Meet our new ASI Instructor Phil Dunn based in West Yorkshire, UK

Here at the ASI we love to hear about our new instructors and how they came to find their love of all things SUP.   ASI Level 2 SUP Instructor Phil Dunn has had an incredible journey to the sport.

Early years A lifelong Beekeeper, pygmy goat enthusiast and bagpipe player, Phil was born in Singapore and spent his early years in Cyprus. His father was in the RAF so they travelled a lot. He grew up in and around water and has spent most of his life windsurfing, land speed racing, paddling, sailing and swimming.

Moving to Yorkshire in the UK he worked as an aircraft fitter and subsequently aircraft engineer making planes such as the Red Arrows for most of his career until he took retirement in 2009. After a shoulder injury and surgery, he turned to SUP to help recovery. He returned to Cyprus after 50 years and paddled the coast and coves of his childhood.

Phil has a multitude of water based qualifications from RYA offshore powerboat, marine radio licence to windsurfing qualifications and surfing experience, so it was only a matter of time until he added SUP to his repertoire.

He is also a Guinness World Record holder when, at Bewl Water in Kent in 2016, 390 SUP paddleboarders competed a mile long course all at the same time putting them in the world record books for the for the largest parade of paddle boarders.

Lost at sea Windsurfing off the Bridlington course with friends one day he snapped his board and drifted 3 miles offshore and 4 miles down from his original location. The conditions on this day were 3ft surf and cross shore winds but the day previous was big and messy. Luckily Phil remembered his safety training and kept calm, held on to all his equipment and managed to swim back into within a mile of shore where the inshore lifeboat then picked him up. He was exhausted but relieved. His friends raised the alarm after he hadn’t returned to shore.

Safety as a priority This experience and having been swept out to sea on an inflatable air bed when he was 5 years old, has put safety and awareness as a priority in Phil’s mind. He regularly tells holidaymakers to not use them in the sea if the wind is blowing offshore to avoid this happening to them.

Completing the ASI Level 2 Instructor training means that Phil can bring his lifelong waterman skills, safety awareness and experience and love for SUP to everyone. Phil offers lessons in and around the Yorkshire Dales and often delivers lessons up at the Lake District national park.

To book a lesson with Phil contact him direct at Philip.dunn1959@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASI (Academy of Surfing Instructors), is the worldwide peak body for Instructors and Coaches in the outdoor recreation and sport industry for surfing, stand up paddle and bodyboarding.
www.academyofsurfing.com

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

International Instructor and Coach Accreditation.  You can travel the world with ASI.
ASI Accredited Schools abide by the high international standards for operations, training and safety.