Stand-up paddleboarding

In the last few years, stand-up paddleboarding has grown from a fringe activity to a bona fide water sport. Otherwise known as SUP, it’s a wonderful way to get out on the water and explore the natural surroundings of Sydney while getting a great full-body workout. 

SUP in Sydney

If you're keen to give it a go in Sydney, there are several SUP schools situated along Sydney's spectacular coastline that will teach you the basics, including Watsons Bay Stand Up Paddling, Manly Kayak Centre in Manly, Let’s Go SUP in La Perouse, and Cronulla SUP.

Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve, Manly

It’s not hard to get the hang of it and once you feel confident, you can explore the water and bays on your own. Stand-up paddleboards are available for hire at various locations across Sydney: in the city, try Rose Bay Aquatic Hire, Point Piper Kayak Centre and Watsons Bay Stand Up Paddling; in the north, Manly Kayak Centre, Balmoral Paddle Surf and Paddlecraft in Pittwater; in the south, Bundeena Kayaks and the Audley Boatshed in the Royal National Park; and in the west Horizon Line, near the Nepean River.

For something a little different, why not try yoga on a paddleboard. Flow mOcean in Manly offers ocean-based yoga on a paddleboard.

Stand-up paddleboarding, Bundeena

Just out of town

A little further afield but just as beautiful as Sydney Harbour is sparkling Pittwater in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, spend a day discovering this Northern Beaches basin. The meandering Hawkesbury River in the Hawkesbury is another waterside haven just two hours from Sydney.

Other splendid natural waterways for paddling include Kangaroo Creek in Audley in the Royal National Park, the Hacking River estuary in Bundeena, Lane Cove River in the Lane Cove National Park, the Nepean River in Penrith in Western Sydney and Narrabeen Lagoon in the Northern Beaches.