Water sports form an integral part of the adventure sports. A wide variety of water sports are available for both water and adventure enthusiasts. Water sports can be divided in different categories on the basis of the relation of the sport with water.
In the water
– Swimming is the most popular and widely known among all the other water sports. The various styles of swimming are freestyle (free), backstroke (back), butterfly (fly), breaststroke (breast)
– Snorkeling is a kind of swimming at the surface with the help of fins, mask and snorkel (a short tube which aids in breathing)
On the water
– Canoeing has evolved as one of the popular adventure as well as recreational sport. For canoeing, special vessels called canoes with open deck are used. Canoes used for adventure sport can also be closed decked. Canoes are propelled only using human muscle power. In the ancient days, canoes were used as a means of traveling, hunting and fishing. Canoeing is played in almost every country of the world. However, the sport is more popular in countries like Germany , Hungary and Australia , which are in the leading position in the international domain of canoeing.
– Fishing is one of the ancient practices, which is enjoyed even in the modern days by people across the world. A recreational activity , fishing can also be practiced as a sport, as a discipline of adventure sports . The activity of fishing involves in catching fish using different methods. In fishing, apart from fishes, other aquatic creatures are also caught. The animals hunted during fishing are not always consumed by people. Sometimes fishing is also done for sport, for fun. At present fishing has also emerged as a professional sport across the globe.
– Flowboarding is a water sport in which a flowboard similar to the skateboard is used to ride on artificial waves. It is a combination of bodyboarding, skateboarding, surfing, skimboarding, wakeboarding and snowboarding.
– Kayaking is regarded as a popular adventure sport practiced all over the world. Kayaking involves in traveling across water bodies using a kayak. Kayak is a vessel, which is propelled by means of paddles. The use of paddles is the basic difference between kayaks and canoes. Kayaking has emerged as a popular sport during the twentieth century and the first half of the twenty first century. Kayaking is practiced in almost every country across the world.
Kayaking has various disciplines named sprint, marathon, surfski, sea kayaking , whitewater kayaking , surf kayaking , kayak polo, slalom, sailing, playboating and others.
– Parasailing , the recreational activity that has currently become extremely popular as an adventure sport , gives an awesome feeling of flying up in the air and remaining there like a bird. Parascending , the other name for parasailing, clearly signifies that the sport is much about remaining ascending as high as possible in the air with the help of a parasail. The parascender is dragged forward by a boat or other speedy vehicles while he is attached to the parasail by the harness . The parasail , on the other hand, remains fastened to the boat or the vehicle by the tow rope . Apart from flying in the air with a parasail above the water-surfaces being fastened to a boat, Parasailing is also performed over land with a car. While flying, a pilot hardly has any control over the movement of his parasail. Though Parasailing is mainly done for fun yet it has also developed into a popular adventure sport in the recent years.
– Wakeboarding is a water sport that is incorporated using the techniques of surfing, snowboarding and water skiing. There is a singe board as opposed to the two boards used in water skiing for both the feet which is then tied to a motor boat with a speed of 30-50km/h. Water skiing , the adventure sport gives an awesome feeling of moving on the foot over still water and creating waves and turbulence on its surface. The skiers are pulled along by a boat and by shifting their weight in different directions, they can also change the directions. It can be held in any river, lake or bay with undisturbed and calm water surface.
– Rafting is an outdoor sport in which people travel in river or any other water bodies using raft, a flat water vessel. When rafting is practiced in river, it is regarded as river rafting . River rafting is one of the highly popular adventure sports . River rafting was used as a means of transport in the earlier days of human civilization. The rafts used in those days were made from logs, which were tied together using reeds. However, with the advancement of technology, rafts have been replaced by inflatable boats.
Under the water
– Free-diving , a type of adventure sport which involves diving deep underwater and hold your breath for the time when the diver has to remain underwater. The name free-diving can include a number of disciplines in which the participants remain below the surface of water holding the breath as a result of it. The technique of the sport is used in various aquatic activities where the participants need to hold their breath
– Scuba diving involves in swimming under water aided with equipments specially made for the purpose. “ Scuba ” is actually the short form of “ self-contained underwater breathing apparatus ”. However, the term is also appropriately associated with the sport of Scuba diving. Scuba diving has become popular among people, as it gives a chance of experiencing the underwater activities and exploring the marine life. Diving has been practiced by people across the world since the ancient days of the history of mankind. Breath-holding diving has been also known for a long time.
– Spearfishing has been a favorite sport in the sea shore areas of different countries round the world. These areas usually experience large migrations of fishes during the times of the year when the competitions are usually held. The players can dive underwater and can also stand on the shores to catch the fishes. Now-a-days, the use of scuba and other diving equipments are used. However, these equipments are not at all welcomed by the orthodox players as these diminish the challenges associated with the sport. The results of the competitions are decided on the weight of the fishes caught.