Who are we?

Passion for stand up paddle boarding (SUP or SUPping) is exactly what stood at the basis for the foundation of this organisation, SUPpen in Leiden/SUPevent! We love to organise SUP events, City SUP tours through Leiden and its surrounding areas, and ofcourse The Friday Night SUP Leiden! By means of the events we have been organising in Leiden over the past 10 years already, we love to share our enthusiasm for stand up paddle boarding in the city in a fun, sporty and especially relaxed way with as many others as possible. The beautiful historical city of Leiden is the ideal stand up paddle environment, with lots of cool SUP possibilities. Stand up paddle boarding on the canals of Leiden is fun and diverse … and without noticing, you’re working out at the same time and along the tour over the water you will certainly discover some really cool unknown spots in the city! Stand up paddle boarding in a natural environment is also possible just outside the city centre of Leiden … nice, relaxing and peaceful!

Meet the SUPpen in Leiden crew!

Our SUP crew is made up by Talitha Dijksman and Peter Weitenberg. We have been SUPping ourselves for many years now, at sea or on flat water, both in Holland and abroad … and we certainly enjoy it! Since the very beginning our mission has always been to let others experience the same joy and excitement while stand up paddle boarding.

It all started way back in 2011 when we used to meet up with a small group of SUP enthusiasts for a nice and relaxed Friday Night paddle on the canals through the beautiful historic city centre of Leiden. Living in Leiden ourselves, the idea of stand up paddle boarding on the canals seemed like tons of fun. At the time, there were only city tours by boat or rowingboat/canoe rentals available for tourists, inhabitants of Leiden and students to discover the city by water. We hardly ever saw anyone enjoying the city by SUP, and so the idea for a regular Friday Night SUP tour was born! From there on, our organisation grew into much more than just a Friday Night activity and now we SUP whenever and wherever people would like to join us … Please do not hesitate to contact us directly for more details and information on the possibilities! SUP instructions in English are not a problem!

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WSA Instruction scheme

At SUPpen in Leiden we teach stand up paddle boarding according to the instruction principles of the Water Skills Academy (WSA), complemented by our personal experiences in Leiden. The WSA is an English based SUP association. WSA offers instructor qualifications, workshops, mentoring and consultancy across the disciplines of SUP, surfing, lifeguarding, coasteering, outrigger and first aid, to support the water sport enthusiast and educationalist in their pursuit of a healthy relationship with wind, water and waves while nurturing a vision of sustainability through responsibility. Over the years, through the many different ways to access the ocean, open water and rivers the WSA has learnt its trade.

The mission of the WSA is to help create a safe, responsible and longlasting relationship with wind, water, waves and all other conditions you might encounter while learning and practising your chosen watersport. This method of teaching also guarantees that at SUPpen in Leiden you will be instructed on how to SUP safely in a fun, responsible and relaxed manner. You will get good results soon and build an excellent basis for the further development of your stand up paddle boarding skills. We have been certified as WSA Stand Up Paddleboard Foundation Coaches and have also completed the safety course WSA SUP Water Rescue and Safety. All WSA courses and excersises are taught in English, so for us it’s absolutely no problem to conduct our SUP classes in English.

Why SUP?

SUPping is super fun to do with friends or a way to meet new people who enjoy being out on the water just as much as you do! Besides that, stand up paddle boarding is a great work-out, perfect to work on your balance and a healthy body … and it’s never boring! Everybody can learn how to SUP; it’s not difficult at all and you learn at your own pace! In Leiden, we organise SUP events on Wednesday and Friday nights in Spring, Summer and Fall, for everyone to join, alone or with a group. The dates are communicated on our Facebook page and in the reservation section on this website. We start off all tours with a short instruction on how to SUP and how to behave whilst on the water. We offer tours through the city centre, through the outskirts of our city and through the natural environment surrounding Leiden. The possibilities in and around the Leiden area are endless … And of course, we also offer individual or group lessons at special request in English.

Why SUP in Leiden?

Leiden has over 28 kilometres of canals, channels and moats in total! That’s a lot of water in the city! It takes at over 89 bridges to be able to cross all that water, and besides that, all canals in the beautiful historic city centre of Leiden run in circles … perfect for some nice stand up paddle routes! Join us for an adventurous tour through the city of Leiden over water on a SUP and discover the city in a way you would expect! Leiden is also a fantastic starting point for longer SUP tours to for example De Kaag or Katwijk, or to follow the Leiden "Singelparkroute"!

Looking for a particular SUP activity?

Of course we can also arrange special SUP tours for you and your family, friends, team, company, bachelor or birthday party. Just contact us directly to discuss the possibilities!

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