Introducing ASI SUP Instructor - Andrew Decha Lim

SINGAPORE. Andrew Decha Lim is an ASI Level 2 SUP Instructor based in Singapore. A windsurfer of 35 years Andrew noticed that the wind pattern was becoming erratic due to climate change and spent more time waiting on land than out on the water, so he turned to SUP. He is currently a SUP Instructor in Singapore teaching people from all walks of life. 

 

 

I am an outdoor type of person most of my life. I was windsurfing for the past 35 yrs and doing other board sports in between.

 

 

 

With the current climate change, the wind pattern has been erratic. As a windsurfer, the lack of wind brought along less time on the water and more time waiting on land. SUP not only lets me spend more time on the water when the wind is not blowing but also give me the much-needed body workout. I also found out that paddling in rough and windy condition can be a really challenging workout.

 

 

 

When I first started SUP, there was only a small community of people doing it here in Singapore. We were learning how to paddle from what is available on the internet and from those people who have more experience. There was no real SUP school or certified instructors at that time to teach the basic or proper technique. Learning was through trial and error. When ASI came over to Asia to conduct courses for SUP instructors, I decided to attend the ASI course as SUP was a growing sport at that time and I believe that learners should be taught the basic in a standardized and recognized format. 

 

 

 

Still a SUP instructor!

 

 

 

You will be surprised at the age groups that are able to take up the sport. I have taught people from 10 years old to someone in their late 60s!! Not many sports I’ve come across can accommodate such a wide age group. Teaching such a wide diversity of age group has made each lesson different and interesting. It’s not the same every time.

 

 

 

There was one incident in which I was teaching for a school programme.  As a standard procedure in the SUP school which I was teaching for, participants from schools are required to put on a buoyancy jacket. They were also asked if anyone was a non-swimmer and no one said no. As the class progressed and the sea got rougher, students started to fall off their boards. There was this particular guy who fell off his board near me and he lost hold of the paddle. I told him to swim back to his board first then to prone paddle the board to retrieve his paddle. I noticed that instead of swimming forward to his board, he was swimming backwards away from his board. I asked him why is he swimming backwards instead of forward, and that’s when he told me that he didn’t know how to swim!! At that moment I was like what the @#$%, jumped off my board and helped him back to his board and retrieved his paddle. I asked him why he did not mention that he was a non-swimmer earlier on, but he just flashed a cheeky grin. I guess it must be the peer pressure that everyone in his class was a swimmer and he was not. That’s why he did not voice up when asked. I asked if he is afraid to continue, he says hell no, he wants to continue having fun with his mates. Well, I did let him continue with the lesson but kept a close watch on him. He did manage to paddle in open water with all the requirements at the end of the lesson. However, I did advise him to go take up swimming lessons before he left. 

Looking back, I think that SUP has broken down a lot of fear of the water for a lot of people especially for young people. That guy has shown me that when they are with friends having fun, all fear is forgotten. However, it also has changed my way of teaching and asking who a non-swimmer is especially when dealing with young participants in a group. Every lesson that you teach, you will always learn how to be better.

 

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About ASI

ASI is a professional membership organisation and international governing body for instructors, coaches and schools in the outdoor recreation industry for surfing, stand up paddle and bodyboarding.

We set the standards for education, accreditation, professional development and ongoing support for our members, offering pathways from entry level to elite level.

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ASI Accredited Schools abide by the high international standards for operations, training and safety.

 

 

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