If you want to get out – and up – on the water, but surfing and windsurfing don’t work for you, try Stand Up Paddling. An adaptation of a Polynesian tradition, it’s a rapidly growing water activity that’s making its way to Delmarva.

Janis Markopoulos, Queen of Delmarva’s Stand Up Paddling world and owner of Delmarva Board Sport Adventures, invited me to give it a try at Assateague. In principle, it sounds simple. You stand on a wide, long, stable board and use a single-bladed, elongated cousin of a kayak paddle to move you along. Think of it as something like surfing with training wheels.

Having earned nothing but bruises when I tried windsurfing, I had my doubts about just standing on a board, much less propelling it. But it was no problem. This is one sport that lets you look really good and have a lot of fun without needing to be in (or have a) great shape.

The board is about 11 feet of solid, very buoyant plastic and foam that’s almost light enough to tuck under your arm. Drop the board into the water, scooch on board – you can sit or kneel – and paddle away. When you’re ready, you do a bit of the ‘downward facing dog’ yoga move to position yourself and stand up. I expected to fall down, but the board is so stable and balanced that even when I tried, I couldn’t tip it over.

We lazily paddled along the shoreline, which gave me time to master the technique, such as it is. Keep your knees slightly bent; look forward to where you want to go; use the blade to help change direction. Ten minutes of that, and it’s second nature.

If you’re into exploring Delmarva’s tidal marshlands, SUP is a great alternative to kayaking. A kayak sits so low in the water that your line of sight is limited. Standing on a SUP board, you’re standing above the water line. You can see much further with a better chance of spotting birds, wildlife, and those great wetland vistas.

It’s also an amazing workout. Even though it feels as though you’re doing nothing more than just standing, the old abs and quads are doing yeoman’s duty keeping you balanced, which the paddling – easy as it is – gives you a start on Michelle Obama arms. And if you get tired, just sit down or lie down, and float or paddle.

Janis is doing a lot of demos around the region, plus renting boards and giving lessons near Assateague. Looks for the equipment shack on the left side of the road just past the park office and before you cross the bridge to the park. Her website has a lot of contact information and her schedule:

www.delmarvaboardsportadventures.com.