Useful Planning Info
We’re serious about safety at Paddle North Wales. We love the adventure, and embrace the challenge of wind, waves, tides and currents, but we recognise the importance of a humble attitude to nature’s power. It’s never possible to eliminate the risks - and for many, a degree of hazard adds excitement to the moment. We’re also responsible to ourselves and our buddies, and should take a considered approach each time we go afloat. It’s satisfying to learn useful skills, gain new knowledge, and to take an informed approach to managing risk. This way, a world of (safer) adventure awaits!
The internet is awash with endless water safety and planning information - it can be overwhelming to find reliable information. Here we narrow the options with recommendations to set you on your way. Newcomers can access excellent advice, while more experienced paddlers can compare their knowledge with current best practice. Apps are also available for most recommended information sources.
Water-based activities have inherent risks that must be managed, and can never be eliminated. Paddle sports often take place in hazardous environments, where risks are governed by factors outside our control. We take great care to provide reliable advice - all participants, however, are ultimately responsible for their own safety afloat for which we can accept no liability. See our terms and conditions page for further details.
Go Paddling
https://gopaddling.info/tag/paddling-safely/
Go Paddling is a great source of safety information for all paddle sports - including kayak, canoe and SUP. This series of blog posts covers a wide range of advice for coastal and inland environments, including rivers, surf, canals and lakes. Tips and tactics include equipment advice, trip planning skills, group factors and environmental concerns.
Royal National Lifeboat Institute - RNLI
https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/kayaking-and-canoeing#
https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/stand-up-paddle-boarding
The RNLI is the UK charity responsible for saving lives at sea - its remit covers all water-based activities on the UK coastline, including paddle sports. There is an immense amount of safety advice on their website, with downloadable guidance for all water users.
The RNLI runs a network of lifeboat stations around the north Wales coastline, and is a vital element of search & rescue operations at sea. The charity welcomes donations, and offers annual membership options:
HM Coastguard
HM Coastguard coordinates all maritime search & rescue operations in the UK, through a network of coastguard stations - the north Wales coastline is covered from its Holyhead station. You can contact them directly, or dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. They act as a liaison between water users, the RNLI and other rescue services. Their website contains a range of useful advice and information for paddlers of all kinds.
The Met Office
The UK Meteorological Office produces UK weather information useful to anyone involved in outdoor activities. There are reliable, simple to use forecasts for all UK coastal venues, with more detailed resources for advanced use. The Met Office website also displays tide times for coastal venues, and has a wealth of downloadable resources for further learning.
Wind Guru
This website provides detailed weather forecasts for UK coastal areas, including a range of north Wales venues. Some spots are freely available; others require the paid-for Pro version. Forecasts contain bi-hourly breakdowns of wind speed & direction, with selectable units of measurement. Wave height, period and direction is also presented, along with air temperature, cloud cover and precipitation.
Windy
This website provides similar information for coastal venues, with the added feature of a visual wind strength & direction overview.
Easy Tide
https://easytide.admiralty.co.uk/
Easy Tide is the UK Hydrographic Office website for all UK tide times, providing reliable tidal information for specific coastal venues. Information is freely available for seven days in advance, with a paid-for option for future dates. It is an excellent way to establish the time and height of high water / low water times each day.
Surfline
Formerly Magic Seaweed, this website provides detailed surf forecasts along the north Wales coastline. Specific venues feature predicted wave height & period, direction, plus primary & secondary swell patterns. Long-range forecasts are available via Surfline’s ‘premium’ subscription service.
Rainchasers & Riverapp
These apps provide river level information for many popular white water runs in north Wales. Graphs depict recent history and rising / falling tendency, and indicative levels. These apps do not record objective hazards (e.g. trees, rocks, weirs) or indicate subjective suitability of any white water run - paddlers must use their own judgement before launching.
This selection of websites and apps makes an excellent starting point to plan your adventures afloat.There are many others available and you’ll likely develop your own preferences - these are just a few reliable resources that we use each time we plan a new trip. In future blog posts we’ll share our favourite north Wales guidebooks, along with excellent environmental and natural history resources.
