SALIDA • Paul Darrah doesn’t raft or kayak, though he lives in the heart of Colorado whitewater country.

Sitting for long periods bothers his back, and paddling in a mostly enclosed kayak inches above the water makes him feel claustrophobic.

But he once loved to surf. So he went to the river and took a stand.

“It wasn’t until I stood on a board that I started running the rivers,” Darrah said.Stand-up paddleboarding (SUPing), a sport born on the waves of the Pacific, is booming in popularity among Colorado’s river rats and lake lovers.

Fishermen, families and whitewater adrenaline junkies are discovering the joys of coasting above the water, or finding a new way to enjoy the rapids they long since mastered inboats, in a summer when low river flows and high temperatures make falling in seem less frightening.

See photos from a day of paddle boarding!

“It’s a great time to learn right now. With the warm temperatures, it’s really fun. You actually want to fall in the water this summer,” said Brandon Slate, owner of Salida outfitter Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center, which rents paddleboards and offers lessons.

“That’s the beauty of stand-up paddleboarding. Anybody can do it in any body of water. Where there’s water, you can SUP,” he said.

SUPing evolved from surfing in Hawaii and caught on big in the early 2000s, as surfers began to use paddles as a way to train on calm days.

It involves riding a raft or board, wider than a surf board, while standing and paddling. Coloradoans on vacation in Hawaii and California learned it and came back itching to try SUPing on the mainland. Surfers and ocean lovers moved here, perhaps for the snowboarding, and wanted to take it up in the summer. Other first-timers have been drawn by how easy it is to get going.

Said Darrah, “Anybody can do it. You can get someone paddling in 30 seconds.”

But in a state not known for its beaches, the gear had to be shaped for Colorado.

Mike Harvey co-founded Badfish Stand Up Paddle in Salida in 2010, making boards specifically for lakes and rivers, shorter and thicker than ocean gliders.

‘“The original popularity of SUP happened in coastal places,” Harvey said. “The stuff that’s designed for flat water or the ocean doesn’t work well in a river. Our stuff is kind of a hybridization of SUPing and kayaking.”

“When I first started SUPing on the river, I literally almost stopped kayaking. I just knew if I was having this much fun, there were definitely other people who would have this much fun.”

Some enjoy coasting on lakes for the great core workout, while others like the exhilaration of negotiating rapids and fighting to keep your balance. Fisherman are increasingly using specially designed boards to get a better look at the fish.

So what makes it so much fun? I took a daylong lesson with Darrah, an instructor, and some other first-timers to find out.

In most Colorado water sports, the goal is to not fall in the water.

From the first moment I got on my knees and pushed a board into Moltz Lake, a private lake east of Buena Vista, I knew I would be taking a swim. Once I stood up, wobbling, feet not strapped into anything, I realized just how much we take solid ground for granted. The board shifted and threatened to topple with every tiny movement.

It took about five minutes to get over the discomfort, but soon, under Darrah’s instruction, we were paddling around the lake. He taught the basic power stroke to gain speed and how to turn. Though it was a hot day in the Arkansas River Valley, I began to think maybe I wouldn’t be swimming and decided I was glad I left the wet suit in the van.

Then, in a moment of distraction, the board began to list heavily to starboard. I overcorrected, and before I knew what was happening I was in the lake.

But I was surprised to find myself smiling. The water wasn’t too cold, and it was easy to get back on the board.

We later visited the whitewater park in Salida, the second stop for those who book a full-day lesson. In high water or cold spring runoff, to enter the Arkansas River on a board from which I had already been tossed three times in calm water would have seemed ludicrous. But the river was low, the day was hot and the water was surprisingly mild, so in we went to practice fighting the current before running the rapids.

This time, I was wearing the wet suit.

It wasn’t long before the youngest in our group had mastered turns, shooting rapids and even staying on the board in whitewater, including 11-year-old Mady Monroe and her two siblings, whose take on the sport was “awesomeness!”

“They’re all going to want paddleboards for Christmas. I’m in trouble,” said their mother, Rhea Monroe.

“I’m sold. I’m ready to do it again,” said first-timer Katie Kowalski. “It was challenging for both my mind and body. The second I wasn’t paying attention, I was in the water.”

When I finally ran the rapids, it was like running a gauntlet, gritting my teeth just to make it through, with no points for style. But the thrill made up for the shaky knees, and I wondered what it would be like to tackle some of the area’s famed whitewater runs.

SUP riders are, including The Numbers and Brown’s Canyon on the Arkansas. Darrah doesn’t know if anyone has tried the Royal Gorge, but it’s only a matter of time.Lovers of the sport say it’s not a fad brought on by the low-water year, but something that will stay in Colorado and evolve on its lakes and rivers.

And there’s a plus to SUPing here instead of the ocean.

Said Darrah, “If you’re not in the ocean, you don’t have to worry about sharks.”