David Haze: Prison to paddleboarding and breaking world records – Live from the Big Retreat festival

David Haze’s story is one of the most extraordinary that I have ever come across on this podcast.

He’s a nine-time world record breaking paddleboarder and ocean activist. But five years ago, he was in prison for burglary and handling stolen goods.

In the years since his release, he’s grabbed his second chance at life and undertaken some extraordinary paddleboarding adventures, breaking records in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Iceland.

Just last month, he paddleboarded across the English Channel in tandem with his adventure partner Joe Cartwright, something that he’d already broken the record for solo.

David’s also made a name for himself in zero-carbon, environmentally-friendly adventures, and he was recognised for this in 2023 when he was named Ocean Activist of the Year by the campaigning charity Surfers Against Sewage.

I spoke to David at the Big Retreat festival in Pembrokeshire in front of a live audience and I heard more about why he feels paddleboarding has helped his rehabilitation after prison, how he got into the sport, and why he’s passionate about encouraging others to have more adventure in their lives.

Don’t miss David’s tips for getting started with paddleboarding and how we can have more environmentally friendly outdoors adventures at the end of the episode, as well as a minute of the sounds of nature from one of my morning walks for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

David’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You’ll find David Haze on Instagram @nomadicpaddler The Big Retreat Festival is @thebigretreatfestival

You can find photos and videos from our recording on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is now available: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

Audio from The Big Retreat Festival produced by Pete Crouch at Liquid Studios: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petecrouch/

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