Reflections: Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Dal Lake, Kashmir
- Kumaran
- May 9
- 8 min read
The boatmen of the Dal Lake are born paddlers, they have been paddling for centuries, generation after generation. They remind us how new we are. I salute their spirit
As I write this, we are at war with our neighbour, a contention that is as old as our independence. The conflict happening in Kashmir is in stark contrast to the calm and serenity of the place itself - it is hard to believe that history and geography can be at odds with each other. As someone who is a helpless spectator to the geopolitical events, I think back to the time I paddled across the Dal Lake.
Nine years ago, in November 2015, I read about the National level Kayak competition recently held at Srinagar and that lead to my fifth SUP tour of the year. With my fellow geologists and ever adventurous Soumen Sarkar and Manoj Soni who would go on a trip with me at the drop of a hat, we were all set to go to the Paradise on Earth. To our luck, Winter started in Jammu and Kashmir with a fresh spell of snowfall two days ahead of our trip.
Preparation for the Stand up Paddle Boarding Trip to Dal Lake from Delhi
This three day tour at the time cost me approximately 15,000 to 16,000 INR (225 to 250 USD), which included the round flight trip from Delhi to Srinagar, stay for two nights, food, car rentals, and other miscellaneous expenses. As water sports have been widely promoted in that region, I didn’t have to worry about permits for paddle boarding in Dal lake. Carrying the inflatable SUP on a plane is something that has become my second nature by now. To ensure the board travels safe, I always wrap the board with bubble wrap and provide proper padding. I always ask the ground staff to stick the “Handle with Care – Fragile” stickers on it (the luggage handlers aren't really fazed). The stickers only work more like Feng Shui (if you know what I mean.)
What was in my gear: My Naish Inflatable 10 feet by 33 inch paddle board with SUP travel backpack, collapsible paddle Ankle Leash, Sports HD wifi enabled 1080P action camera kit and monopod, 40L Tribord Waterproof bag, Pedometer, Samsung Note 3 smartphone with GPS tracking software and lot of waterproofing, Canon 60D camera with 18-55 mm USM; 10-18 mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM; 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 Telephoto lens; 8 GB & 32 GB memory cards in Lowpro camera bag, Magnetic compass, Binocular Fix 6×25, Basic First aid travel kit with medicines for water borne infections, UV protection sun glass, UV protection sun cap, Board shorts, Thermal wear, and some serious layers of clothing.
Day 1 – Srinagar & Gulmarg – No Paddling, Just Chilling
According to the weather forecast, our trip was expected to be dry, with chilly days and nighttime temperatures reaching zero degrees Celsius. We caught the midday flight from Delhi and arrived at Srinagar International Airport by 3 pm, then we rented a prepaid taxi to the Gulmarg Gondola. The city was clean and bright. At around 03:15 pm, we embarked on our road trip to Gulmarg Gondola through Tangmarg. We saw important buildings still fortified with sandbags, and armed guards seemed to echo the memories of their past, making it chilling to imagine what this beautiful city has endured. However, life seemed to have returned to usual for the residents here for quite some time now, with people going about their daily routine and children attending school. In their faces, I saw a promise of peace and hope for a beautiful future. We arrived at Gondola at 5:30 pm. The long journey and the cold had taken their toll on our usually sedentary bodies, so we rested for the night there.
Gulmarg means “meadow of flowers”. At around 56 kms from Srinagar, this popular skiing spot was our first stop in our trip. A beautiful town nestled in the valley of the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas at 900 feet above mean sea level. With snow clad mountains in the backdrop, numerous lakes and rivulets intermingling with the pine and fir trees, the view was breathtaking. After spending about half a day here, we took the cable car from Gondala with the kind assistance of the government travel guide Mr. Azad. The Gulmarg Gondala is the world’s second highest operating cable car, only second to China and Bolivia. Transporting about 600 people an hour between the mountains, the journey was a page from the fantasy books. Middle Earth rediscovered. Inner elf awakened. Meanwhile in the real world, we reached Dal lake at around 1700 hrs.
Day 2 – First Stand Up Paddle boarding in Dal Lake
Dal Lake. The urban lake, the second largest in the state, the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir”. Breathtakingly beautiful as it is, the lake is also important for tourism and commerce. It is a Warm Monomictic Lake about 7.44 kilometres (4.62 miles) long, about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) wide, about 6 metres (20 feet) deep, and has a shore length of around 15.5 kilometres (9.6 miles). The lake has a surface area of 18–22 square kilometres (6.9 to 8.5 square miles) and a surface elevation of about 1,583 metres (5,194 feet). We generally associate the term "houseboats" with Kerala and Kashmir, and yes, that is where we stayed. Each houseboat has an exclusive shikara (a canopied paddled taxi boat) for ferrying guests to the shore. Once we settled in our boat house, I unpacked, inflated the board and fixed the fins, paddle and the Sports HD camera. After inquiring around regarding the depth, local shikaras intervention, and how safe it is to paddle around, I found that to my relief that the locals have no issues with outsiders paddling in the lake. This was a stark contrast to the ‘locals only’ surf culture of some cities. To each their own, I guess!
After all the ready to go’s, I leashed up and paddled on. The water was moderately cold, super glassy and clear. Winter had just commenced, so the water was not too cold as I expected. I lost my life jacket during travel, so I made sure I was always paddling near shikaras. Note: Safety first please. Do use a life jacket or personal flotation devices. In waters this cold, there is a great chance to run into hypothermia. The water was so clear that I could see the green weeds way below the surface. Lots of fish ensured the water was not polluted. Soumen was capturing the moments from the comfort of our boat house. However, the clarity of the waters did not translate to visibility; the evening mist made it harder for me to see my starting point after a few hundred meters. I paddled north where the water fountains were spraying water in harmony - movement creates visibility.
I recorded my paddling in a GPS tracking software on my smartphone. After 25 mins, due to poor visibility, I turned back to my boat house where my friends were relieved seeing me return in as-is condition. At the end of my first paddle session, I had tracked a total of 2.5 kilometers. This gave me confidence for my day long SUP session the next morning. The day ended beautifully with a blissful Kashimiri dinner, if not the paddling the aromatic sumptuous food definitely knocked me out.
Day 3 – Everybody joins the party
I could not conceal my excitement for the following day; I tossed and turned in my sleep and like a rooster, I woke up at 4 am. It was a cold morning and the air was thin. My friends were still asleep, so without disturbing them, I got out of the room with my board and the gear and into the lake.
It was like an eerie darkness had taken over the lake when I was asleep, the hustle of the day and voices of the fruit vendors were now replaced with deathly silence. The vibrant colors were now cloaked with a vast expanse of grays and blacks. I could barely see the street lights. I decided to wait for the day to break, and in the meantime do some yoga for warm up. It was 4:45, the misty lake appeared as the darkness vaporized, I clicked pictures of the lake’s resident birds and shikaras. They beat me to it. Early morning is the best time for photographing nature’s aerial creatures as one can see them actively feeding, singing, and sunbathing.
At 7 am, Soumen and Manoj joined me in taking pictures. Around 7.15 am, I whistled to a shikara boatman nearby. He approached us happily and I requested him to accompany me while I paddled. I launched my SUP and started paddling towards the South of the lake, to a very important place - here is where you find tea, welcome to the floating tea shop of the Shire, I mean the Dal lake! Manoj and Soumen settled in the shikara and followed me. Both of them started capturing my paddling session. After 400 metres of paddling, we reached the tea shop. We stopped for tea that was indeed heavenly. I grabbed a few biscuit packets and juice packs, and continued our uninterrupted two hours of paddling session. Within 15 mins of paddling, we reached the center of the Dal lake, the waters became busy with dozens of shikaras and floating markets. My paddle board was an eye catcher for the local and tourist population. Lots of people clicked photos in their mobile cameras. After one hour of paddling, we reached the North West of the Dal lake, where it narrowed to a 4 to 10 ft width free water route due to overgrowth of weeds and lotus plant cover (referred as Narrow waterway in the map).
It was a challenge for me to paddle initially. I was a little worried about my board, as many things could go wrong - any sharp garbage remains could puncture my board, my fin could get caught in weeds, my leash could get tangled with the weeds in this clotted waterway. I never reverse paddled, but kept paddling forward slowly and following the trail of my shikara. After 15 mins of paddling, we reached the boat house area at around 8:50 AM, and by that time the Dal lake waters had become busy with shikaras.
I paddled towards the starting point with contentment and wonderful reminiscence. The owner of the boat house, his kids, and a few other local old shikara men were delighted to see my return to the starting point. Each one of them requested to do stand up paddling with my board. And what more did I need! Each one of them paddled for a while. To my surprise, the shikara men stood on board easily like pro paddlers. Yes, they proved again that they are my super seniors in paddling. I could feel their happiness after their SUP experience. The boatmen of the Dal Lake are born paddlers, they have been paddling for centuries, generation after generation. They remind us how new we are. I salute their spirit.
I thank my friends Soumen and Manoj Soni, and Bay of life Surf and SUP school, Chennai who supported this Stand up Paddleboard tour.
It could be a five year kid or an older person, Stand up paddling is a great sport for all. This activity makes one to bond closely with Mother Nature without hurting her. I wish for peace. Someday, I wish to go back to Dal lake and paddle amidst its serene beauty. I wish to take my son along with me. I want him to see the beauty of Nature at her peak, and how war ravages that and makes her inaccessible and unsafe for us to even visit her. I wish that the boatmen, the weed collectors, the shikhara people, and every local person there have the energy to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the war. I wish for peace.
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