>>2423887I was in Florida, though I would love to get to try NC someday. I was in a bay when I got blasted by the wind after coming out of the mangroves. Be aware of the wind forecast, and start off kind of slow. A smooth day in the mangroves is incredibly rewarding. It's when you have to get into open water with current that you have to worry. It was my last day where I was, and I was pretty new to the SUP when I went out. Thankfully I had a convertible kayak/SUP paddle but I had no kind of back rest or seating, so even with the kayak paddle, I could get very little leverage. I've built onto the board significantly since then, and have made it something as seaworthy as I can. If you can afford to, get a pedal drive, but don't let not having one stop you either. Take advantage of the wind and current if you can by planning accordingly. It's always harder to come back against the wind after hours on the water. It is do-able though. Don't get panicked and dig deep and slow if you have to. Even if I have to get back one foot at a time, I will. If it's really bad and you have no pedal drive, you cannot afford to let up to rest even for a second or you'll lose any momentum you've gained and start drifting away from your destination. I definitely feel more confident on rivers and bays still than oceans, and I also enjoy trying to locate leeward areas. I have had great luck getting to a leeward area, and casting into the windward areas around it. Anywhere that the wind or current have some sort of change seem to bring fish. Maybe I've just been lucky. I do wish I could work more with the tides than I do, but sometimes with my setup that's asking for trouble. I don't tempt fate. Wear a life jacket or PFD with a good knife on it as well. It saved my life, and I know I look stupid. If I hadn't, I would have been a less stupid looking corpse. Smooth days are amazing though, especially if there are fish moving about. Wind and current tend to bring better bites though.
