SUP, Paddleboard, and Paddleboarding Near Washington DC on the Potomac River

The Potomac River just outside Washington D.C. is an amazing place to stand up paddleboard (SUP).  It's hard to say when stand up paddleboarding first began on the Potomac River near Washington D.C., but the earliest documented trips down Mather's Gorge probably occurred sometime around 2005.  Before then, a few crazy folks would paddle up to the chutes on kayaks, and then prone paddle surfboards into the waves.  Now, things are exploding.  There are more and more stand up paddleboarders on the Potomac River than ever before.  And a whole bunch are now getting legit surfs on hard boards at Maryland Chute, Virginia Chute, Rocky Island, Offut Wave, and O-Deck.   There's some good information on this site about where to surf on the Potomac River.  You can also check out videos of where to surf and paddle board on the Potomac River near DC.

Who is potomacriversup.org?  Really, we're just a bunch of stand up paddle boarders  committed to the sport.  This is a community based site.  We believe in keeping the sport safe, in sharing the river with our kayak bros, and in keeping the river clean.  Many of us are former/current surfers, snowboarders, and skateboarders ... and now we're as stoked as ever to be surfing on the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. We hope you learn to stand up paddleboard (SUP) soon, and we look forward to seeing you on the river!  

If you'd like to contact the webmaster, reach out to cobra@potomacriversup.org  Click here if you're interested in paddleboard lessons on the Potomac River near Washington DC  Also, for more information about paddling on the Potomac River, check out www.potomacriversup.com 

This is a video of Wayne "Cobra" Cohen at Virginia Chute.  At the end of the vid, you can see that you don't even need a paddle to surf at these levels -- it's a great little wave!  For more videos and pics, check the Recent Pics & Vids section of the site.

If you like to hook up with us for a paddle, please reach out to cobra@potomacriversup.org or to

Wayne "Cobra" Cohen: wrc@cohenandcohen.net
Eric Astor:  eastor@gmail.com 
Frank Cook:  frank.cook@gmail.com
Greg "Suggs" Miller: gmansurf@gmail.com

Here are some additional videos you might find interesting:

Cobra attempting a shove it.


Rocky Island Wave

Get information about paddleboard lessons in Rehoboth Beach or Dewey Beach .