PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The COVID-19 pandemic inspired a lot of people to try new outdoor activities, one of those being paddle boarding. However, it wasn't an easily accessible or cheap sport to try, until PADL came along.
The first on-demand, app-based paddle board rental company in Florida started when Andres Avello and his friends were tired of lugging around the over-sized boards.
"I myself had 3 paddle boards at my house and I moved to an apartment, and I had nowhere to keep them," Avello said. "I wanted to keep paddle boarding. I wanted something near my house and where I could easily have access to it, and that was part of the implementation of this."
PADL can be downloaded onto your phone. After entering basic information, the boards can be rented from your phone for an hourly rate.
"It just made all the sense in the world to really make this as accessible as any other sport is. And if you look at the equipment it is large and difficult to transport. So, if you want to purchase the equipment and you live in an apartment, it's almost impossible to do so."
There are currently 20 locations in Florida. In Palm Beach County, PADL has rental stations at Juno Beach Park, Burt Reynolds Park in Jupiter, and Ocean Inlet Park In Boynton Beach. They also have a station at South Beach Place Hotel in Vero Beach. All locations can be found here.
Avello says this is only the beginning. They plan to launch 30 more locations by 2023.
For Florida residents, PADL offers a membership option costing $25 per month. The boards can also be rented hourly for $19.95 per hour.
