already love paddleboarding, you probably don’t need a research paper to tell you it makes you feel good. There is something special about being on the water, the focus needed to balance, or just getting away from everyday stress. Paddleboarding often leaves people feeling better than when they started.

However, even though SUP’s popularity has grown massively in the UK, there’s still surprisingly little research that looks at how and why paddleboarding might support your mental well-being. That is exactly what our research aims to explore.

A lot of paddleboarding research so far has focused on physical benefits like balance, strength, and endurance. All great things, but they don’t tell the whole story.

For many paddlers, SUP is:

• A mental reset
• A way to de-stress
• A break from screens and routines
• A chance to reconnect with nature

The study focuses on mental well-being, exploring how paddleboarding may be linked to feeling mentally well. The goal is not to make big claims or replace professional support, but to better understand SUP as a positive lifestyle activity.

One big question our research explores is whether where people paddleboard most often influences their mental well-being.

Paddleboarding can happen almost anywhere:

• Coastal waters
• Rivers
• Lakes
• Canals
• Harbours
• Urban Waterways

All of these are examples of what researchers call “blue spaces”, environments that include water and are linked to psychological benefits. But, there's still very little research comparing how different blue spaces might shape SUP experience.

Our study will look at whether coastal paddling has a different effect on well-being than inland paddling.

Another focus of the research is the frequency of SUP. Not everyone can get out on the water multiple times a week, and that shouldn’t be a barrier to enjoying the benefits of SUP.

This study looks at realistic participation (weekly, monthly and yearly paddling) to reflect how most people engage with the sport. Understanding this could help make paddleboarding feel more accessible and less performance-driven.

This research is still in progress, and results aren’t available yet. But asking these questions matters.

For the SUP community, better evidence around well-being can help:

• Support inclusive participation, not just performance-focused paddling
• Support brands, clubs and instructors, and organisations in promoting SUP responsibly
• Help outdoor recreation providers design better programs
• Support funding for accessible SUP and other blue-space initiatives
• Strengthen the scientific understanding of how nature-based activities support mental health

At its heart, this research is about listening to real paddlers and understanding the well-being benefits experienced by SUP participation.

If you paddleboard and would like to contribute to this research, you can take part by completing a short online survey (10/20 minutes). It will ask you about your SUP habits, where you usually paddle, and how you feel in day-to-day life, and provide the opportunity to expand on your answers. All responses are anonymous.
Who can take part?

• Anyone aged 18+
• Living in the UK
• Has paddleboarded at least once in the last year
• All experience levels are welcome

Why take part?

Your experiences will help build a better understanding of SUP and mental well-being, supporting the future of SUP as an accessible and positive activity.

Here is the link to our study if you would like to participate anonymously:

https://run.pavlovia.org/pavlovia/survey-2025.2.0/?surveyId=d82a4938-d40d-4323-9ccf-7eb14c0a4a79

Want to Learn More? Previous Research on Water, SUP and Well-being

If you're interested in the science behind why being on the water feels so good and other research on SUP benefits, here are a few examples of research that inspired this study:

Research on blue spaces showing links between water-based environments and improved mental well-being:

White, M. P., Elliott, L. R., Gascon, M., Roberts, B., & Fleming, L. E. (2020). Blue space, health and well-being: A narrative overview and synthesis of potential benefits. Environmental Research, 191, Article 110169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110169

Research on how SUP can support mental well-being in those with mental disorders:

Sparre, P. W., & Østergaard, E. B. (2023). Freedom on Water through Stand-Up Paddling: A qualitative study on physical bodily experiences and their influence on mental health. Scandinavian Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 5, 10–20. https://doi.org/10.7146/sjsep.v5i.130857

Østergaard, E. B., Sparre, P. W., & Jesper Dahlgaard. (2024). Two-and-a-Half-Year Follow-up Study with Freedom on Water through Stand-up Paddling: Exploring Experiences in Blue Spaces and Their Long-Term Impact on Mental Well-Being. Healthcare, 12(10), 1004–1004. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12101004