Vacation is the perfect time to do water sports. Especially that in recent years many new disciplines of this type have appeared, incl. wakeboarding or extreme flyboarding. See an overview of the most popular water sports that will provide you with an unforgettable experience and help you stay fit during your vacation.
Are you spending your vacation by the water? Or maybe you are relaxing in the city? It doesn't matter, because to dowater sportsyou don't have to go all the way to the sea. Sports centers and clubs from all over Poland offer lessons in windsurfing, water skiing, canoeing, as well as completely new disciplines: wakeboarding and flyboarding. Both people looking for strong sensations and lovers of quiet activities will surely find something for themselves.
Three in one, or wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is one of the most popular water sports in recent years. It consists in floating on the surface of the water on a special wakeboard while holding onto a rope attached to a boat or a lift. It combines three disciplines: water skiing - because we "slide" on the water in a similar way, snowboard - because this sport uses a single board, and surfing - due to the possibility of performing spectacular acrobatics in the air.
To practice wakeboarding, you need a motorboat with a suitable propulsion that pulls a person on the board, or a special lift. Such lifts are mounted in the so-called wakeparks - separated zones on the water, where there are, among others, additional objects for performing evolutions (for example, blocks sticking out of the water, on which he runs over and blows into the air). Wakeparks also include piers adjacent to the shore and a beach with deckchairs, a beach bar and sanitary facilities.
As fans of wakeboarding argue, it is the easiest water sport and practically everyone can practice it. Even 5-year-old children can successfully perform their first slides.
Flyboarding - flying on a board
Flyboarding is a sport that provides a solid dose of adrenaline. The basis of this discipline is the flyboard - a special device that is connected to the jet ski with a hose. The hose pumps water, which is then ejected by the flyboard mechanism with high pressure,so that the entire device and the person attached to it rise to a height of 15 meters. The turbine boards on both sides help stabilize the flight and enable you to evolve.
Although flyboarding is one of the most extreme water sports, everyone can try their hand at this discipline. In several Polish cities, incl. in Sopot, Warsaw, Poznań and Wrocław, you can take part in paid training courses conducted by experienced instructors, including participants of Polish and world championships in flyboarding.
Kayaks - a sport for everyone
Canoeing is a sport suitable for both thrill seekers and people who like quiet, recreational activities. Learning the technique is not difficult, but at the beginning it is worth consulting an experienced instructor and mastering the basic skills, including paddling forward, backward, turning or sideways swimming. It is very important to learn the techniques that allow you to return to the vertical after capsizing and getting out of the overturned kayak.
More difficult varieties of canoeing include canoe races and rafting (rafting on mountain rivers) - they can provide a lot of emotions, but they require good skills and strength. The situation is different in the case of tourist kayaking, which is much simpler and practically everyone, regardless of their level of physical fitness or age, can try it.
Wind and water, or windsurfing
Windurfing is a sport practiced using a special surfboard with a flexible sail attached to it. Contrary to appearances, this discipline does not require special physical predispositions, but a large role in it is played by motor coordination and proper technique. Beginners should learn only under the supervision of a trained instructor, because even the smallest mistakes in the technique can determine further progress in learning.
Among the many types of windsurfing, you can distinguish:
- freeride - surfing on a board with basic maneuvers such as tack, turn, tack while developing a speed of up to 30 knots;
- freestyle - a discipline of performing various tricks and evolutions on the board, including spectacular jumps formula - racing regattas played in light and medium winds. It is the most popular windsurfing competition in the world, in which international championships are held every year;
- wave - a variety of "riding" waves. It is the most dangerous, but also the most spectacular, especially when the waves are high.
In Poland, windsurfing is becoming more and more popular. Schools for windsurfers can be found inmany cities, but most of them are on the coast, where there are ideal conditions for this sport.
Water skiing - for fans of extreme sensations
Water skiing, unlike wakeboarding, is a water sport with traditions. It was invented in the 1920s and arrived in Poland in the 1950s. It involves gliding on the water on one or two skis with the help of a towing motorboat or an electric lift. Mastering the basics of the discipline takes a bit more time than wakeboarding, but it opens up opportunities for more extreme stunts.
The basic competitions in skiing are: slalom, i.e. avoiding buoys placed on the water, figure skating - it consists in performing the most effective tricks for 20 seconds and jumping distance, in which the competitors take off upwards with the "water "Of the ski jump.
Finding a water skiing school is not difficult. Practically in every major city there are clubs associating instructors and fans of this discipline. In summer, the world's, European and Polish championships in water skiing are organized on the largest lifts, where you can meet the most successful competitors.