Q&A with Emma Love
Emma Love by Warwick Redway
Interview: Peter Tranter
Photos: Graham Woollven, Warwick Redway, Kat Parkin, Rita Filippova, Del Clare, Charlie Hewitt, Ruben Starmer, Wendy Atkinson & Emma Love
As this marks the final issue of SUPM, we felt it was fitting to explore Emma’s journey, from founding Wotbikini Stand Up Paddleboarding to becoming a Paddle UK Delivery Partner in 2021. Over to you, Emma…
Before we start, Emma, please tell our readers a little about yourself, your background, your family, etc.
Growing up in Norfolk, my childhood memories are of climbing (and falling out of) trees, long bike rides, and walks on the beaches. Weeknights were packed with school netball, gymnastics, and hockey practice, and the weekends meant team matches or sailing our little wooden dinghy with my brothers – my dad’s favourite, if rather short-lived, hobby.
I would have loved a job in sport or the outdoors, but in the early 1980s, those kinds of opportunities for women were pretty much unheard of. After filling out one of those first-generation computer questionnaires, my school careers officer confidently told me I’d make a very good secretary!
Instead, I followed a different path: training and working in the visual arts. Later, after moving to the East Midlands (where I’m still based), I took a leap into something new – qualifying and working as a full-time youth worker in both the statutory and charity sectors.
Tell us about the start of your SUP journey
I thought it would be very cool to take my young son ‘lazy river’ paddling while on a family holiday in the South of France. It was one of those commercially run activities where you hired the gear, paddled the route, and a minibus dropped you back at the starting point. In the run-up to it, I decided I’d better be a responsible mum and, at the very least, learn how to hold a kayak paddle the right way round!
Off we went for a ‘pay & play’ session at our local water sports centre, and both quickly agreed that sit-on-tops were boring. It was my son who spotted the paddleboards and, after a bit of negotiation with the staff, we swapped our craft and spent the rest of the session SUP’ing! Ruben loved launching himself into the water with huge whoops of laughter, while I focused on whether I could stand up, paddle, and stay dry in the process. I could — and I was hooked.
And the lazy river paddling? Turned out I needn’t have worried… the water was barely six inches deep!
I began losing motivation for paddling flat water, in the main, because I had no community to paddle with. To put this into context, it was still very unusual to see other paddleboarders; kayak/canoe clubs were resistant to adding SUPs to their fleets, SUP communities were rare, and Paddle UK (then known as British Canoeing) had yet to formally recognise the sport.
A friend suggested I speak to Barry Hughes, who had recently set up an informal peer paddling group called Nottingham WW SUP. This small group consisted of Rob Edgar, James Norman, Dean Jefferies and Barry. Alongside Anthony Ing, Chris ‘Kippers’ Bond, Louise Royle, and Dave Jackson (who are all based around the UK); these hugely talented and experienced whitewater kayakers were having a lot of fun taking SUPs onto whitewater, a new paddlesport in the UK that had originated in America. The Nottingham WW SUP crew had managed to negotiate partial access and were having a lot of fun exploring paddleboarding on the Holme Pierrepont whitewater course.
I, on the other hand, had no technical paddling skills, no experience with whitewater, and no background in board sports. Every week, I’d turn up, be handed a board, climb on, fall off, get scooped out of the white water, and repeat the process. Again, and again. Then one icy evening, just a few weeks before Christmas 2016, with my eyelashes laced with ice, I did it! I stood up and successfully paddled the Daleks section without falling off – the rush was incredible.
When, where and why did the idea of coaching SUP come about?
It was never really part of my plan to coach. I just loved being part of a brilliant and supportive whitewater SUP community, helping out here and there and posting our weekly social media updates showcasing what we had been up to.
A lot of kayakers were intrigued; they would attend a session (or two) to try out this new and what many considered an ‘off the wall’ sport! With Barry’s guidance and encouragement, I started doing some of the peer-to-peer support.
Anthony Ing (Stand Up Paddleboard UK), Louise Royle, and Phil Hadley played a significant role in supporting my development as a paddler and aspiring coach – I was extremely fortunate.
In 2020, I became the third person to achieve the newly launched British Canoeing WW SUP Coach qualification. That same year, I was selected as a #ShePaddles Ambassador; it was because of this role that my passion for specialising in and supporting women on the water began.
In between the numerous lockdowns, I decided to start my business, Wotbikini SUP.
What gives you a buzz from coaching?
I find coaching incredibly difficult and consistently fascinating. What gives me the buzz? Those moments where theory and practice beautifully entwine; coaching is so experimental. I believe it is about me being open, intentional, vulnerable, being prepared to fail and learn from each experience. It’s a very exciting and (I find) extremely challenging space to be exploring.
I recently started my Performance Coach pathway and am now looking forward to exploring my coaching practice in greater depth with the support of Paddle UK National Trainer Jenna Sanders. As part of this pathway, I am looking forward to attending Paddle Scotland’s Performance Coach Community of Learning event (Grandtully) this November. I am hoping to come back even more inspired!
You do plenty of teaching to paddlers – how do you prepare, and do you ever get nervous?
Interesting question, do I get nervous? As my coaching practice develops, I’d say less so, mainly because I no longer believe I must have all the answers.
Looking back, I realise I spent a lot of time trying to control and correct what students did on the water. With hindsight, I was simply replicating my own educational ‘top down’ experiences and (unintentionally) holding people back by creating barriers to their progression. I suspect this may have undermined some of their confidence to learn from the incredibly dynamic environments we paddle in.
This will sound very clumsy, but it’s still a work in progress. Here’s where I’m currently at. How can I, with the paddler I am supporting, jointly seek out opportunities for action? Finding those ‘invitations’ within exploratory and creative spaces and selecting with intention. Marianne Davies captures it far better than I can with her phrase,“Handrails, not handcuffs.”
Come back to me in a few years and, hopefully, I will sound much more succinct about my coaching practice.
How is WotBikini going, and how did that name come about?
Anthony Ing’s wife, Lianne, took a photo of me getting on my board at the start of a river run in north Wales. It was winter, and I was kitted out in knee/shin pads, elbow/ arm pads, a dry suit, and a full-face helmet.
No surprise that kayakers often nicknamed us, Robocops! I posted the photo on Instagram as a response to the endless adverts featuring women on SUPs in bikinis. And created #Wotbikini. It still amazes (and frankly appals) me that women are so often dressed and photographed for the male gaze when it comes to selling SUPs.
When it came to naming my business, which at that time specialised purely on supporting women on the water, the name Wotbikini Stand Up Paddleboarding was the obvious choice and still makes me smile.
My coaching business is going well. I have delivered over 300 Paddle UK personal performance award courses and have been shortlisted for two consecutive years for two of the Paddle UK Delivery Partner Awards (Quality and Engagement). Really exciting and amazing to have their recognition. More recently, I have enjoyed working with Paddle UK on some of their safety films, as well as promoting their courses.
In addition to my own business, I have spent the last few years working for the Canal and River Trust on their Waterways Wellbeing program (South Leicestershire), which is hugely enjoyable and great to support so many inspiring individuals and volunteers. It is a brilliant project and a terrific opportunity to bring my skills as a Youth and Community Worker and a SUP Coach together.
Currently, I am working towards gaining various Paddle UK Provider and Tutor qualifications; a challenging and very lengthy process, but equally one I enjoy. I am especially proud to have delivered my first SW SUP Coach Training this year and have dates in the diary for 2026!
There is tremendous enthusiasm amongst women for SUP – why do you think that is?
I think Jess Phillip summed it up beautifully in her interview for SUPMag UK in 2021, where we discussed why so many women were qualifying or about to qualify as WW SUP Coaches. Her take on it was, “Because our sport is completely new, we don’t have a stereotype… as of yet. For example, with white water kayaking, the image that comes to mind is typically a guy dropping big whitewater falls; canoeing is maybe a big guy with a beard.”
Four years later, and I think we can apply this across the SUP scene because it continues to be accessible. Many women positively disrupt clichés, including what we wear, our body shape, our motivations, what our bodies can or cannot do, age, etc.
Which brands do you work with, and how do they specifically help you?
I am very aware of what you need to do to get brands to notice and support you, but this is a game that I feel little motivation to play.
Who are your role models, and who/what keeps you motivated?
For motivation, I turn to theorists and podcasts. One of my all-time favourite sports scientists is Dr Alex Lascu. Her writing, ‘From the Thought Garden’ (Substack), is always creative and constantly underpinned by ecological dynamics. I regularly tune into the brilliant ‘River Tiger Podcast from Dynamics Coaching’ by Marianne Davies. Craig Morris (until recently part of the coaching team for the British Slalom Olympians) is always refreshingly candid about his coaching journey and the theory he inhabits.
These are but a few examples of practitioners who keep me motivated, challenge my thinking, and inspire my creativity.
If you could capture just one ‘feel good’ moment in your time paddling, which would it be and why?
Getting up before dawn, I took my paddleboard down a long, winding, and steep path, and paddled to the centre of a ginormous lake nestled within an ancient volcano. It was incredible to be floating all alone and in complete silence. I can still recall watching the light slowly flickering across the walls of the volcano as the sun rose and eventually blazed with golden light. It was an awe-inspiring (and intimidating) landscape – one of those extraordinary experiences that puts everything into perspective, and I will never forget it.
You look like a very happy and contented woman – what’s the secret to your good feelings?
I use social media as a curated space to share photographs, capture a feeling, a mood, or an essence. For me, images hold extraordinary power; they can stir memory, emotion, or imagination – and I prefer to leave room for the viewer’s own interpretation.
Do you have any overseas SUP trips/expeditions lined up?
I am really interested in micro-adventures, which I am planning to invest more time in over the next few years. Last year, I had such a fun experience using public transport to get to a paddling location. I loved the logistics, challenges and being environmentally friendly. And I would love to extend this to overseas expeditions. Wouldn’t it be very cool to go to say, Norway, by train with all the gear in your paddleboard bag and then spend a few months exploring by SUP? Now that would be an adventure!
Which paddling locations in the world would be on your bucket list?
In an ideal world, somewhere extreme, testing and very cold – near the Arctic Circle would be extraordinary. Equally, it is such a delicate environment, so I rule out using it as a paddling playground.
What, in your opinion, is the one crucial thing you can teach a SUP paddler?
Trust the environment you are paddling in to shape and develop your technical/tactical paddling. Explore more demanding environments, e.g. if you always paddle very sheltered water, book in with a coach and try sheltered water or open water (upper remit) – in the long term (and with the right support) it will increase your proficiency as a paddler because you are able to adapt and respond to the information around you.
You do seem to have a connection with nature. What is it about being outside and on the water that makes you feel good?
I am fascinated by how powerful the iPhone camera is and its editing capacity. I use it to capture the beauty of nature around me, be it a seed, a landscape, icicles or a tree on the horizon. Blue/green spaces are wonderful and give such amazing respite, both mentally and physically. I am constantly saddened that humanity still views these as commodities to be sold, built on or managed in such a way that it has a negative impact on nature and ultimately on our wellbeing.
What’s the most enjoyable encounter with wildlife that you’ve had whilst paddling?
Seals! Beautiful, jaw-dropping, huge, impossible to photograph, playful and mesmerising.
Do you have an eco-message for fellow paddlers?
As paddlers, we are experiencing climate change firsthand, and I believe we need to take responsibility for our impact on nature locally and further afield. This means making difficult choices, including changing our paddling habits. For example, is it OK to jump on a plane to travel halfway round the world, so that we can tick a river off our bucket list? Or complete a paddling challenge for social media recognition? What legacy does this leave future generations?
A big question – how does SUP keep progressing in your opinion?
Safety! There are so many amazing, vibrant SUP communities around the UK, but when I look at social media or go out on the water, I am worried by seeing so many examples where there is a lack of basic safety knowledge. This is an area where we need to make progress.
What are you looking forward to in the next year or so?
Embedding ecological dynamics theory within my practice would be an enormous achievement. Plus, specialising in supporting aspirant SUP instructors, leaders and coaches – that would be pretty awesome!
Who are your SUP buddies?
I run a women’s paddling community called Cake with WotBikini. We meet monthly, paddle our local waterways in the East Midlands and further afield. It is such a highlight to meet, catch up, paddle and of course eat cake!
OK – life isn’t all about SUP – so what else interests you when you get the time?
Come back and ask me in 12 months! I am now on that journey as life is changing again, with my son recently starting university. I have a sneaking suspicion it will be another board sport – would really love to nail snowboarding once and for all!
Quickfire fun questions:
Who would it be if you could paddle with anyone, dead or alive?
The writer, Margaret Atwood and visual artists, Mona Hatoum, Frida Kahlo and the incredible Louise Bourgeois.
If your board had a name, what would it be?
I’ve never understood why we name inanimate objects! Isn’t that a thing that blokes get obsessed about?
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen floating in the water?
Nothing strange, I can think of the worst – raw sewage!
What essential gear do you always bring?
My safety bag – never go anywhere without it!
If your board could talk, what would it say about your paddling skills?
So much room for improvement!
If you could only bring three items on a SUP trip – what would they be?
Can I call my dog an item? Plus, of course, his BA and a dog treat!
If you could only paddle to the beat of one musical track, what track would you choose?
Insane – Flume featuring Moon Holiday. It was featured in a short film showcasing USA WW SUP and included Corran Addison & Dan Gavere. It was the first time I had seen what could be achieved on a SUP. The song still sends an excited shiver down my back!
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever tried to transport on a board?
Nothing strange, more memorable. I once tried to rescue a beautiful collie by trying to get her onto my board. She had decided that swimming across the River Trent was a good idea! I ended up herding her back to her owners.
What’s the oddest snack you’ve ever eaten while paddling?
If only my life were that exotic!
What’s your most unusual board ritual or superstition?
My van must always be packed in a specific way, not due to superstition but down to being menopausal. I would never find anything otherwise!
What’s the ultimate SUP superpower you wish you had?
How much time have you got?
Finally, any shoutouts?
I would like to give a big shoutout to Desperate Measures, in Nottingham, who have given such excellent customer service to all the students I have signposted their way.
Huge thanks, Emma, for taking the time out for this.
SUP Mag UK 
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