Got to thinking about it and came to a realisation. The world of watersport is a fair reflection of our deep-rooted connection to water-bodies. I may even go so far as to say water provides a holistic arena more so than the the sum of all other avenues available to ordinary people. Let’s forget for a moment the value-add of water to true physical fitness (though by the time we’re done the omission might make sense). Let’s look a general look at the space watersports controls instead.

The aquatic environment is diverse enough occupy the attention of the most fickle or attentive mind. Shoreside bodies offer reefs, flats, waves and the vast array of life that call such locales home. Offshore there are the activities that can take place topside, such as sailing, ocean racing – whether motorised or wind-powered, or simply as place to call home, if mobility is a factor. Lakes and rivers we do not discount. These are just as valuable watersport venues, offering anglers a more sedate option than their counterparts who care to venture into the deep blue.

Water affords athletes a training ground that bespoke facilities on land have quite a hard time matching. The horse-racing community for instance exercise their charges in order to build muscle strength at no cost to joint or tenon wear – this holds just as true for your normal bi-pedal sportsperson. In the same vein, water provide ‘load’ without a premium, pretty much as some use it for resistance.

Load control is also part of the watery skills that surfers demonstrate via their nifty maneuvers. Which leads us to contemplate the value of watersport to the hardcore individualist: Some folks just don’t like having the competitive outcome of a sport depend on several people.

Health I’ve just touched on with that resistance paragraph but it is no trivial matter for those who may be ailing and cannot walk, run or even stroll. In which case just lolling in water is as good a medicine as anything that can be got from a bottle.

But watersport doesn’t need to stop at watersport. Its a major crosstraining space. Consider the benefit of being able to dive proficiently before entering training as a Navy SEAL. Consider the level of confidence commandos and even ordinary military seamen get by being able to master something in the watersport arena before joing the military. So yeh. Watersports is the bizness.