Paddleboard Adventures With A Marine Biologist - An Interview With ASI SUP Instructor, Alana Bonnick

Alana Bonnick is a marine biologist, an environmental Educator and now an ASI SUP instructor based in Dartmouth, Devon in the UK. ASI spoke to Alana about her background in marine sciences and ecology and how paddleboarding became the perfect platform for educating people about the importance of preserving the beautiful coastal environments we get to enjoy in the UK.
 

How did you get involved in SUP in the first place and what led you to become an ASI SUP instructor?

I grew up exploring the wild west coast of Wales and used to kayak, surf and sail. I remember when I was about 10 standing on a windsurf board and using a kayak paddle and being amazed at how I could explore the water standing up! That was the closest experience I had to paddle boarding until about 10 years ago. I now live in Devon and here we are blessed to have some incredible rivers, beaches and surf and a host of amazing wildlife.

“I love the versatility of paddle boarding and the fact that you can set off on a real adventure”

I love the versatility of paddle boarding and the fact that you can set off on a real adventure. Whilst working as a marine educator I skippered a boat out to educate members of the public about our incredible Atlantic seal colony situated just out of the mouth of the river Dart. Whilst surveying the seal colony I noticed that none of the seals were behaving naturally around the loud noise of the engine of the RIB. However, when I tried paddle boarding out I would just be able to observe them, well, just being them! Swimming around, dancing under my board. It was at that point that I realised that paddle boarding was just a fantastic, low impact way to travel on the water and learn about the wonderful wildlife within. I thought to myself if i can encourage more people to get on the water in this non-invasive way, then they may start caring for the marine environment and in turn start trying to protect it! It was at that point that my journey to becoming a paddle boarding instructor began.

 

You have a background in marine biology and describe yourself as an environmental educator; tell us more about that

From a young age I have always been fascinated by the ocean so I went on to study Marine biology and coastal ecology at Plymouth University. It was a fantastic few year which gave me opportunities to travel to some incredible places around the world to do my research and I worked hard volunteering with wildlife trusts, the shark trust, the marine conservation society and the national aquarium and it was at this point that I decided I wanted to work in public engagement and marine education. 

After studying I went on to work as a marine educator at a fantastic small, grassroots business called Great Escapes, set up by BBC documentarist and marine biologist, Monty Halls, where I skippered boat excursions and ran educational marine walks and travelled the country delivering talks and workshops for schools and adults alike about the marine environment. I later worked as an Environmental Education Ranger for Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, whereby my role was to work alongside schools and members of the public to encourage and educate them about the great outdoors. 

Through all the experience I had accumulated through working in the environmental education field I decided to take the plunge and set up the Paddle Shack. I love teaching people, meeting people and imparting some marine biology knowledge as we paddle. 

 

The ASI is supporting the Cornish Seal Sanctuary by sponsoring a seal pup, have you had any close encounters yourself with seals out on the water?

Seals are such wonderful curious animals, each of them seems to have a different personality! There are so many great stories I could recall but here is just one! I was paddling a group up river last year in September (which is when the seals come up river to reside over winter) I was just turning around to take a picture of the group, when a small juvenile seal just jumped up onto my board! Which at that point sent me jumping into the water! He very quickly decided it wasn't the rock he was looking for and hopped off, which allowed me back on board! 

Your SUP school is in a beautiful part of the world, what sort of wildlife do you see where you paddle?

Thank you! Yes, we are very lucky! In 2017 myself and my husband started The Paddle Shack. We are a paddle board business based in Dartmouth, Devon, UK. We run lessons, trips, tours and rentals. We are lucky enough to have both the beautiful river Dart and the South Coast on our doorstep to explore, which means we can spot a huge variety of wildlife!

Out to sea we have spotted bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, porpoises and of course our lovely residents; the Atlantic Grey seals. The great thing about having a seal colony on your doorstep is they stick around all year and you're more likely to find them up river in the winter, which is where they tend to reside during the pupping season and to take refuge from the winter storms. 

It's great paddling up river during November and seeing them all lounging out on the pontoons. We have also been very lucky to have an otter encounter! Even though they are notoriously elusive the River Dart is home to otters, which is a great indicator that the river is healthy! The River Dart is actually home to an otter sanctuary, which is definitely worth a visit.

 

Paddlers are increasingly coming into contact with marine wildlife, but it's best to give animals their space, right?

Yes, this is so important! It is essential that we respect the fact that when viewing animals in the wild that we don’t encroach on their space. Always keep 100 yards away from marine life as they are wild animals and therefore can be unpredictable. If humans get too close, we can also cause large amounts of stress to the animal which in some cases can result in injury, so it is best to just keep your distance! It is fine if the animal's curiosity gets the better of them and they decide to venture closer, like I said, I've had some very close encounters! But it is just important that it is on their terms.

“If humans get to close, we can also cause large amounts of stress to the animal which in some cases can result in injury, so it is best to just keep your distance!”

 

What's the most important piece of advice you would give the SUP community with regard to the environment?

Be respectful. We are visitors on the sea so it is important to act that way! Remember that the ocean is home to an essential ecosystem that we rely on for our own survival so treat it with the utmost respect! We should be as low impact as possible. If you love the ocean, learn to protect it!

 

COVID has been a challenge for us all this year but we've seen how SUP has been able to offer a healthy escape for paddlers. How has COVID affected you this last year?

We obviously lost half the season as we couldn’t open until lockdown had ended in July and we were forced to close a month earlier than we would have liked to due to the second lockdown in November. However, during the months we were able to open, we have been incredibly lucky to be in the outdoor industry and fortunate that paddle boarding is one of the sports whereby it’s easy to socially distance, and a great way of exercising and enjoying the great outdoors with friends. We had to disinfect all the kit after every session, but it very soon just became just part of our routine. Overall, we have had a great season.

 

It's been a tough year and we're all looking forward to a far more positive 2021. Tell us about some of the things you're looking forward to over the next twelve months.

We are excited to hopefully see a full season through next year, opening from easter through to Christmas! We have a great new team now, so we’re all excited to get on the water again. We have tonnes of events organised from our plastic pickup sessions, our adventure SUP sessions and our wildlife paddle excursions. Bring on 2021!

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us, Alana! Wise words and lots of great advice for anybody enjoying time out on the water. Find out more about Alana’s adventures and join her for a paddle at the Paddle Shack!