Our adventurous spirit as human beings propels us to test the limits of our endurance in every field. Even in sports, we like to push ourselves to the extreme, as it provides a great sense of achievement to do something highly challenging or near impossible.
There are many extreme water sports that are gaining in popularity around the world. Let us examine some of them as follows:
FREE-DIVING
It is the art of holding your breath for the maximum amount of time while remaining under water without any support gear like Scuba etc. Extreme forms of free-diving attract maximum attention because the divers try to achieve great depths under water, or long durations, or covering a long distance under water, on a single breath.
UNDERWATER RUGBY
In this sport, the goals are at the bottom of the pool, and the aim of the two teams is to put the ball into the opponent’s goal. The game has to take place only underwater, and the ball must not leave the water. It is a rapid and exhausting sport, with the players losing their breath and stamina quickly under water, while trying to score goals at the same time.
PARASAILING
This is another extreme sport where the person is towed behind a boat, while he is attached to a special parachute, known as a parasail. The motor boat then drives away at a high speed, throwing the parascender into the air. The parascender has almost no control over the speed or direction of the parachute, and it is like a free float in the air.
RIVER RAFTING
It is a highly challenging water sport that uses just a bare raft-like boat to navigate through varying degrees of rough waters in a natural river or water body. The sport is becoming hugely popular around the world for the great thrill and adventure that it provides to the participants, with high currents of water falling from great heights.
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
Underwater imaging is an extreme area of photography, where the photographer has to be equipped with deep-sea diving equipment, apart from the sophisticated cameras, while he explores highly rare and exceptional photographic opportunities. Rare sights of fish and sea mammals, underwater caves and shipwrecks are some of the priceless opportunities that the adventure photographers like to explore.
WINDSURFING
This is another extreme sport that combines the aspects of both sailing and surfing. A windsurfer uses a sailboard, and depends on the power of wind to push the sail. To steer his board, the windsurfer requires substantial athletic effort to tilt and rotate the mast and sail, as well as tilt and carve the board itself against the wind.
KITE SURFING
A kite surfer uses a board, coupled with the power of a gigantic controllable kite to propel himself and the board across the water. It depends on wind-power to pull the surfer through the water. The larger kites require a lot of muscle power and control, but they also provide the maximum speed and thrill to the rider.
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