All the water sports you can practice this summer AND MORE

Summer is coming. And with it the good weather and beach season. As the boating trend rises and it is safer to travel around, we want to dive into the water and try out some water activities. 

From surfing, swimming or diving, we can practice different activities. Can we come up with a complete list of water sports? 

What is a water sport? 

Almost all sources define sport as either an individual or team athletic activity that involves physical effort, prowess and technical skills. Sports have a set of goals, rules and regulations. They can be related to competition or self-enjoyment, therefore, they are not always competitive. 

The difference however between a sport and physical exercise is that sport is associated with recreational and monetary purposes while physical exercise tends to be for wellness purposes. Sports are a combination of physical and mental skills. 

Water sports are physical activities that can be practiced indoor and outdoor salt or freshwater bodies. They can be practiced both on the surface of the water or under the surface, in a swimming pool or a body of water such as a river, lake, sea or ocean. 

The complete list of Water Sports 

We will be separating the list in three different categories: in the water, on the water and underwater activities.

In the water

Aquajogging: it's low impact training. It is a perfect way to train without impacting your joints. Equipment, besides the swimming pool, include flotation belts and weights in some cases.

Diving: jumping off springboards or platforms into the water. It seems scary, but it is also very rewarding. Get inspired with Ride to the Roots! 

Swimming: both in a swimming pool or open water swimming as in Moana Waiwai.

Synchronized swimming: a team water sport where swimmers perform a synchronised routine accompanied by music. 

Water polo: two teams play in the water trying to score points on the rival's goal.

Water basketball: mixes basketball and water polo. Teams are formed by five players and they must shoot at the goal with a ball within a certain time.

Water volleyball: teams can consist of 1 to 4 players and it can be played on the beach.

On the water

Boat racing: the use of powerboats that compete in races, for example, the P1 USA UIM Class.

Boating: the use of boats for personal recreation. Did you know there is an increase in sustainable yachting? You can find out more here. 

Canoe polo: combines polo with canoeing. We discovered how to practice it in a Nautical Adventure In a Landlocked Country! 

Canoeing: an activity that involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle.This summer you could rediscover North America on a canoe. 

Dragon boat racing: if you got 20 friends, you could paddle race the ancient dragon boat.

Fishing: catching fish with your hands, spear, net, angles…

Flyboard: a very recent sport, it is a hydroflighting device that propulses an individual into the air.

Jet Skiing: performed with a watercraft that the rider sits or stands on. The P1 USA AquaX competition is already on its way in American waters, watch all the action now! 

Jet Boarding: a powered surf board that normally has 2 stroke engines.

Kayaking: using a kayak to move around the water. Why don’t you cross the Bass Strait by Kayak this summer? 

Parasailing: A person (or couple of people) are towed behind a boat while attached to a parachute.

Picigin: a traditional Croatian ball game played on the beach. Discover the best nautical destinations in Croatia with Sail-Ho and play picigin with friends this summer. 

Rafting: an inflatable raft is used to navigate a river or other bodies of water. It includes whitewater rafting as well. 

Sailing: navigating a sail-powered craft. Build your own sailboat this summer and explore the arctic sea with Breskell.

Surfing: a sport where you use a board to stand up and ride waves. Variants include kite surfing, paddleboarding or windsurfing. Why don’t you find incredible surf spots this summer with Mad Dogs? 

Wakeboarding: an individual sport where someone is attached to a board with blinded and is towed across the water. Variants include cable skiing, skimboarding and kneeboarding for example.

Yachting: the use of yachts for racing or cruising.

Underwater

Aquathlon: also known as underwater wrestling.

Scuba diving: a diver uses equipment to breathe underwater. It includes cave diving, ice diving and deep diving and it can also be adapted for underwater photography or videography.

Freediving: a way of diving while holding your breath. When learnt correctly, people can hold their breaths for more than 5 minutes! 

Mermaiding: Did we mention life under the sea is better? ;) 

Snorkelling: swimming at the surface with a mask, fins and a tube called snorkel.

Underwater hockey: two players use short wooden sticks to move a puck across the rivals’ goal. Also, underwater rugby or football can be played similarly.