Breaking Water with Jordan-na Belle-Isle
Swim Drink Fish is highlighting members of our incredible ecosystem. This Breaking Water segment features Jordan-na Belle-lsle. Jordan-na is a Toronto-based expert in all things related to stand up paddleboarding (SUP).
Can you please introduce yourself and tell us where you work/what you do?
Hi there! I'm Jordan-na Belle-lsle, a Toronto stand up paddleboard (SUP) instructor, writer, and community builder. I'm a team member for Montreal SUP company Taiga Board and a co-organizer for Lakes Surfistas, a grassroots group of women who surf and SUP the Great Lakes year-round.
Could you tell us about your personal connection to the water?
I was born and raised in Montreal. Even though I was surrounded by water, my interactions with water were limited to visits to my family in the Laurentians and on camping trips in Québec and the Maritimes. I loved being in a canoe or strolling on the beach; there is something peaceful and soothing about being near water. It wasn't until I moved to Toronto and discovered SUP on the Great Lakes that the water close to home became part of my everyday life. I'm forever grateful for the gift of living on Lake Ontario. It's opened up a whole world of community and opportunities.
Based on our current society, would you say that SUP and surf communities/industries are places where everyone is welcomed, represented, and supported?
There is a lot of work to be done to make SUP and surf welcoming and accessible to everyone. The SUP and surf industries have a poor track record when it comes to representation. It's unfortunate because as an instructor, I've seen a wonderful diversity of people out on paddleboards. I would love to see this reflected in SUP and surf media and advertising. Also, the cost can be a major barrier. Both paddle boarding and surfing do not come cheap, especially in Canada where you need cold water gear to extend your season past the summer. When I first started out, I didn't have a car and I had limited funds, so I had to hustle to do what I loved, taking transit, borrowing gear, and buying second hand.
In your opinion, what are the most important steps to ensure the SUP and surf community is welcomed, represented, and supported?
I think the local SUP and surf community are doing a good job of being welcoming at a grassroots level. It's all about collaboration. With Lake Surfistas, we do our best to elevate and support current and aspiring women surfers and paddleboarders by getting out in the community, organizing free or low-cost events, sharing information and answering questions on our Facebook discussion page, and showcasing the community on our Instagram account. We also have a partnership in the works that will make gear more accessible to participants at our events (details to come!). Other local groups and businesses are doing great work too. For instance, Surf the Greats has been collaborating with Brown Girl Outdoor World on a number of surf and swim initiatives. As for the SUP and surf industry, it really is about diversifying their representation. Let's see people of colour, people over the age of thirty, people of different body types and abilities in their ads and on their social media. Also, instead of just selling a product, they should be supporting the communities they benefit from by providing local community groups with funding and gear. There are some companies that are starting to do this, and that's great.
Do you have anything else that you’d like to share about your work, your connection to water, or how we can encourage people to join the movement for a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future?
Water is life and water is for everyone. One of the biggest issues for me is the privatization of the shoreline and the commodification of water. No one should have exclusive access to water or profit from a resource that should be free for all to enjoy and safely consume. I won't buy bottled water and I've boycotted all Nestlé products because of their awful track record. If water is accessible and clean, people will use it and it is through this interaction that they will develop a deeper understanding of how important it is to respect and preserve this natural resource.
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