If there was one thing Matt Parker took away from a recent paddleboarding adventure around Whidbey Island, it was a healthy respect for the geography.

“That’s a really big island,” Parker said.

Parker and his friend, Ryan Anderson, decided about two years ago that they wanted to test their stand-up paddleboarding skills and endurance by circumnavigating certain Puget Sound islands.

They checked off Blake Island, Vashon, Harstine and Squaxin, then decided to set their sights on Whidbey, the state’s biggest island and one of the longest in the country.

“We don’t think anybody’s ever done it,” Parker said.

Parker considered he and Anderson were ideal candidates.

Parker, 37, a real estate broker from Burien, and Anderson, 41,  from Tenino, both are what Parker calls “adventure athletes.”

Parker has participated in stand-up paddleboard races in California and Hawaii. Anderson is a Burien firefighter and fitness instructor.

“Ryan is just a ferocious all-around athlete,” Parker said.

On the morning of Aug. 6, the pair shoved off at the southern tip of Whidbey near Sandy Hook, where Parker’s family owns a cabin.

“We didn’t feel it was necessary to go through the night,” Parker said. “So the game plan was to, more or less, get as far as we could go, then go back in the water at exactly the same spot early the next morning.”

It took them 22.5 hours over three days to circumnavigate Whidbey, which according to Parker’s calculations,  covered anywhere from 95 to 105 miles of stand-up paddleboarding.

If you followed every nook and cranny along Whidbey’s shoreline, the adventure would be about 164 miles, according to Nathan Howard, long range planner with Island County.

By contrast, Camano Island’s shoreline is about 59 miles, Howard said.

“I haven’t heard of anyone doing that,” said Jeff Vallejo, who owns Oak Harbor-based HarborSUP, which offers stand-up paddleboarding tours and lessons in waters near Deception Pass State Park.

“I know there are a lot of people who have mentioned wanting to do that, but nobody came to me and said, ‘Yeah, I’ve done it.’

“I think it’s awesome.”

For Parker and Anderson, the adventure didn’t come without challenges and concern.

They were surprised by the relative ease of covering the west side of the island — roughly 50 miles — in one day. It was only made that way by hitting the tides just right.

“The west side of the island is exposed to the ocean so it was more or less like a conveyor belt heading north,” Parker said. “It was the strongest tide I’ve ever experienced (in Puget Sound).

“It kind of sling-shotted us up the west side and led to this near sunset crossing of Deception Pass.”

Ah, yes, Deception Pass.

Parker and Anderson had consulted an expert about how to cope with the strong currents and whirlpools underneath the Deception Pass bridge.

They even parked their boards on the beach and climbed to the top of the bridge to have a look before making the attempt.

Then they went for it.

“There was some trepidation about it,” Parker said. “Ryan’s got a family. I’ve got a wife. We’re not in that mode anymore where we want to take stupid risks.”

With a flood tide in their favor pushing them through, they passed under the bridge with little trouble.

The conditions on the east side of the bridge, however, were rough, compounded by an approaching boat that got too close for comfort and sent a mighty wake their way.

They both got down on their boards. Parker hugged his.

He said the water looked like a giant witch’s cauldron.

“It was like we crossed into hell once we went under the bridge,” Parker said. “It was borderline overwhelming.

“I could see large whirlpools. I could see standing waves. I could see eddies and rips. At any given point in time, I didn’t know where the board might go.”

Fearing he would get disconnected from his board and get sucked down, he hugged it tightly. Anderson was able to stay seated on his and ride it out.

What concerned Parker most was the unknown.

“I’ve rafted the Grand Canyon. I’ve surfed. I’ve paddle surfed. I’ve kayaked,” Parker said. “But it’s not like there’s a Deception Pass like a 7-Eleven on every street corner. You just don’t know what it’s going to be like.”

Once they got through the turbulent water, they landed on the beach at Cornet Bay and called it a night.

After a large meal and a ride back by Parkers’ wife to Clinton for a good night’s sleep, they returned to the same spot on North Whidbey and picked up where they left off.

All of the good luck they encountered on the west side of the island had run out on the east, Parker said.

The paddleboarders found themselves mostly going against the currents and wind, encountering two different storm systems on the second day.

They cozied up to Camano Island for a gentler paddle during a long stretch then ran into trouble when they tried to get back to Whidbey.

“The weather system didn’t want us to cross back to Whidbey,” Parker said. “That’s when we really felt exposed. It got really, really cold. We both were wet at that point.

“The whole game plan of having my wife as a rescue (option) was not applicable. She couldn’t get to Camano Island.”

The padders, dressed in quick-dry T-shirts and board shorts, toughed it out and made the passage to Whidbey and got off their boards in Langley.

On day three, they traveled along Possession Sound and rounded the final turn to complete the circumnavigation.

“If you take any physical endeavor you’ve ever done — like running a 5K — and multiply it by 20, Whidbey is that,” Parker said. “It’s just a really big island. There are no shortcuts.

“We’re really glad we did it. If nothing else, it was another great bit of camaraderie with a very good friend of mine that leads to conversation and bonding you’ll never get in day-to-day life doing normal things.”