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The Panama Paddle Expedition

A record breaking prone paddleboarding journey in support of ecological exploration and preservation in Panama

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The Panama Paddle Expedition

The Panama Paddle Expedition

The Panama Paddle Expedition

The Panama Paddle Expedition

The Panama Paddle Expedition

A record breaking prone paddleboarding journey in support of ecological exploration and preservation in Panama

A record breaking prone paddleboarding journey in support of ecological exploration and preservation in Panama

A record breaking prone paddleboarding journey in support of ecological exploration and preservation in Panama

A record breaking prone paddleboarding journey in support of ecological exploration and preservation in Panama

Rob Cunliffe
Rob Cunliffe
Rob Cunliffe
Rob Cunliffe
1 Campaign |
Bristol, United Kingdom
$520 USD $520 USD 26 backers
15% of $3,295 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Our Mission

Hi, we're a team of passionate conservationists, paddleboarders and surfers. We're combining these passions and making a record breaking 1000km paddle along the length of Panama to raise funds and awareness of conservation issues affecting Panama. We’re also collecting our own ecological data as we go in the hope that this will contribute to environmental protection of the areas we're exploring and the unique species they contain. Our aims are to:

  • Set a new long distance world record for prone paddleboarding, not a small feat for a three thousand year old sport! And discover unridden surf spots along the way.

  • Search for undiscovered populations of Antillean manatee, Trichechus manatus ssp. manatus (yes I did mean to write manatus twice!) as we go.

  • Determine the status of and hopefully thereafter take the first photos of a critically endangered Salamander, Oedipina maritima endemic to Isla Escudo de Veraguas.

  • To record this journey sharing with the world images of a seldom visited and largely unexplored coastline.
  • To fundraise as we travel for the environmental charity Seacology who run human-environment linked conservation projects in coastal Panama. www.seacology.com


The Impact

Through the adventure we hope to positively engage the public with conservation action not just in Panama but in the wider context of acknowledging our social responsibility to preserve these places of exquisite beauty and intrigue for future generations to enjoy. This is more important today than ever.

We sincerely hope that in part as a consequence of the data we collect greater environmental protection can be attributed to this land while it is wild and before commercial or other human interests compete with conservation and species preservation. This pre-emptive action for conservation can be particularly effective.


Here are a few Manatee, affectionately known to many as sea cows. At up to 13 feet long and weighing 590kg you would think we couldn't miss them. They're an endangered species of herbivore that would you believe are thought to have given rise to the mermaid myth. They exclusively inhabit the Caribbean seaboard and fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remain in the wild and this number is decreasing.


What We Need & What You Get

We've invested all the funds we have into launching this expedition and now we need you to help get us on the starting line before the wet season begins and scuppers our chances of finding these manatee. We're also looking to record our experiences for a documentary, with our capacity to do this dependent on how successful this campaign is.

Where are we short:

  • Cash to pay for local support vessels, particularly vital as we cannot explore unchartered rivers for manatee without them. And for the latter stages of our trip as we island hop home through the Perlas Archipelago during the Humpback whale migration. For this we would also like to pay for a cameraman. 
  • Money to purchase documentary equipment, EOS 60D, GoPro's, slider, tripod, audio.We'd love to do this justice and record the journey on the equipment that is suited to the adventure rather than that which we can gather.
  • A reservoir of funds to pay for unforeseen charges, import fees, park access and film fees and later funds for editing our footage.


What do I win I hear you say?

Well the great thing is, we're offering you some incredible original perks in return for your support, including the WORLD'S FIRST ever photographs of Oedipina maritima (fingers crossed for this one!), the chance to NAME YOUR VERY OWN SURF SPOT: we'll even send you the GPS co-ordinates to your PRIVATE SURF PARADISE and maybe one day you'll get to go, exclusive early access to a bank of images of a coastline that produces zero accurate hits on a google image search, a chance to grafitti a message onto our expedition boards: I love you Barbara, good luck, paddle harder, this kind of thing, and a sneak preview of our documentary to boot!



Other Ways You Can Help

Share, share, share our page. The more people who know about the trip, the more successful it will be in terms of the conservation objectives we're trying to achieve. And a successful campaign means that the work we're doing has the greatest chance of success.

So please make some noise and share, here: using Indiegogo sharing tools, there: to schools who might like to follow our progress, clubs, communities and everywhere. Nature thanks you for it.

Kind Regards,


Arron, Rob, Max


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Choose your Perk

Thank You Sir

Currency Conversion $4 USD
£3 GBP
Receive an email from the team to say thank you for your support. And receive a special thank you note with a trip report by email when we complete our journey.
Estimated Shipping
March 2014
1 out of 100 of claimed

World's First Photographs

Currency Conversion $8 USD
£6 GBP
Awesome, you'll receive a thank you note and an email containing e-postcards of the WORLDS FIRST photographs of the Oedipina maritima salamander IF we are successful in finding it. If not we'll make up for this by electronically sending you our top 3 wildlife shots in all their high resolution brilliance.
Estimated Shipping
July 2014
1 out of 100 of claimed

Documentary Premier Ticket

Currency Conversion $8 USD
£6 GBP
With complimentary drink on arrival. Location to be confirmed: Abbots Leigh or Wrington.
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
1 out of 80 of claimed

Supporter: photos and updates

Currency Conversion $11 USD
£9 GBP
Follow the trip with exclusive photos and updates. As a supporter we'll send you a thank you note now, and email you with updates of our progress and findings as we go, including pictures of our trials and tribulations, this includes the Oedipina exclusive (a minimum of three unique updates will be sent, as we're in the wild, bear with us and these will be sent as and when possible). You'll also be listed as a supporter in the documentary credits.
Estimated Shipping
July 2014
7 claimed

Pre-release e-DVD

Currency Conversion $15 USD
£12 GBP
Get your hands on an electronic copy of our DVD. We can't promise a cinematic masterpiece but it will take you on a tour of a mystical land, be refreshingly raw and full of adventure.
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
0 claimed

Hot Shots

Currency Conversion $15 USD
£12 GBP
You'll receive a signed printed A4 photograph from our trip from a selection of our top 5 shots delivered straight to your door.
1 claimed

DVD: the keeper

Currency Conversion $19 USD
£15 GBP
Let us take you there time and time again with a pre-release signed hard copy of the DVD and a personal message to show our appreciation. If far afield in Australia or similar, please add a contribution to shipping costs.
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
1 claimed

Get shirty: Expedition t-shirt

Currency Conversion $25 USD
£20 GBP
Get your hands on a Panama Paddle t-shirt. These are white cotton shirts with the rather fashionable turquoise seacology logo on the front and our trip title and sponsors on the rear. They look rather nice if we do say so ourselves. Any size, male or female. Please add £2.50 for UK delivery and £5 for world.
Estimated Shipping
March 2014
5 claimed

Expedition Rash Vesh

Currency Conversion $63 USD
£50 GBP
Get your hands on a very limited edition expedition rash vest (unworn!), these are long sleeved light blue with sponsors logos on the arms (pictures to follow) and the seacolgoy logo on our chests. Mens medium only I'm afraid.
Estimated Shipping
July 2014
0 out of 2 of claimed

Lecture

Currency Conversion $101 USD
£80 GBP
We'll deliver a hopefully inspirational lecture to your child's school, a society or club with photos and video from the trip. (If not in Bristol or Brighton please provide some compensation for travel expenses).
Estimated Shipping
September 2014
0 out of 5 of claimed

Sponsor

Currency Conversion $126 USD
£100 GBP
Have your company name, logo or leave a private message on our expedition boards. We'll also send you updates and photos featuring your logo and list your company with a link on our website. You would need to send us the logo by the 15th March so we can get these sent to meet us in Panama before we start. Size limit 9x9 inches but we're not fussy.
1 out of 10 of claimed

Your own fantasy surf spot

Currency Conversion $253 USD
£200 GBP
We'll send you the GPS co-ordinates of your very own private surf spot and give you the chance to name it yourself, obviously what we find is out of our control but beachie or pipe impersonator, it's guaranteed to be unique. We'll send you pictures, a description of the wave and its surroundings and if ever a surf guide for NW or SW Panama is made, we'll be sure to pass on your spot name! If you're a company and would like to do this we can also place your logo (9 x 9 inches) our boards!
Estimated Shipping
July 2014
0 out of 5 of claimed

Major Sponsor

Currency Conversion $505 USD
£400 GBP
Have your company name or logo or leave a private message on our expedition boards. We'll also send you updates and photos featuring your logo ans list your company with a link on our website plus the documentary. You would need to send us the logo by the 15th March so we can get these sent to meet us in Panama before we start. Size limit 12x12 inches or similar, 2 logos per board.
0 out of 4 of claimed

Prime Sponsor

Currency Conversion $1,263 USD
£1,000 GBP
Access to all trip photographs, including our coastal survey, framed signed copy of the first Oedipina photograph or of any similar discoveries of Manatee, regular updates, a prime spot on our expedition boards with no restriction of logo quantity and parameters, and a complimentary access to paradise set of co-ordinates, description and photos, promotion on the documentary intro, top of the list on our website sponsors page, and a hand written you letter from the team.
0 out of 1 of claimed

Expedition Board

Currency Conversion $1,894 USD
£1,500 GBP
Get your hands on a piece of surfing history with one of our 18ft expedition boards. Add £100 for UK delivery or £250 for worldwide.
Estimated Shipping
July 2014
0 out of 3 of claimed

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