From there, we paddled our way back over to the junk boat to enjoy a delicious lunch on board, forever praising the love of tofu and fresh fruit in Vietnam. For Ryan, this was also the moment he’d been waiting for. “Can I jump off the side of this boat?” he asks an unsuspecting instructor whose response perfectly captured the attitude of the Asia Outdoors crew. “We strongly encourage it.”

As the afternoon rolled in, we pulled out the stand up paddleboards and got ready to, well, stand. I expected this to be a front row seat at comedy hour, attempting to put be me – a spectacularly awkward, uncoordinated spaz with little balance – on a board over water. But guys, I DID NOT FALL IN. Sure, my life flashed before my eyes as I paddled over a couple of the biggest jelly fish I have ever seen (we have a history), but I took no plunge. As it turns out, SUPing is pretty easy and falling is quite hard. Bless our guide Miha who patiently answered my myriad questions about the logistics of not falling before realizing all this. In the end, SUP had claimed a top spot on my list of favourite activities.

With the sun starting to set in the distance, we paddled back to the boat, just in time for Ryan and co., to take a few more leaps off the boat as we all soaked in the last few rays of a great day.

If you find yourself washed up on Cát Bà – and we sure hope you do – make sure to visit the fine folks at Asia Outdoors to book a tour.

Find Asia Outdoors at No. 229, 1/4 Street, Group 19, Ward 4 Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

www.asiaoutdoors.com.vn