Ha Ha.
From time to time, you may lose your paddle in wipeouts in the surf, and when it happens you realize it is very hard to spot a black paddle. A lot of people (myself included) use some red or orange tape around the shaft and as paddle guard to help in these cases. And I guess it is quite critical in river rapids.
I think I have lost my paddle 3 times in 6 years of SUP, but because I am a small-wave SUPer. I guess you lose your paddle more often in heavy powerful waves.
Gr8 idea. I dropped my paddle a few weeks ago out at Box head and spent 45min looking for it . Luckily two short board riders helped me find it while two blokes on Sup's just paddled straight past me when i spotted it 20 metres away and asked them for help. Unfortunately Sup'ers like that give us a bad name. Thankyou to the shortboarders for helping me spot it
Give your shaft a light sand with a fine wet and dry paper and spray paint it.....if you feel the need to colour up your life 
I have lost mine twice now, both times a prone paddle in to retrieve .
One time paddle was on beach the other the bloody 5hing was still out the back 
Please !!!
No more Hi Viz!!!
We have to wear that **** at work, not doing something enjoyable!
Whats the world coming too, are we all so stupid we cant see anything unless its Lime Green or Flouro Orange
Some people are so ****ing dumb
I know what you mean, I am one of 320 in our office who wear stunning fire retardant orange, but paddle is approx $150 off RRP(25%) compared to black, it has a hi vis yellow shaft. Hence why I am looking
Who cares what somebody else thinks about it...that's a lot of money to lose because it's not cool to someone who you don't know...and has no skin in the game.
Go against the heard...there is a story of an icthiologist who did a lobotomy on a fish trying to determine why fish school, and why they would follow one fish over another. When the scientist put the "brainless" fish in with a large number of fish, the school imidieatly started following it.
Sounds a lot like some line ups, an aggressive "less than brilliant" self appointed individual takes it upon themselves to establish & enforce protocols that are totally arbitrary. The heard falls in right right behind them because they are afraid to be shunned by said group.
zackly--i lost a pricey paddle once going over the falls in big OH+ surf--got slaughtered looking for it in the work zone--never found it, watched with bino's even for a while from the cliff--black carbon on a cloudy day in dark NE US water is a tough find--and if i gave a hoot about what others think of me id still be proning
so i have bright tape on my paddles as others have described--and i have my phone number with "return for reward" written all ugly and crude on the blade
and yeah, lineups can take on bully culture, where good guys are afraid to speak up, so all fall in line with the ahole
Try having my sight and dropping your paddle. I've done that a few times in the national park( I can't climb on the rocks so paddle into the cove) and hope someone picked it up and hangs around til I get back there.
