Take a visit to any nearby body of water, and in all likelihood the first things you will notice is that you're not the only one. There are four ways that humans go about acting like they can hang with the fishes: leap from some dangerous height and figure out on the way down how to make it back injury free when you get back to the surface; strap on a bunch of complicated gear and tight clothing to swim around beneath the surface; cover yourself with increasingly tiny, strategically placed pieces of fabric and splash about at the surface; or, stand, sit, or lie down on something that floats on the surface.
Unless you're an Olympic diver or a Disney princess, staying on top of the surface is a good way to go. Belly flops that break the internet are far less likely, and it's common knowledge that looking cool or taking good selfies while pretending not to be rocked by the incoming waves is generally a fool's errand. Plus, ya know, the whole prospect of drowning is a lot less daunting.
One way to go about this is to spend an inordinate amount of time figuring out how to transport a stand-up paddle board with bungee cords or old balls of twine that conjure up curse words you didn't even know you knew. The other way is to toss a small backpack with your SUP into your car, and get a healthy thumbs up from your neighbors instead of a dirty look questioning your moral character.
Kokopelli brought us along to photograph how beautiful and easy they've made it to get to the water, on the water, and back on dry land. If you're going to hang with the fishes, do as they do: light, agile, and easy.
Photography by Steven Paschall
