Here's a tip. Full moon on a clear night makes it easier to see at night. You probably need blinking lights or a light but I've never done it.

done it once, on a glassy , wintery, pitch dark night in WA.

just paddled straight out into the ocean, with a small swell rolling under the board.

it was so dark, ..... i may as well have had my eyes closed.

and very quiet too,

it's really really spooky........... DO IT

Paddling on the Chapman River in Geraldton at 0300.

Signs along the river warning that contact with the water may be detrimental. A blocked river with runoff from farms etc.

The phosphorescence was remarkable.

A bow wave could clearly be seen in the dark as could the paddle strokes. Fish were seen flashing away leaving a clear trail as they went. An experience to be remembered.

Magical

Then I fell in.

When paddling in the dark I always have a red blinking light, from a bike shop, clipped onto the back of my hat. It just slides onto the back of the hat very easily. That way boats coming up from behind can see you. And you can see these lights clearly from over 200 metres.

You could also wear an LED white solid light on the front of your hat, like a miners lamp for added safety. Alot of ski paddlers up here use them in Winter when it's dark.

Zimbo, now you are onto something.

We normally head straight out to sea (depending on conditions, of course) on a full moon. Sometime we time it really early in the morning to meet the sunrise and paddle back with the sun on our backs. talk about serenity!

As you are in WA you will have the sun rising into your face on the way back in so you might want to try timing it to hit the beach before it rises too much.

A word of caution: A red light indicates port (LHS) and green indicate starboard (RHS) on the front of a boat. So when a boat sees a red light they think that they are looking at the front Left side of a boat and when they see a green light they think that they are looking at the front Right side of a boat. A white light normally indicates the back end of a boat.

This colour system does change for different size/types of boats. For small yachts (less than 7m) a single white light is used so this is probably the safest option for a SUP.

Let us know how you go.

Here you go:

www.transport.wa.gov.au/imarine/19134.asp

Maybe put an LED on your head and leave it at that. Nobody is going to pick port and starboard on a SUP.