If your idea of a beach day is not sun basking or sipping a chilled beer if you want to live life on the edge, get your adrenaline rushing or you want to explore underwater marvels, then you should give water sports a try. water sports are very versatile, if you like soothing and calm experiences, you can try snorkelling and scuba diving, and if you want a highly challenging sporty experience, then you can try paragliding and rafting. Out of a variety of water sports available throughout the globe, here’s a list of the best and the most versatile adventure water sports that you should give a try.
1. Cage Diving
Want to grab a shark by its fins? Go cage diving. A thrill-provoking water sports adventure experience not made for people who are fearful. You will be packed in a cage, thrown into the sea amidst sharks and the rest you can imagine. Being in their territory, just a few centimetres away from the beast of the deep waters; the only thing guarding you will be a steel cage. The heart-throbbing, nerve-wracking experience is available in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico and Neptune Island, Australia, where you can dive with the Great White Sharks.
2. Cliff Diving
One of the oldest extreme sports in the world, cliff diving has secured its place in the list of adventurous water sports. It gives a blood-tingling experience of free fall from a high cliff into the water body. The experience is liberating and enthralling at the same time. Cliff jumping events and competitions are also being organised. J. Laso Schaller broke the world record by jumping from the highest cliff, Cascata del Salto in Maggia in Switzerland, which is 58.5 metres
3. Kite Surfing
A little less life-threatening than cage diving, another water sport is Kite Surfing. An all-in-one experience where you can get the thrill of surfing and paragliding all at once. The sport is a little technical, so you might need to take a few lessons to have the hang of it. A kite designed especially for this purpose is prepared and attached with strings that the surfer will manoeuvre with the direction of the wind to surf on the water’s surface. The only tricky part is controlling the kite according to the direction of the winds.
4. Ice diving
An extremely adventurous water sport/activity, ice diving is an unusual and challenging experience where the person takes a dip in the ice-cold water by cutting a part of a frozen lake to uncover the marvels of the deep waters. If you appreciate nature and biodiversity, then you will certainly enjoy this experience of exploring the deep sea flora and fauna that most people would never ever imagine. If you want to have the best ice diving experience, then you should consider Silfra Fissure, Iceland.
5. Underwater Scooter
A rather soothing and relaxing water sports as compared to the others listed, the underwater scooter is a pleasant sweet ride for people who don’t want to raise their heartbeats and still want to enjoy the diversity of underwater life. You can rent an electric underwater scooter, take a ride down into the depths of the sea and appreciate the corals, explore a variety of fishes and discover new plants underwater. For this experience, you can visit destinations like Hawaii and Mauritius.
6. White Water Rafting
Bored of normal rafting? Take it up a notch, try white water rafting. White waters are the turbulent and bumpy river beds giving an element of extra thrill and adrenaline rush. The raft jumps over the rapids, throwing you up in the air and then back into the waters. If this visual imagination is giving you a rush, then you must try this water sports once in your life. A lot of places are famous for this type of rafting, including Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, Gauley River in the US, Alumine River in Argentina.
7. Underwater Hockey/ Rugby
As if the land was any less to play hockey and rugby, enthusiasts decided to take the sport underwater as well. The common sports: Hockey and Rugby are now being played inside the waters. With the same aim to put the puck in the opponent’s goal post, the two teams compete to win the hockey game with the additional added difficulty of breathing underwater. Similar to this is underwater rugby as well. The two teams compete with each other to earn a score in the given time frame.
A diverse and versatile area of adventure sports, water sports is a must-try activity that has something in store for everyone. From soothing underwater rides to jumping off a cliff, it can make you appreciate nature or challenge the limits of nature, depending on your choice.