Stand up paddleboarding under the stars

It’s the sighting of Stumpy, the human-sized stingray calmly circling the jetty that first gets me excited - but slightly apprehensive - about hopping into the water as the sun sets on Currambene Creek.

Located in the picturesque town of Huskisson, about three hours drive south of Sydney, I’d been lured here with the promise of ticking off a bucket list experience: night stand up paddleboarding.

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The night starts at 7pm as the sun begins to go down. Mason Keane, our fearless leader from Jervis Bay Stand Up Paddle and veteran paddler meets me, armed with boards with lights attached to the underside and a headlamp to ensure no nightlife goes unnoticed.

“The light bulb moment was when I tried it in Portugal [in 2016],” Mason tells Be. “It was so popular over there but the water quality didn’t do the lights any justice. It was a bit of a no brainer when I saw how much people loved it.”

One embarrassingly shaky start and spectacular board-wobbling recovery later, I’m off. The water is perfectly flat, and shallow enough so I can see the bottom of the creek – and all the marine life that are busily getting on with their night.

It's a pretty surreal experience, gliding along the water in the pitch dark with the water illuminated under our feet.

And it doesn't take long before schools of tiny fish, irresistibly drawn to the light, come charging after our boards in hot pursuit.

“You’ve got about 50 fish swimming underneath you,” Mason calls to me, paddling close enough so that some of my fishy friends decide they want to party under his board instead.

There’s sightings of garfish, flathead, catfish and countless Frisbee-sized stingrays lazily languishing in the sand, only scuttling away when a stray paddle comes too close.

With the lights illuminating metres around your board on a clear night with good water visibility, it’s a completely different perspective.

“I don’t think anyone expects what they are going to see – there’s excitement for some, while others don’t say a word for an hour,” Mason explains.

He explains reactions range from child-like wonder to serene peacefulness during the 90-minute tour, while others get a bit closer to nature than they bargained for.

“Garfish launch and seem to have no idea where they’re jumping,” says Mason. “We had one girl that had four on her board at once, she had a bit of a squeal and they just flip-flopped their way off.”

This is one of the few places in Australia you can try night stand up paddleboarding, with the company taking 15 groups since they first started doing tours in mid-February.

“We did a Facebook teaser to see what kind of response we’d get and I knew that it would be a fairly popular thing, but I didn’t think it would generate quite as much interest,” says Mason.

For me, I’m sold as I somehow make it off my SUP dry, only slightly mozzie-ravaged and totally exhilarated but at the same time relaxed. If you’re after a different SUP experience, this is definitely worth a try.

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