Places to Paddle

In the 31st installment of the Beneath the Surface Podcast, Corey and Sean take us through some of their favorite places to paddle throughout the United States. In Beneath the Surface: Where to Paddle, the guys recount some of their favorite paddle experiences from coast to coast and tons of (surprising) favorite locales in between. 

Toward the end of the episode, BOTE ambassador Erin O’Malley jumps on to give us her favorite paddle destinations. From the backwoods of Alabama to the Grand Canyon, you won’t want to miss this episode of the best places to paddle in the U.S. 

Links from the Episode

Paddle Bostin in January, or just catch a glimpse in BOTE Presents // The Perfect Season.

Don’t think you can paddle? You can do it. 

Paddle around the statue of liberty virtually via BOTE Presents // Operation Phoenix.

Go beneath the surface of the “most alive” tiny town in the South, Venice, LA. 

Landlocked in middle America? Paddle the Ozarks. 

Can’t decide? Take the find your board quiz.

Get to know BOTE ambassador Erin O’Malley.

Who's in the Episode

Lead Designer, Co-Founder, and CEO at BOTE, Corey Cooper is a licensed engineer hailing from Auburn University. Corey is the pioneer of the DarkRoom, assisting with the design of the machinery, concepting the layout and ultimately developing the workflow used in DarkRoom production. Corey’s passion for this project is so strong that on any given day, regardless of how busy things are at BOTE, you will often find Corey working in the DarkRoom.

Sean Murphy is the Director of Photography at BOTE and a world-renowned photographer based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After spending most of his career based in Los Angeles, shooting for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, and Toyota, just to name a few, Sean moved back to the Redneck Riviera. You can find Sean capturing gritty America and spontaneous moments that translate into visually stunning photography.  

Erin O’Malley is a BOTE ambassador and owner of Sunset Standup Paddle in Laguna Beach, CA.

Sound Bites

“The most challenging place has always been... Los Angeles. We have the Pacific Ocean but there aren’t a lot of waterways like we have here in Florida. You’ve got swells, and wind, and waves, and it’s tricky because I like to fish… It’s a whole thing. You’ve gotta pack your car, drive somewhere then carry your board down a cliff. It’s cold.” - Sean Murphy, BOTE Director of Photography 

“The most interesting place was Boston in the wintertime… for a photoshoot called The Perfect Season. I went to school in Boston, in spring and fall it’s easy breezy but in January we were paddling in snow and ice. Man, we paddled through the downtown area at four or five in the morning. FROZEN. It was so cool.” - Sean Murphy, BOTE Director of Photography 

“I’ve got a farm pond that’s on about 10 acres. People don’t think of ponds as being a place to stand up paddle board, they think of more expansive bodies of water like lakes and rivers. But just paddling around the edge of the pond to fish for bass and bream beats a johnboat any day.” - Corey Cooper, BOTE CEO and Co-Founder