Were you all over the place, chasing forecasts and hitting up a whole plethora of beaches at one point in your life? In the water, but anywhere and everywhere, with no second thought about driving six hours in a day to score waves before booting home for beers late on? For some this is bonkers but others have done (or still do) this regularly.
And then, in the blink of an eye, everything changes. You get married, have kids and find yourself spending far too many hours in a dull office. Suddenly time isn’t available and other commitments have gotten in the way. Yet you yearn for the salt air and sand behind your ears. But don’t despair as there’s still light at the end of your tunnel.
We hear time and again lamenting dialogues about past glories in the surf. But with H2O close to hand for most of us there are more ways to skin a cat. And after all, getting out there is the most important point, whatever the ‘there’ manifests itself as in terms of watery access.
If you’re land locked we’ll bet our bottom Dollar there’s a river/canal/pond/stream nearby. These areas are perfect for kayaking or stand up paddling. And if you’re sorely missing waves, but moving rivers are your only choice, you may be lucky enough to score access to standing wave versions. Stand up paddle boards and kayaks, once again, are great for this kind of thing and while not full on Atlantic pounders they’re certainly endless and don’t need size to be fun. For the skilled surfboards and boadyboards, perhaps even bellyboards, would be apt vehicles as well for this type of riding.
Anyone living close to larger pools of liquid may choose other watery disciplines, such as windsurfing or kitesurfing. If the area in question is big enough, and it’s allowed, then windy sliding could well be on the agenda. Adding hydrofoils to the mix will increase your session hit rate. And of course, don’t forget about the newest kid on the block: wing foiling. Inland locations lend themselves to this kid of thing.
It’s not just watersports of a traditional bent either. Things such as wild swimming, bog snorkelling (if that’s the only bit of water you have access to!) and all other manner of disciplines; a bit of imagination and who knows what you’ll get into. Wild swimming in particular has exploded in the last 18 months due to the pandemic and people being stuck at home.
Our key piece of advice, however, is a bunch of toys (don’t go mad, we suggest you become the equivalent of a watersports equipment retailer) to make use of the varied conditions each day will help maximise your brine time. And don’t forget you can keep hold of your original equipment for when that opportunity arises – you don’t need to give up! Hold on until the appropriate moment swings in.
There’s a danger of becoming Jack of all Trades – Master of None, but does that really matter if you’re getting time in and having fun? We think not. One minute windsurfing, the next session SUP; bodyboarding with the kids before a splash in the waves and then rounding the week out with a wingsurfing sesh. What’s not to like? Who knows, maybe you’ll become the next Kai Lenny style all round waterman or woman!
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