ABOUT PADDLE DIVA

MEET GINA BRADLEY

Founded by Gina Bradley in the summer of 2009, Paddle Diva was founded with the promise to make stand up paddling accessible to everyone. Formerly a fitness instructor, wind-surfing teacher, and PADI-certified scuba instructor, Gina has a real passion for SUP and knew from the beginning that this was a trend that was about to really catch on. Motivated by her love for the sport, Gina began her SUP business by and the creation of the DIVA board, stand-up paddle board that has been custom-built by Nature Shapes, it was lighter and easier to handle. Gina offers SUP instruction, SUP tours, SUP surf lessons, kids SUP programs and full moon paddles. Book your stand up paddle boarding lesson or rental online today!

We are an ASI Accredited Stand Up Paddle School and abide by the high international standards for stand up paddle school operations and we are authorized to train ASI SUP Instructors

OUR TEAM

a person standing next to a body of water

MADDIE ANDERSON

Maddie Anderson brings over five years of experience to Paddle Diva and a lifelong connection to the water. Originally from Philadelphia, she spent much of her youth on the New Jersey Shore before falling in love with paddleboarding in the waters of Long Island, where she now lives year-round.

A graduate of Florida International University, Maddie was a Division I swimmer and earned her degree in History and Gender Studies. Her background includes extensive experience as a lifeguard, ASI-certified instructor, and certified fitness professional.

Known for her infectious energy, Maddie has a natural ability to make every paddler feel confident and at ease on the water. She specializes in working with beginners and youth programs, creating a supportive and engaging environment for all ages. Her favorite part of teaching is helping people build a genuine connection to the water—and to themselves.

Woman hiking with mountains and wildflowers in the background.

EVIE MAHARAN

Evie was born and raised in New York City but has spent nearly every summer exploring the waters of Long Island since childhood. Now a pre-medical college student double majoring in Integrative Biology and Studio Arts, she brings both scientific curiosity and creativity to everything she does. Passionate about working with young people, Evie spends her afternoons as a bilingual Spanish-English tutor at a local middle school, helping students build confidence across a range of subjects.

With five years of experience as a camp counselor and certified lifeguard, she feels most at home by the water. A lifelong beach lover—despite an early childhood fear of sand she’s long since outgrown—Evie is excited to share her enthusiasm and help kids discover the fun of stand-up paddleboarding.

JASPER MAHARAN

DAVID BAUMRIND

a person sitting at a beach HELEN GIFFORD

Helen’s passion for Stand Up Paddling is augmented by living and working close to the bays in Sag Harbor and is a natural extension to her industrial design background. The backdrop of Hampton’s life adds to her success as a custom lighting fixture and wallpaper designer with her company, HelenBilt.

As a designer, Helen is known for known for her ability to look at a project from many angles, and for bringing a creative diligence to her clients’ vision. This same discipline applies with clients on the water, as she works to harmonize the aesthetic beauty of the various waterways with a fitness lifestyle.

Helen is a graduate of Parson’s School of Design, and has a degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Environmental Design, Policy and Planning.

An active member in the community, especially in the area of the arts, design, environment and public grounds, Helen currently serves as Chair for CTREE (Center for therapeutic Riding of the East End) and donates her times and fixtures to many local charities.

She was born in England and raised in Brunei and Montreal.

a woman standing next to a body of water

JENNIFER FORD

Jennifer lives between Manhattan and East Hampton, and has been coming to the Hamptons every summer since she was a baby. In 2009, Jennifer created Paddle Diva’s first fitness class–Power Up on a SUP!–and has competed in many paddle races in the area, most happily on a tandem board. A breast cancer survivor, she especially supports the annual Paddle for Pink/BCRF event each summer. Other favorite charities are A Walk on Water and Surfers Healing.

Jennifer is Academy of Surfing Instructors (ASI) certified, has her Yoga Alliance certification, is a certified Reiki Practitioner and has a 100 hour NAHA certification in Essential Oil Therapy. Additionally, she holds a degree in Applied Positive Psychology.

Jennifer brings elements of all her fields of expertise into her SUP fitness classes, focusing on the mind-body connection with an emphasis on stress relief through movement and immersion in nature (and a very challenging workout!).

When Jennifer isn’t on the water, she works within the nonprofit she co-founded, Bent On Learning. Bent On Learning is an organization that brings the practices of yoga and mindfulness into New York City under-served public schools. A former NYC public high school teacher, Jennifer has taught yoga and mindfulness to at-risk teens and children on the autism spectrum for over 25 years. Jennifer has two children, Chloe Rain (19) and Zachary Ocean (17) who both love the beach as much as she does. Jennifer loves to travel to beachy destinations with her life-partner (and surf enthusiast), Holly Rilinger.

THE PADDLE DIVA EXPERIENCE

The Transformative Power of SUP: the Paddle Diva Method

Developed by Gina Bradley, the Paddle Diva Method makes stand up paddle boarding accessible to everyone, even those who are apprehensive. Serving Long Island in New York, our paddle boarding program is Academy of Surfing Instructors (ASI) accredited and fuses together Bradley’s 25 years of water sports experience with elements of life coaching that make for a unique and sought after experience.

Join us for a beginner SUP Lesson or any SUP experience and see for yourself!

WHAT IS STAND UP PADDLE BOARDING?

Stand up paddle boarding — known as SUP — is one of the best sports around for working your core muscles, upper body and legs. It’s an ancient form of transportation from the Hawaiian Islands, and has reemerged as a way for people to enjoy oceans, lakes, rivers and bays while getting a full-body workout.

Everybody can learn how to SUP – young and old, from the most athletic to the least. Using a one-bladed paddle while standing on a longer, wider board (with a bit more volume than a typical surfboard) you can be paddling and cruising along with about an hour of instruction.

Proper paddling and more advanced board maneuvering techniques can be learned as part of an on-going instruction process but is totally optional, so unlike the more technical sports you can excel at stand up paddle boarding right out of the gate!

a person standing on a paddle board in the water

a group of people standing next to a body of water

WHY PADDLE?

People who SUP regularly (three times a week) build amazing core strength, arm muscles and overall body alignment. It is the only sport out there that literally works every muscle from head to toe. Turn our SUP lessons and SUP group paddles into a highly-effective workout routine.

SUP is a great way to spend time with your friends or family, doing a sport together, enjoying the scenery and conversation from a totally new perspective. If you get hot, jump in!
Unlike surfing, SUP is not a humbling sport and nowhere as difficult to learn. One feels ENERGETIC and EMPOWERED as they master the board, glide across a bay, explore waterways and salt marshes and even get out into the deep.

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