Day 33 - Aguaglide 'Admunson'

I departed my friends Steve and Melissa's house in Upstate New York at 9:00 AM and a bit more than 15 hours of travel put me in San Diego after 9:00 PM west coast time. On the East coast where I started my day the stroke of midnight had passed by a full hour by the time I got on the water in Mission Bay at 10:15 PM. so I'll leave it up to debate if I truly paddled this board on May 19th or the 20th. I honestly was a bit tired after the long day of travel and didn't want to fuss with digging out the gear for a kayak, so a simple outing on a standup board was just the thing. I circumvented the bag o' boats selection process and just grabbed the SUP board that was easiest to pull off the top of our rack which happened to be the Admunson.

I had plans to paddle around Vacation Island in Mission Bay but changed my mind and opted for a fun route that leads to the north end of Mariner's cove then a short portage across West Mission Bay Drive back into the water behind the Bahia resort and back around to our dock. It's the simplicity of gear (board-paddle-leash) and the ease of transportation that I really love about standup paddling. The fact that there is so little gear involved and that you can carry the board (very easily) for blocks is what opens up a whole new world of routes that you can paddle in the San Diego area and I'm sure other places as well.

A year and a half ago our Werner paddle rep Dan Gavere convinced us that we needed to carry Werner SUP paddles and of course if we had the paddles we certainly needed a board. Hence he sold us the Admunson board and we all gave it a go and fell in love with standup paddling. Dan is sort of the Johnny Appleseed of standup paddling to the non-surfing population. He is at the forefront of whitewater standup paddling which has certainly taken this 'new' sport to a place nobody ever expected. You absolutely don't need to surf to enjoy this sport, just cruising with the higher vantage point a standup board provides can change your experience on a body of water you've paddled a thousand times in a canoe or kayak. Folks worry (too much) about falling off of these boards. It may sound strange but I take out a paddle board when I DON'T want to get wet. Once you've got a grasp of the board's limits they feel very stable. If you ever get a chance to give standup paddling a try I highly recommend it. The Admunson has proven to be a confidence inspiring board for most of the beginners we get at Aqua Adventures. The entirely foamed top and rails also means beginners won't be banging it up with their paddles. The board feels very stable right from the start, has a nice glide, and handles very easily.

Admunson Review

Manufacturer = Aguaglide
Brand = Aquaglide
Model = Admunson
Type = Stand up paddle board
Material = Fiberglass/foam
Length = 11'-3"
Width = 29.5"
Weight = 29 lbs.

Location = Mission Bay (Mariner's cove portage loop)
Time = 10:15 PM
Distance = Aprox 3 miles
Duration = 1:00 hour
Avg. Speed = N/A
Conditions = Partly cloudy and breezy