A Quick Guide To 6 Popular Water Sports And Their Differences

Travel to any coastal area or water body like rivers, lakes, seas and oceans and you are bound to find an array of water activities clamouring for your attention: go snorkelling or scuba diving? How is a canoe different from a kayak, and aren't windsurfing and kitesurfing the same thing?

It's easy to confuse these six activities with one another so here's a quick explainer on what makes them unique.

Scuba diving vs Snorkelling

Scuba stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Divers carry a compressed air tank on their body and breathe through a mouthpiece attached to the tank. They have to learn how to use the diving gear first—such as the Buoyancy Control Device, gauge and regulator—to be able to stay underwater for long periods of time, up to an hour and beyond, without having to surface. This allows divers to spend more time observing the marine environment and swim closer to corals and shipping wrecks. According to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), open-water divers usually swim to a maximum depth of 18m. Due to the sheer number of items required to dive, this activity is more expensive than snorkelling.

Snorkelling requires three items: a dive mask, a breathing tube called a snorkel and swimming fins. The snorkel takes in air from the atmosphere so snorkelling is limited to swimming along the surface of the body of water. However, the latest snorkellers allow people to dive to a certain depth underwater without getting water into their breathing tube. This activity does not require special training or major expenses and is less risky than scuba diving. According to PADI, the average snorkeller can swim down to 3-4m.

Canoeing vs Kayaking

Canoeing uses a single-bladed paddle to cut the water and can fit more than one person in the open boat. Camping gear and cargo can fit in a canoe and paddlers enjoy this activity to take in their surroundings in a slower and relaxed manner. Canoes can be easily carried overland but may be challenging to steer if you're the sole passenger. Paddlers have to learn specific strokes to maneuver the canoe in a straight line and for turning, because of which it may take time to fully get to grips with it.

Kayaking requires a double-bladed paddle and usually fits one person, though tandem kayaks have space for two. They are a closed-top boat and narrow in size which makes them fast. The kayak moves with alternate forward strokes on either side of the boat but there are some types that even come with rudders which you use with your feet, thus making it easier to move in the intended direction. This vessel is able to handle rough waters with more ease than canoes but they are limited in storage space. It is easier to maneuver a kayak than a canoe because of the uncomplicated nature of alternate forward strokes.

Kitesurfing vs Windsurfing

Kitesurfing or kiteboarding harnesses the wind and a power kite to pull riders along the water. It borrow features from a multitude of sports such as paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding. Participants stand on a board and attach their harness to a control bar, which is connected to the kite's lines, thus giving them control over the kite's motion. They steer the direction of their movement by pulling at its ends. The cost of all of this equipment is much higher than that for windsurfing, but the activity is less challenging physically with proper training and guidance.

Windsurfing combines sailing and surfing to propel participants on the water. A triangle-shaped sail is mounted on a board (called a sailboard) and the full set-up involves a double boom, mast and mast base, collectively called a rig. By adjusting their hold on the double boom, which changes the sail's position relative to the wind, the sailboard can be maneuvered in all directions. This activity is easier to pick up on than kitesurfing, but both sports are risky and must be undertaken after proper training.