Chris Macdonald Stand-up Paddleboarding in Saudi Arabia

May 16

I've been working abroad in the watersports industry since 2018, and I moved to Saudi Arabia in January this year as the SUP instructor for a company called 17Sixty. I live in a resort called Durrah just north of Jeddah, a few seconds from the sea, so it's fantastic for training! Saudi Arabia has 1760km of Red Sea coastline, so that's where the name comes from.

It's been great fun so far. The sport of SUP is extremely new in the country, so new that I'm currently the only qualified instructor in the country. It's been very rewarding introducing the sport to many people, all of whom have returned for more lessons and want to learn more and more about the sport!

There are some challenges that I've had to overcome and find ways to work around. For example, because the coastguard doesn't know much about the sport, paddling the open sea in many places and paddling at night is currently illegal and enforced. Hopefully, that will change in the future!

Now onto the really exciting news. Being the only instructor and the best paddler currently in the country, I've been given the job of coaching the national race team with Saudi Surfing! This is a great privilege, and it feels like my career as an instructor has jumped up a level. It's great to be doing advanced coaching with athletes that will be representing Saudi Arabia on an international level.

It's a fantastic place for paddling; clear warm water, reefs, marine life, and reliable and predictable wind patterns make it a great down-winding location in the late mornings and afternoons with calm, tranquil paddles at sunrise and sunset. There are potential plans to bring international race competitions here over the next couple of years.