Water Sports come in many different forms, and they are always being modified into something better, or a new sport altogether as a sort of spin-off. So why are water sports so popular? Well for a start it has that aspect of danger, although you are less likely to hurt yourself falling into the water at 30mph than you are if you were to fall onto a gravel road at 30mph.I think it’s also because of our fascination with water in general, we are all vurious about what is lurking beneath the depths when we head into the sea, and that’s part of the fun, you have to scare yourself a little sometimes.
It’s also fun filled, action packed and adrenaline pumping which we all love anyway, so why don’t you head over to the waters of the deep and try a new sport today? What’s stopping you from doing something different for a change? I think we all need to try new things all the time, it keeps us feeling alive and motivated and I love feeling that way. I hope this list helps some of you pick up a new hobby, and as always if you have an opinion then comments are welcome at the bottom.
#1 Surfing – Become A Board-Master
Surfing is one of the most popular water-sports in the world to date, every country has its following of the sport no matter how big or small, it appears everyone wants to live the surfer lifestyle. Surfing really is a fun sport to do, especially as you get better at it and you begin to ride the waves like a pro, until you get the ultimate hang-time underneath a monster wave. There are places nearby most coasts in the UK and in America that offer lessons for surfing should you want to take it up, but you don’t have to take the lessons if you don’t want to, it is however advisable as it will get your skill as a surfer up a lot faster. More and more people seem to flock towards surfing each year, whether it is to compete in a competition, learn as a hobby or watch as a spectator. Boards are notoriously expensive but you can now get some for pretty good prices, plus you could always grab a second hand bargain (just check for cracks if you do though).
#2 Water-Skiing – Can You Keep Your Balance?
Water-Skiing is great and can be done by just about anyone as long as you have enough balance about yourself. This is a great hobby to have if you wanted to take up a sport at the weekend to get away from it all, almost all water-sport parks will cater for water-skiing, heck it’s probably their most popular sport at the park. I like that it is inexpensive enough to do at the drop of a hat, as long as you are hiring everything out, to buy everything it would take a great deal more cash. You can also get lessons pretty cheaply if you wanted to go that route, which by the way I highly recommend. Once you get it, you will be addicted but it’s not much fun when you can’t stand up and you keep falling in (well it is fun just not as much). As you progress you may even end up being able to do some of the more advanced moves and tricks, awesome.
#3 Body Boarding – You’re Never Too Old To Body-Board
This is a classic really, I mean come on, who hasn’t been body-boarding (often called boogie boarding). So what is body-boarding? Well first off you need to get yourself a board, there are many different types these days but do yourself a favor and do not buy a five dollar version from the beach because it’s cheap, if you really want to get into the sport you need to buy the best equipment you can afford so that you don’t end up buying new boards every other week. Another thing you could do with (especially in colder climates) is a wet-suit or better still a dry-suit, these can be expensive though so it’s up to you if you want to go down that route. This really is a great sport to be involved in, its fun, you can do it fairly cheap and its great exercise.
#4 Jet Skiing – Can You Handle These High-Powered Crotch Rockets
Jet Skiing is a very adrenaline fueled, and you thrill seekers out there will just love this high-powered water-sport, especially if you are racing them! Jet-skiing can be a great way to kill some hours whilst you are on holiday or maybe even in your home-town if you have a water-park nearby? The problem is that it is quite expensive to buy one of these beauties, although you can hire them out fairly cheaply at a lot of resorts and water-sport centers. One of the great things about jest-skiing is that it can be done by pretty much anyone without much training involved at all which is great because you can pretty much hire one, get your life jacket on and start-up the engine. If you like traveling fast and you’re not afraid to get wet then definitely have a go at this one.
#5 Scuba Diving – Dive Into A Whole New World
If you like the idea of water-sports but you’re not really much of a petrol-head then this is a great option for you. Scuba diving is one of the most awe-inspiring things you can do under water, there’s nothing else like it, I mean really were not supposed to be able to go under-water were just not built for that purpose; but going under and visiting a shipwreck or diving with sharks is just incredible. Can you imagine how wonderful and vibrant the colors are down in the deep blue? It really is like going to another planet. Be warned though, you will need some training because it can be a dangerous sport if you do not know the correct procedures, but don’t worry, the training is pretty easy and you will love it.
#6 Wake-Boarding
Wake-boarding has been around for a while now and it gets more popular every year, the reason? Because it is a high-speed, action packed sport that gets your adrenaline pumping, that’s why! The best way to picture what wake-boarding is, is to think of it as water-skiing with a short surf board strapped to your feet. One great thing about wake-boarding is that you don’t necessarily need a boat to do it, you can now use cables and winches to help pull you along (the cables and winches are supplied by the water-sport park you may go to). If your local water-sport park doesn’t offer the cable style wake boarding then the chances are you will need to hire a boat but the cost isn’t all that expensive. Wake boarding is great because you can get som serious air-time whilst doing it allowing you to do all kinds of tricks and stunts. If you like body-boarding, skiing or surfing then you will love this.
#7 Windsurfing – A Faster Way To Surf
Windsurfing is another sport that has been around for a very long time now and it seems to have lost a little popularity, maybe due to the emerging sports such as wake-boarding and hydro-foiling. However it still remains a popular sport around the world and you will have no trouble finding lessons to learn how to ride one. Windsurfing is pretty much what it says it is; a sail to capture the wind which is attached to a surfboard, well not quite but near enough, it is a little more technical than that but that is the basic gist. So why should you try it out? Well because it’s a fantastic sport to do, with you get the freedom of riding the waves out in the open ocean or in a lake, you have the peace and tranquility because there are no engines involved and also because it is something you can do even when it is raining, sunny, and of course windy weather. If you fancy trying to learn to surf but you are a little far away from the ocean then try this out, I’m certain you will love it.
#8 Kite Surfing – Surfing Has Never Been So Much Fun
Kite Surfing is another relatively new sport in which you use a surf board and a kite and basically sail yourself using the power of the wind. Think of it as Windsurfing but without the huge flailing sail in front of you. The kites that are used are not your garden variety stunt kite either, and they can be very expensive so be careful especially if you do buy your on. The kites are similar in size to those used in paragliding so they can take a large amount of wind within them. This is another sport that you will probably need a few lessons on, because you need to understand how to use the kite to pull you in your favoured direction whilst staying on the board. Tricky but fun.
#9 Sailing – Sail Across The Seven Seas
This is an obvious one but it needs to be added, so here it is. This would be a great sport to do as a couple or group of friends depending on the size of the sail boat, however you can do it as an individual too if you prefer. Getting it sailing has its pro’s and con’s like any other topic, for instance it is an amazing sport to become skilled at and once you have it down-pat you can literally travel all over the world, depending on whether you have the money, time and of course the necessary equipment. One of the con’s however is that it can become very expensive, I mean come on, these are not toy boats these are boats that are to be admired. That being said, there is nothing stopping you from getting the same excitement and skill-set by joining a team so if you can’t afford to do it alone, join a club or a group. You will love it.
#10 Kayaking – Fancy Paddling A Kayak Through White River Rapids
Kayaking is a really fun sport to try out, as soon as you have mastered the techniques you can pretty much use your Kayak to go wherever it is you feel like, within reason of course; you don’t want to go heading off a waterfall or anything. Kayaking is a nice accessible sport you can do, Kayaks aren’t all that expensive especially compared to some things on this list, so you could probably buy a decent one fairly cheaply. One thing you definitely need to do here though, is get lessons, I mean seriously you really need to get lessons to Kayak, there is a lot more to it than simply jumping in and paddling you need to know the techniques to get out of the kayak, you need to know how to control it and you need to know how to roll yourself back over should you topple underwater. That said though, the training will get you into great shape and you will be travelling down your local river in no time.
#11 Power Boating – Experience The Speed Of The Power Boat
This is another pretty self-explanatory sport, but it can be very dangerous, to compete in power-boating you need to use due diligence and always be aware of your surroundings. It is one of the most popular boating activities in the world and it is easy to see why, power-boats can reach up to some pretty fast speeds, more than fast enough to get your adrenaline pumping. Powerboats don’t come cheap though, a small one with a mid range engine can set you back a couple of thousand, but luckily there are alternatives, such as hiring them out for the day. Think of Power-boating like a joyride on water, this is one seriously cool sport to try out.
#12 Sit-Down Hydro-foil – For Those Who Like A Challenge
Now this is one you may not have heard of but it is up and coming so bear with me. What hydro-foiling basically entails, is having the rider strapped to a hydro board via a seatbelt, they then hold onto the rope and sit waiting for the boat to steam ahead and pull them; however underneath the water there is a hydro-foil wing that sits waiting. When the boat gets up to speed the skier is lifted above the water, as is the board and the hydro-foil wing basically keeps them there. It sounds crazy but it’s amazingly good fun. To be able to ride the hydro-foil properly you must have your center of gravity aligned with the center of the board, even minor movements can cause the board to maneuver uncontrollably. This is definitely a sport for those who like fast paced action and like a challenge. Check it out and see if there is a place near you that you can do this amazing water-sport.
#13 Zap-Cat Racing – Extreme Power Boating
This is very similar to power-boating only these beauties can go a lot faster basically Zap-Cat Racing is as extreme as it comes, when it comes to boating sports. The name of the game is basically to drive a Zap-Cat (a boat) at very high speeds sometimes against a competitor, sometimes just for fun. When racing a Zap-Cat you need to try to beat your opponent by getting past the finish line first in order to become the victor, it may sound simple and the aspects are but driving at high speeds on water is a difficult task to do. Sounds pretty simple but when the waters are rough and the boat is going at a very speed the task is a little less than easy. This is an awesome sport to get into and although it is very expensive to buy a Zap-Cat you can hire one pretty easily if you can get hold of one at a water-sports park. You have got to try this if you are into fast sports, it will blow your mind, don’t forget your life jacket too.
#14 White Water Rafting – Ride The River Rapids
How amazing would it feel going down a notoriously dangerous length of one of the worlds most famous rivers? Seriously, I don’t think I can imagine anything more fun and dangerous to do on a rubber dinghy! Okay so maybe it isn’t just a rubber dinghy but there definitely is something awesome about travelling at ridiculous speeds on a dangerous river rapid. You can usually do this without any training as long as you have a guide there with you, oh and you must always keep your life jacket on, it could literally save your life one day. If you can imagine the fun you might have along with the incredible feeling of adrenaline pumping through your veins then this might be just what you are looking for.
#15 Canoeing – Fancy Paddling Down The River In A Canoe
Canoeing is a sport that has been around for many years (maybe as far back as 8000BC) and it is still going strong. A canoe is basically a small boat which is man-powered meaning that there is obviously no engine and you must row in order to travel in any direction. The great thing about canoeing is that it can be done in lots of different places, you can go to rivers, some lakes and also water-parks specifically for water-sports. The best way to go canoeing is to do it in a group or at least with one other person. It can be dangerous, but then it wouldn’t be fun if it were boring. You will need practice before you set off on your own though, so you may need to take lessons from your nearest water-sports center. This is a great sport that can be really relaxing or adrenaline pumping depending on where you are actually doing it.
#16 Rowing – Recreational Or Competitive Rowing
Rowing is another really old sport which up until last century, had been a rather noble sport for the upper-class only, despite that though, rowing has come back in a relatively large way. For those of you that don’t know what rowing is, the sport of rowing is where one or more people get in a very thin, specifically designed boat which is then man-powered to the destination of choice. These rowing boats may not look the most sturdy or fastest boats you have ever seen but looks can be deceiving, rowing boats can reach some astonishing speeds for saying they are powered by nothing but the human upper body strength. This is a sport to get involved in if you are particularly sporty or if you are very serious about keeping fit, because this will definitely do that for you. Rowing is renowned for building the upper-body so if you are looking to get lean, this is the way forwards.
#17 Barefoot Water-Skiing – Advanced Water Skiing
Just like the title says, this is barefoot water-skiing, this is a pretty easy sport to understand, you basically get pulled along a body of water via a rope attached to a powerful boat. Once you have gotten enough speed up it’s all a case of learning how to balance on the water properly so that you don’t end up getting dragged across the lake or ocean you are in. This sport has been around for quite a while now and is very popular, especially with those who started off as water-skiers. You can expect to get up to around 35-40mph whilst barefoot water-skiing, now that is pretty fast seeing as you are basically going that speed whilst using your feet as ski’s! This is a great sport to try out even if you haven’t done anything like it before.
#18 Skurfing – The Newest Surfing Trend
Skurfing is a fairly new sport although the popularity of it is rising each year at the moment. So what is Skurfing? Well think about surfing and water-skiing then merge the two together and hey presto you have skurfing. Basically you are pulled by a power boat much the same way you aer when water-skiing, there is a line attached to the boat and you hold the other end. Then whilst on your surfboard (instead of water-skis) you are pulled at a fairly high-speed across the waves. Pretty simple right? It seems like tonnes of fun and beginners can even have their surfboards with feet straps should you want to modify your surfboard. Skurfing is difficult to get used to at first as you are not usually attached to the board physically making it easier to fall off, but once you get the hang of it your good to go.
#19 Flowboarding – Don’t Live Near The Sea? Go With The Flow
Flowboarding is a fairly recent innovation that allows participants to surf using a ski-board (similar to a snow-board) on a static piece of equipment. In other words you are surfing in a maching which creates a fast enough velocity of flow between your board and the water. This is great fun and if there is a center near you that has one of the flow-rider machines, I suggest you ask about lesson prices. This is a great way to become better skilled with your balance, which will dramatically increase your skills outside of flow-riding, for example if you were to go bare-foot skiing. Flow riding is all about balance and if you have poor balance you will soon learn to better yourself (unless you like falling over). In all this is a fairly cheap sport and is great fun to try.
#20 Free Diving – Advanced Diving Skills
This is only for those who are extremely good at two skills; being a strong swimmer and having the ability to hold their breath for long periods of time. To really get good at this you need to optimise your ability to hold your breath, both in and out of the water practice is encouraged to get the maximum performance and it is hard to do at first. Once you have trained holding your breath and you can get to a reasonable time period you can then start exploring the depths of whichever body of water you would like to dive in. Some do it in lakes, others in the ocean but both give you completely different experiences. Imagine diving into the ocean and discovering underwater cave systems without the noise of the scuba diving equipment! Going free diving releases you into a completely new world and the locations you can do this in are virtually infinite. This is a good sport to try if you love diving.
