Aqua Marina Dhyana Inflatable SUP Review | 2024

• Save

Aqua Marina Dhyana iSUP: Overview

The Aqua Marina Dhyana is a yoga- and fitness-centric inflatable stand up paddleboard designed to work seamlessly with the Aqua Marina Yoga Dock for group yoga and fitness activities. Aqua Marina’s lightweight construction keeps the Dhyana feeling light in your hands and on the water, but leaves us wanting for better performance when we’re not docked. If you are looking for a large, wide iSUP primarily for yoga and only light cruising-style paddling, the Dhyana may be just what you want.

— Aqua Marina Dhyana iSUP Summary Ratings and Review —

Construction and Durability

The Aqua Marina Dhyana is built with a very lightweight construction that prioritizes board weight and packed size over stiffness and durability.

• Save

Aqua Marina has a few different construction variations they use across their product line. The Dhyana uses Aqua Marina’s basic “Drop Stitch Light Tech” build. The inner layer of the Dhyana is a standard knitted fabric with linear drop stitch yarns stretching from the deck (top) of the board to the hull (bottom). A single layer of PVC material is bonded to the fabric layer to act as both the airtight chamber and outer shell of the board. Where the top and bottom layers meet around the rails (sides) of the board they are joined with two layers of PVC. This gives the Dhyana more stiffness and additional abrasion protection around the edges.

Aqua Marina’s exact construction techniques are not easy to determine. Both their website and product catalog mention high-frequency welding and heat fusion, but there are no indications of where these construction techniques are used or on which paddleboards. Normally when more advanced construction techniques (like HF and Heat Welding) are used in an iSUP, brands view this as an additional selling point on higher-quality construction. Without any direct indication of where these are used, it’s nearly impossible to determine if they are being used across their iSUP product lines. We reached out directly to Aqua Marina to clarify and did not receive a response. If we do get clarification from Aqua Marina we will update our reviews with any new information.

Stiffness in an iSUP plays a big role in both how well the board performs on the water and how stable it feels. The Dhyana’s lightweight construction does make it easier to transport and store the board when not in use, but it also makes the board quite flexible. In our bend test we use a 170 lb weight to measure how far the board flexes when suspended between two points seven feet apart. We do this test for all of our iSUP reviews. The Dhyana’s maximum inflation pressure is 15 PSI. When fully inflated to 15 PSI, the Dhyana bent 2.125”. This makes it one of Aqua Marina’s better performing models for our test, but still falls far short of our running average (1.675”). Our bend test lets us put some numbers to each board for comparison’s sake, but doesn’t always give us the full picture of how the board feels.

• Save

On the water some iSUPs will feel more- or less-stiff than what their bend test results may indicate. With the Dhyana I did feel quite a lot of flex when on the water as well, and more than I expected with its bend test results. There’s noticeable flex while paddling, moving on the board, and of course while bouncing. You can see in the two photos below just how much flex there is while giving it my standard on-the-water bounce test.

• Save

Specifications

Features, Accessories and Versatility

The Dhyana is built as a yoga and fitness-specific iSUP and in order to better serve that function, has fewer built-in features available on other all-around iSUPs.

• Save

The largest, and most important, feature of the Dhyana is its full-length deck pad. While the crocodile-texture EVA foam deck pad does fall just a little short of the nose of the board, it is still significantly large enough to be considered “full-length.” Where the deck pad does not extend on the front of the board is a four-point cargo area that is quite large as it spans nearly the entire width of the board. There’s plenty of room for water, yoga blocks, sandals, and a medium size dry bag all together.

At the nose of the board there is a d-ring placed to easily attach the Dhyana to an inflatable yoga dock for group classes. The Dhyana also comes with three small straps with which to do this. While there is a handle at the rear of the board, there is no front handle, which can make carrying the board with a partner a little tricker.

While most iSUPs will have a handle in the center of the board (centered both side to side and front to back) for easy carrying, the Dhyana has two side handles instead of a single center handle to open up more space on the deck. This does present a little bit of an issue for carrying the board to and from the water. While Aqua Marina lists the width of the Dhyana at 36” wide, our 2022 Aqua Marina Dhyana actually measures 38” wide. The side handles on this very wide board means you are left trying to reach to the far handle about 34” away (at 5’9” my arm is only 27” from armpit to fingertip), hold the near handle and lift the entire board with your shoulder (as shown in the lead image for this review) which also greatly increases the chances of rubbing it along the ground while carrying it (potentially damaging the board), or swing the board upside down and carry it over your head with both hands. While the first option isn’t really possible, the second and third options leave you with either little control of the board as you carry it, or holding what becomes a giant sail over your head (both of which are dangerous if it is windy).

Now what would make the Dhyana easy to transport would be a shoulder strap. Aqua Marina does include a shoulder carrying strap with the Dhyana, but there’s a catch. It doesn’t work while the board is inflated. There are no side d-rings to attach the shoulder strap to the board, nor are the arms of the strap anywhere near wide enough to go around the board. The shoulder strap is meant to be used while the board is deflated and rolled up even tighter than when it is in the storage bag. Why? I honestly don’t know. It feels like this was a complete afterthought added without ever testing the idea. Using the shoulder strap means you still need to carry a pump with you along with the fin, leash, paddle, etc. so why not just use the backpack bag that can hold it all? That’s certainly what I do instead.

At the rear of the board there is a leash anchor ring and the Dhyana does include a lightweight ankle leash. I actually really like the Aqua Marina leash for its lightweight simplicity (though I’d wish the velcro strap were a bit longer to fit over my calf). The leash is very light and both flexes and lays flat, so if you step on it the leash won’t roll under your feet. I do question the strength of the leash for anything more than light surf conditions, though.

• Save

Paddle

The Dhyana comes with the Aqua Marina Sports III aluminum/nylon three-piece paddle.

• Save

The Sports III paddle features a large nylon blade that is both scooped along its long axis and bent across its horizontal axis. The long scoop is meant to let the nylon paddle blade bend straight during your stroke (instead of bending backward), and the side-to-side bend is to let water easily slide off the sides to prevent fluttering. While these are reasonable shaping ideas generally, the execution is a little heavy handed. I can easily see new paddlers getting confused on which way to use the blade because of the bend being visible and spoon-like on each side of the blade. The amount of scooping and bending is also so great that the paddle has a bad tendency to catch in the water as you remove the blade at the end of the stroke – enough that it can impact your balance as the blade tries to stay submerged while you pull against the paddle.

The aluminum shaft is powder coated and reasonably comfortable in the hand. Aluminum is very susceptible to bending, so care should be taken when storing the paddle to avoid putting too much pressure on the shaft.

The handle section is also aluminum and does have some length markings along one side, but it is not indexed, so paddlers will need to align the handle and blade each time they adjust. Again, this is another point where new paddlers can easily become confused and accidentally set their paddle up backward. The grip itself is molded plastic and relatively comfortable, though very light feeling. Overall the Sports III paddle is definitely on the heavy side, but works well enough for the casual paddling one might do on the Dhyana to warm up prior to a yoga session.

Stability

The Dhyana has a good deal of stability due to its very large width, but it’s a nuanced type of stability that has some drawbacks because of its lightweight build.

• Save

At 38” wide and 11’ long, there is a lot of surface area in contact with the water when using the Dhyana. The Dhyana has great “gross” stability due to its large width and parallel shape, but is lacking “fine” stability. The lightweight construction has very little inertia, so it tends to twitch noticeably from side-to-side. While standing on the board in calm conditions I did note some light rolling/twitching sensations with any small shift in weight. While rocking the Dhyana from side-to-side (just enough to put the top of the board at the surface of the water) the Dhyana gave a “popping” feel as the rails re-surfaced very quickly. Lastly, while moving around on the board, shifting weight, and even while paddling, there is a noticeable flex in the board. Holding the Dhyana on its edge was relatively easy, however I did still feel that twitchiness with any amount of movement from me or the water.

During testing I am really looking and feeling for any issues, no matter the severity, so I set these aside and started paddling. While casually paddling with the Dhyana and doing some basic planks, down-dogs, etc. the flexing and twitching wasn’t as glaring, but it was still noticeable. For a novice paddler these can be some serious issues. They can make staying upright difficult and quickly tire out those small stabilizer muscles in our feet and legs that don’t get as much use on solid ground. However, for a slightly more experienced paddler that same lack of “fine” stability can actually help you become stronger and more flexible. Similar to using a Bosu ball to create instability during a workout activates more muscles (especially those stabilizers in your joints), the flex and twitch in the Dhyana will give your workouts and yoga sessions a bit more of a boost compared to a more solid-feeling iSUP.

Speed

As a yoga-centric iSUP, the Dhyana is not built for speed. It is a slow paddleboard, but that’s OK – not every SUP needs to be fast on the water.

• Save

Speed testing the Dhyana was a bit unnecessary, but we love data! If you are wanting an iSUP that’s super stable for yoga and can still occasionally paddle fast, I do recommend looking at some other options that are a little narrower (around 34”) and a bit stiffer. As I was sprinting on the Dhyana, I would regularly have the nose dive under the surface of the water as the board bobbed up and down. 5.1 MPH was the fastest I was able to get going on the Dhyana in a sprint and its 100 meter dash average time was just under 5 MPH. Getting it up to these top speeds and maintaining it was not an easy task as it did bounce quite a bit, and it had difficulty maintaining a straight course due to its large width.

Cruising with the Dhyana was much easier, though. The amount of flex and bobbing was greatly reduced (though still noticeable at times) and the overall speed was a bit low in our ¼ mile cruising test (3.3 MPH). The Dhyana has a very average glide ratio of about 1.55 board-lengths per stroke. While it’s not super-efficient on the water, it is still easy to paddle short distances. Again, the Dhyana is made for yoga and fitness activities, so its lower speeds aren’t a negative for those users.

Maneuverability and Tracking

The Dhyana is a very agile inflatable SUP that can quickly change directions when needed, though it can be a bit tricky to keep on course over long distances.

• Save

The Dhyana is extremely easy to turn and maneuver when needed. With forward sweep strokes from a standstill, it only takes an average of 4.25 strokes to make complete 360° turn. For such a large iSUP, this is a really good result. You can certainly turn the Dhyana even faster with different strokes (like reverse sweeps) or by stepping back for a pivot turn. The wide shape and tail of the Dhyana does provide decent stability for a pivot turn, but the flex from the board’s lightweight construction can cause the Dhyana to wobble and “catch” in the water as you spin around.

• Save

Normally when a paddleboard’s maneuverability is very high, its tracking is very low, and that is the case with the Dhyana. During our tracking test I found the Dhyana to be difficult to keep on a straight line (averaging 21° off-course over 10 strokes). This is due to a few reasons, but the largest culprits are, once again, the flexible construction that causes the Dhyana to flex while paddling, and the board’s large width. The wider a paddle board is made, the harder it is to keep your paddle vertical while paddling. As your paddle angle drops, each stroke introduces more turning force to the board. At 38” wide, you have to really, really reach over with your top hand to try and get your paddle straight. While the tracking performance of the Dhyana is lower than many other iSUPs we’ve tested, it’s important to keep in mind that it is an iSUP designed specifically for yoga, not distance paddling.

• Save

The Dhyana, like Aqua Marina’s other all-around iSUPs, has a single slide-in fin box and comes with a standard 9” flex fin. This fin shape has its origin in surfing, and is made to provide a moderate degree of tracking and maneuverability. With a SUP designed for yoga, I’d like to see a larger surface area fin that better resists rolling from side-to-side. The slide-in fin box significantly limits the number of different types of fins available. I also found it very difficult to install and uninstall the fin as it was such a tight fit I had to actually hammer the fin into place (and back out).

Warranty and Customer Support

The Dhyana is covered by Aqua Marina’s 1 year warranty handled through their retailer networks. In order to file a warranty claim, you will need to work through the retail from whom you purchased your iSUP. Because Aqua Marina’s products are only available through retailers, return periods and customer service will vary from location to location. In the US and Canada, the regional distributor is Zoppinh.com. They offer a 30-day return period and you can reach them via online chat, phone, email, and through social media. A 1 year warranty is a bare minimum in the iSUP industry and non-manufacturer support is also not ideal for consumers.

Value

The Aqua Marina Dhyana is an interesting iSUP. It is made specifically for yoga, and as such many of the other on-water performance characteristics are minimized. This isn’t a problem if you are looking for a yoga-specific iSUP. The overall construction, accessory quality, and lackluster warranty does reduce its value for the average consumer as well. Where I believe the best value for the Dhyana is found is when purchased as a fleet for SUP yoga and SUP fitness classes that utilize a dock system like the Aqua Marina Yoga Dock.

Overall Impressions/Review Summary

• Save

First, I want to mention who the Dhyana is not for. The Dhyana is not an all-around iSUP replacement. It’s not ideal for total beginners who might be thinking the extra width will help them learn the sport. The construction and on-water performance of the Dhyana are not ideal for these purposes.

If you have some paddling experience and are looking for an iSUP specifically for yoga, then the Dhyana is right for you. The flex and twitchiness of the construction don’t lend it to long distance paddle sessions, but they do force you to activate your stabilizer muscles more as you move through your fitness and yoga sessions.

Aqua Marina Dhyana iSUP FAQ