Paddle boards lay strewn on the shores of White Rock Lake. (Photo by Rasy Ran)
Brittany Smith and her dachshund, Bandito Burrito Smith. (Photo by Rasy Ran)
Each week at White Rock Lake you can see something you probably never thought you would see on a lake: surfers. A group of stand up paddle boarders (SUP) — basically surfers with an oar — have been hitting the lake recently and taking advantage of the waters at White Rock.
Tyler Marshall, the man behind the paddle boarding events and the proprietor of DFW Surf, is one of the early SUP pioneers in north Texas.
“We’ve been doing this since 2007, so almost 10 years,” Marshall says.
Recently his paddle boarding crew started hosting meet-ups at White Rock Lake in conjunction with the Dallas Arboretum’s Cool Thursday Concert Series.
Marshall says it’s a chance to learn how to paddle, “but it’s free to the public, so everyone’s welcome.”
Initially Marshall had plans to do larger events at the lake and charge admission, but the city never approved the idea.
Despite the mix up, the meet-ups will continue on White Rock Lake. Marshall says they are designed to be new user friendly.
People just need to show up ready to get into the lake, Marshall says.
“A lot of people ask, ‘Hey, what do I wear?’ All you need is normal outdoor activity or swimsuit apparel,” Marshall says. “But there’s no swimming in White Rock so if you do fall in you have to get right back on the board. Everything else is taken care of. We have all the equipment and instructors and everything.”
Jackie Diggs, with her dogs Marley and, left, and Ruby. (Photo by Rasy Ran)
All first timers are asked to show up early, at least 30 minutes, to learn the basics before getting out on the water. A tour of the lake begins at 7 p.m. before returning around sunset at 8:30 p.m.
Marshall says getting people out on the water together — first timers or otherwise — is about creating a communal event. That goal is seeing some success in its early days: Each week about half of the attendees are new to SUP.
And SUP events in north Texas in general have been on the rise.
“There’s a huge Texas paddle racing series. There are going to be about 10 races in Texas this year,” Marshall says. “It’s getting a lot bigger. It’s grown from about 50 to 100 or 150 people racing, depending on the race.”
In addition to the meet-ups, Marshall and his crew also teach beginner and intermediate classes, SUP yoga and surf classes.
If you’re looking for more information on the meet up or SUP, you can visit Marshall’s website, DFWsurf.com.
DFW Surf members meet every Thursday until October, inviting out members old and new to paddling and kayaking at White Rock Lake. (Photo by Rasy Ran)
