Paddle Diva Helps Water Enthusiasts Hop Onboard New Sport

EAST HAMPTON, NY — Gina Bradley says she can turn anyone into a "paddle diva" — all it takes is the ability to walk.

Bradley, a former windsurfer, says she started paddle boarding “before the sport even came into the limelight” and began her business, Paddle Diva, in 2009 with six boards.

Today, Bradley, who teaches others the basics of the sport, now has 40 boards and two locations in the Hamptons.

Her husband, she said, had one of the first prototype stand up paddle boards.

"I jumped on it and knew this would be a sport that would take off,” Bradley said. "Stand up paddle boarding is a head-to-toe workout that exercises your body as well as your mind. When we paddle away from the shore we leave behind all the stresses and pressure of daily life.”

Paddling, she said, is also an effective workout, involving balance, strength and conditioning.

“If you can walk, you can SUP,” Bradley said. “You just need the willingness to try."

And even those who can't walk are able to participate in the sport, she said.

Paddle Diva began as a business aimed at teaching women how to paddle board, Bradley said.

“But men kept joining us and now I have equal numbers of men and women clients," she said.

Bradley's vision for Paddle Diva is to make stand up paddle boarding accessible to all, "no matter their age, body type or ability," she said.

There’s no reason to be afraid to take the proverbial paddle plunge, she said. “Just enjoy the fall,” Bradley said. “There is absolutely nothing that will happen if you fall into the water. Just make sure you laugh when you come up." Fun is the objective, she said.

Her client list includes some famous faces, Bradley said. “I have worked with many well know people." Two of her first clients included Christy Turlington and Ed Burns, who brought their kids and Christy's sisters.

"They were delightful and so much fun to have out on the water," she said.

The East End is the ideal locale to test the waters, Bradley said. "The water here is amazing, thanks to the Town trustees and the community.”

Bradley's top paddle boarding locations include the northern bays, Three Mile Harbor, Accabonac Harbor, Sag Harbor and Northwest Harbor.

But Bradley, an environmentalist said some of the area's ponds suffer from degradation. “Sagaponack Pond, Georgica Pond and Hook Mill Pond are gorgeous, but the water quality needs to get back up. We need to rid them of the blue green algae. That will happen when we replace out septic systems and stop fertilizing our lawns.”

Bradley, who says she was inspired by the Hamptons to follow her dream, wants to encourage others to do the same on the East End. To that end, she's written a book about her experiences set for publication next year.

The book, she said, "will take readers from dreaming to doing — so that they live the life they have always dreamed about.”

For more info on Paddle Diva, click here.