Welcome to the ‘Sip. Take a trip with ‘Sip Paddle Rental, Mississippi’s only paddleboard delivery service on the Coast. Servicing from Waveland to Biloxi as well as Diamondhead, the Kiln, and as far as Ocean Springs, ‘Sip Paddle Rental has all of your water-related needs covered with their high-quality paddleboards and beach equipment.
     Paddleboarding is a safe, simple, fun way for anyone of any age to explore Mississippi’s waters. Great for couples, families, friend groups, and even pets, paddleboarding is the perfect way to cool down during the Magnolia state’s warmer months, which is most of the year.
     Arianna Ryker, owner of ‘Sip Paddle Rental, knows this all too well. She says she wants to be able to “include everyone, whether you’re a local or just visiting” and for people to be able to “explore anywhere” along the Gulf Coast. ‘Sip wants to “share the beauty of the Gulf Coast,” which they accomplish by showcasing Mississippi’s natural wildlife habitats and environment through the pleasurable, leisurely activity of paddleboarding.

     Arianna formed ‘Sip Paddle Rental with her husband, Kyle Ryker, in January of 2023 and recently celebrated a one-year anniversary of opening. Having experienced the entertainment and relaxation paddleboarding brought to herself on vacation in Florida, Arianna was eager to start her own business back home in Mississippi to bring the enjoyable activity to the people residing here.
     “Outside of the exercise and adventure, paddleboarding has been a very affordable watersport giving me accessibility to the entire coastal region,” Arianna said. “The Mississippi Gulf Coast is unique in its Blue Trails and well-kept kayak launches which have let me start and end paddle boarding ventures in a variety of aquatic environments.
     “Not only has paddleboarding let me enjoy physical activity through exploration of the more hard-to-reach estuaries and lakes, but the sport also lets me connect with the growing community of popular boat docking sites both along the many rivers of coastal Mississippi and among the beautiful coastal cities. As a young woman who grew up with boating access to some parts of the MS Gulf Coast, paddle boarding is a relaxing change of pace that encourages the expedition of coastal areas I may have never noticed before as a local.”

   Arianna admits she is successfully working through learning curves as her first year in operation recently ended.
     “Being a solo woman-led business on the Gulf Coast, the first year of business has produced numerous learning experiences and, of course, challenges,” said Arianna. “However, my business has taken solace in the heartwarming network of local businesses and many chapters for business development. ‘Sip Paddle Rental has been welcomed to the coast with open-wide arms through many engagements with local business chapters and news sources, like Seaside. I am encouraged by the growth of the Mississippi Gulf Coast communities, and I look forward to 2024’s engagements both through community events and business chapter meetings.”
     As a tourism-dependent small business, Arianna says she is aware that ‘Sip Paddle Rental has more challenges ahead of it but is proud of the connections that have already been established as “2023 was a shining year for networking and innovation of how future Mississippi Gulf Coast visitors can experience the many available and very affordable access points to water activities through ‘Sip and related local watercraft businesses.
     “We expect a surge of new customers in 2024 and are planning for expansion of the domain of the rental business’ capabilities for 2025.  We will always be building our business in the spirit of continuously improving Mississippi’s many visitors’ experiences on the water.”

   Arianna says she has high hopes ‘Sip Paddle Rental will continue to flourish as the business continues to grow for “The ‘Secret Coast’ of Mississippi is home to more diverse, natural, and affordable experiences on the water than any other state in the U.S.”
     “’Sip Paddle Rental provides high quality inflatable paddleboards delivered to you, at the most convenient time during your experience on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Arianna. “I believe our service, both to our customers and to the local community, backed by our many appearances in local news and local philanthropic organizations, firmly sets us apart from paddleboarding rental businesses both within state and out of state.
     “In fact, ‘Sip Paddle Rental sets its eyes on not only confirming its position within our current delivery zones (Waveland to Ocean Springs) but also confirming its prominence as an accessible social media asset nationwide for paddleboard companies wishing to capture the hearts of the die-hard paddleboarding community.”
     The delivery service uses inflatable Voyager paddle boards from West Marine for their easy, light-weight transportation, inexpensive cost, and excellent durability. ‘Sip issues all of the required safety equipment with the paddle boards and can also provide extra beach supplies such as boogie boards, floats, and anchors for an additional cost.
    

           To rent a paddle board, visit the delivery service’s website, sippaddlerental.com. Patrons will receive their inflatable paddle boards as well as additional supplies at the drop-off location. A safety overview on how to use the equipment will be given beforehand. For pick up, simply call or text the ‘Sip Paddle Rental phone number when done.
     Arianna has many plans for expanding ‘Sip Paddle Rental in the coming years, including starting a YouTube channel to highlight different locations to paddleboard along the coast as well as possibly provide paddleboard tours. She would also like to work with local yoga studios to create a yoga paddleboarding class that is pet inclusive.
     ‘Sip has provided paddleboards for events such as the Bay St. Louis Running Club’s 5k paddleboard race and Pass Christian Rotary Club’s paddleboard raffle and intends to collaborate even more with community organizations in the future. Arianna says she wants to have a greater impact on the community by “fundraising or getting involved in schools where we have more paddleboard activities with them.” ‘Sip Paddle Rental also aims to start offering discounts to military servicemen/veterans, first responders, and students.

     Arianna says, ‘Sip Paddle Rental is “trying to work with the Mississippi Heritage area through the National Park Service to partner with them and become an outpost.” Partnering with the NPS would allow ‘Sip Paddle Rental to highlight the different rivers, creeks, and other trails in Mississippi referred to as “Blue Ways.”
     All reservations are made on ‘Sip Paddle Rental’s website. Bookings should list the date(s) to reserve the equipment for, how many paddleboards and any accessories to include, the time to deliver by (must be between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.), and the drop-off location. Get ready to have some fun in the sun with ‘Sip’s paddleboards and beach equipment.
     For more information about ‘Sip Paddle Rental, visit sippaddlerental.com, call (228) 216-0497, or email customerservice@sippaddlerental.com for assistance. Keep an eye out for new, upcoming services and outreach activities on ‘Sip’s Facebook and Instagram as well as the exciting addition of a YouTube channel.

Maya Wood

Southern Miss Gulf Scholar! Maya Wood is a native Mississippi resident currently working on obtaining her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Southern Mississippi ‘s Gulf Coast campus. She plans to continue on to a master’s degree with an emphasis in literature or creative writing and is currently a member of the inaugural class of the nationally recognized Gulf Scholars Program, which is a program that focuses on supporting states and communities along the coast. This article is one of several stories for her Gulf Scholars project whose purpose is to highlight local businesses and their contributions to providing “the good life” for Mississippi residents and visitors. Maya’s long-term goal is to do what she loves full time: work as a writer and eventually become an author, as she finds great joy in reading and wants to spread that feeling to others.