Sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, paddle surfing, flyboarding, bodyboarding, canoeing, rowing, kayaking, jet skiing, diving, snorkeling, ocean pilates or yoga, cable-skiing, wakeboarding, wakeskate, wakesurfing… are the summer trends. Many of them are English words, which we popularize and handle quickly to promote fashionable sports.
The best option to fight the high temperatures and have fun at the same time is to practice this kind of nautical activities. They are a good way to get in shape, be physically active, connect with nature and have fun outdoors with friends, listen to the sound of the water and feel the adrenaline boiling through your veins.
In the coastal tourist cities these aquatic modalities triumph. In the Costa Blanca they are a complementary offer, although in other destinations they are the main attraction to attract visitors; and that is because nautical tourism is booming.
In the Costa Blanca we find a wide range of nautical activities for all ages. The excellent beaches and ports, the mild climate and the ideal winds favour their practice throughout the year. In fact, all the cities on the coast have specialized schools and clubs that promote these disciplines.
FLYBOARD
This summer the big news is flyboard: the new extreme water sport. It is a board, with two water propellers in the feet, that allows to rise, floating in the air, up to 12 meters above the water. This flexibility allows the person who practices it to make multiple figures of free style. For those who want pure adrenaline, there is nothing better than flyboard . The more experienced perform pirouettes and defy the law of gravity with the sea as a safety net.
This sport exercises all the muscles of the legs, gluteus, abdomen and arms.
Ideal for those who want to feel the sensation of flying with absolute freedom since the direction of the flyboard is given by the inclination of the legs of the person who operates it.
SURF PADDLE
The star modality was the paddle surf, which this year continues to have many followers and has already become a regular on the beaches. The paddle surf consists of rowing on a surfboard. It originated in Polynesia, where its inhabitants move through water rowing on a board, and the Mediterranean is ideal for practicing it, even in the open sea. It is recommended, but not obligatory, to take an initiation course before the first practice. Learning the correct posture and the way to row reduces the number of falls.
SKI CABLE
A classic of the summer is the cable-ski, which consists of a cable of approximately 170 meters long supported by two towers of about 150 meters navigable. On both skis, you will feel a sensation similar to snow skiing, but being in this case water skiing. With the practice you can get to ski with only one ski, which is known as monkey. With a domain of the monkey you will be able to do big turns and even to manage to lie down on the water. This discipline guarantees you unique water sensations.
WAKEBOARD
We can also practice water skiing in the modalities ‘wakeboard’ or ‘wakeskate’, which is similar to the previous one. The wakeboard is easy and accessible for anyone, guaranteeing strong sensations. It slides over the water on a board being dragged with a rope, which is attached to a boat or a jet ski. The difference with the wakeskate is that in the first one the feet are fixed to the board and in the second one they are loose, therefore, the movement of the body is greater and each one can perform pirouettes and jumps, as the strength of their arms allows.
WAKESKATE
To talk about sea and waves is to talk about surf. From this sport have emerged a number of modalities such as windsurf or kitesurf, in which the wind plays a crucial role. Due to its geographical location, many beaches on the Costa Blanca are ideal for this sport, especially in spring and autumn, when the beaches are relatively empty.
On days with thermal summer winds, some people took advantage of the sea left by the strong wind to catch some waves with the surfboard and without the sail. Over the years, the number of surfers, schools and specialized stores on this coast has increased, despite the lack of consistency of the swells, produced by the Tramontana winds.
KITE SURF
Kite surfing consists of the use of a traction kite (kite, English), which pulls the athlete through four or five lines, two fixed to the bar, and the remaining two or three pass through the center of the bar and are attached to the body through a harness, allowing you to glide over the water with a board or ski. Several modalities can be practiced; jumps and maneuvers (freestyle), regattas between buoys (race) and wave surfing.
WIND SURF
Wind surf is a type of sailing sport that consists of moving through the water on a board, similar to a surfboard, equipped with a sail. Unlike a sailboat, the sail of a windsurf board allows for its free rotation around a point of attachment to the board: the mast foot. This allows the rigging to be freely manipulated depending on the wind direction and the position of the board in relation to the wind. The rig is manipulated by the windsurfer through the boom.
BODYBOARD
Bodyboarding is a mode of surfing based on sliding over the surface of the wave with a board. There are three styles of sliding: lying down, one leg rolled over or standing up.
In many nautical clubs in the area, we find schools of canoeing, sailing, kayaking and rowing. These sports are practiced here all year round, but it is during this season that the number of students and courses grows.
KAYAK
Kayaking is a water sport that is practiced on a light boat, made of wood, fiberglass or polyethylene, and propelled by one to four people with a paddle or oar. The main boats used are the kayak, propelled by a two-bladed paddle, and the canoe, propelled by a one-bladed paddle.
NAUTICAL MOTORCYCLE
Sailing is the sport discipline that covers all those boats that sail on water and are driven by the wind, since the engine is the sail. Sails range from small and very popular boats to an infinite number of much more complex models.
YOGA SURF
Another novelty this summer is the ocean pilates or yoga. To lower the adrenaline rush, nothing like a Pilates or Yoga session at sea. On a board like the ones used for ‘Paddel Surfing’, these modalities triumph among celebrities and are increasingly popular for the rest of the public.
All these activities allow us, in addition, to visit many cliffs and hidden coves of our coast, of calm waters and incalculable beauty to learn and to enjoy the enchantment of the landscape.