Top Water Sports to Try This Summer

By Christy Flom on May 29, 2015

There may be a drought in California but that doesn’t mean this summer has to be dry. The best activities of summer take place in the water. Whether it is a lake, pond, river, or ocean, water sports are a must-do activity.

So, go beg your friend with a speedboat to take you out on the water every day because there are endless amounts of water sports to be conquered. I’ve narrowed down these sports to a list of the essentials everyone should at least attempt this summer if they get the opportunity to stay near a body of water.

First up is tubing. This is a basic summer activity that kids of all ages participate in and isn’t exactly classified as a sport. However, tubing takes skill. Balancing on a tiny tube is difficult at any speed, but when the waves are choppy and the driver’s sole purpose in life at that very moment is to get you off of that tube, things can become even trickier.

There are several tips that can help anyone stay on the tube for a couple minutes longer. To start, it’s key to learn to lean in when the tube is whisked outside of the wake. When the driver slowly turns and then takes off going straight, this is when the tubers need to hold on the tightest, or else, you’ll end up flying across the top of the water with your body contorted in the weirdest configurations from the tube soaring to the side of the boat.

If you are tubing with another person but on the same tube, it is best to cross arms and grab the handles opposite of each other to create better balance on the tube. One hand goes on the handle located on the outer edge of the tube and the other goes on the handle near the middle of the tube. The handles in the middle of the tube are the ones that friends should cross their hands over.

Finally with tubing, there are all sorts of tricks that one can try. From standing on the tube, to trying to switch tubes with a friend mid-ride these tricks only add to the fun but should be attempted with caution.

The next sport to try is wakeboarding. This is literally snowboarding on water. For me, the hardest part of this sport is getting up. You have to slowly stand up while the boat pulls you forward and then turn to the side so the board is facing forward without allowing the front of the board to re-submerge underwater.

Image by Mark Rowland via flickr.com

I never got the hang of wakeboarding, but there is so much you can do with the sport. There are obstacle courses all over the nation dedicated to superb and extreme wakeboard athletes.

For beginners, it is important to remember that it is a balance between the boat driver and person wakeboarding in order to get up and actually wakeboard. If the driver spurts the boat forward too quickly or if the rider tries to stand in the water too early, it will not work. So, stay calm and be prepared to take many attempts at wakeboarding before it finally works.

Similar to wakeboarding is waterskiing. Some people find this easier than wakeboarding and others find it harder. I happen to find it much easier. I like having both of my legs free, whereas when I attempt to wakeboard I feel like I am going to rip my ACL at any moment.

With skiing, the hardest part is balance. If one leg falters, you will fall into the water, so putting the same amount of weight on each ski is super important. My dad and his buddies slalom ski, which is water skiing on only one ski. I would not recommend trying this until you are a master at skiing on two skis. Using one ski involves much more leaning of the body in order to stay above the water during turns. When the water is calm, like early in the morning, water skiing is easiest.

Image by Steve Corey via flickr.com

If you don’t have a speedboat, there are still tons of water sports to try this summer. One sport I have been dying to try is surfing. Aside from the occasional shark sighting, surfing sounds amazing. Being able to ride waves and do tricks on the board with friends sounds like the perfect summer sport. Surfing requires lots and lots of lessons, but most things in life aren’t worth doing if they don’t require hard work!

Sailing is yet another great summer sport. I worked at summer camp after my freshman year of college and there was a whole area devoted to sailing. With weekly regattas for teens and adults, it was awesome to see how these competitions actually work.

I personally think the hardest part of sailing is remembering how to set up the sails. After that, all it takes is some good wind to really get going. For sailing newbies, the absolute best advice anyone can give you is to be sure to duck every time you hear someone saying “coming about”! Other than that, remember to sheet in (pull in the sails tight) when you want to pick up the speed and to sheet out (loosen the sails) when you need to slow down.

Other common water sports include jet skiing, swimming, water volleyball and rowing. No matter what sport you decide to try this summer, have fun doing it! Even if it is racing a friend on a paddleboard, get into the water and try something new!

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