List of Water Sports A-Z
Water sports are sports that take place in, under, or around any body of water. There are a huge variety of water sports involving many different objectives and rules. Most water sports involve some type of swimming, either on the surface of a body of water or beneath it, and many others require equipment such as fins, paddles, or breathing apparatuses. Numerous water sports are variations of sports played on land, such as water polo, water volleyball, and underwater wrestling. These sports are often played in teams, but some can be played individually.
While most water sports require athletes to swim, others, such as fishing, are not swimming sports and can even be performed on land, at the edge of a body of water. There are many water sports in the Olympic Games, including swimming, water polo, synchronized swimming, and diving. Some famous athletes who have participated in Olympic water sports include Michael Phelps, Tom Daley, and Katie Ledecky.
Water Sports List A to Z
- Adventure Racing
- Angling
- Apnoea Finswimming
- Aquabike
- Aquajogging
- Aquathlon
- Bifins
- Big Wave Surfing
- Big-Game Fishing
- Biribol
- Bodyboarding
- Canoe Freestyle
- Canoe Marathon
- Canoe Ocean Racing
- Canoe Polo
- Canoe Sailing
- Canoe Slalom
- Canoe Sprint
- Canoeing
- Coasteering
- Creeking
- Cross Triathlon
- Deep-Water Soloing
- Dinghy Sailing
- Dragboat Racing
- Dragon Boat Racing
- Extreme Canoe Slalom
- Finswimming
- Fishing
- Fly Fishing
- Flyak
- Freediving
- High Diving
- Hydroflying
- Hydroplane Racing
- Ice Canoeing
- Ice Fishing
- Immersion Finswimming
- Individual Medley
- Ironman Surf Lifesaving
- Kayaking
- Kitesurfing (Kiteboarding)
- Logrolling
- Military Pentathlon
- Modern Pentathlon
- Noodling
- Olympic Diving
- Open Water Swimming
- Outrigger Canoeing
- Paddleboarding
- Picigin
- Playboating
- Quadrathlon
- Rafting
- Relay Swimming
- Riverboarding
- Rock Fishing
- Sailing
- Scuba Diving
- Skimboarding
- Snorkeling
- Spearfishing
- Squirt Boating
- Standup Paddle Boarding
- Surf Fishing
- Surface Finswimming
- Surfing
- Surf Kayaking
- Swimming
- Synchronized Diving
- Synchronized Swimming
- Tetrathlon
- Underwater Cycling
- Underwater Diving
- Underwater Football
- Underwater Hockey
- Underwater Ice Hockey
- Underwater Orienteering
- Underwater Rugby
- Underwater Target Shooting
- Underwater Wrestling
- Waboba
- Wakeboarding
- Water Basketball
- Water Polo
- Water Skiing
- Water Volleyball
- Whitewater Kayaking
- Whitewater Slalom
- Wild-Water Racing
- Windsurfing
FAQ
What are water sports?
Water sports are sports that take place in, under, or around water. There are many different types of water sports, all with different rules and objectives. Some water sports, such as water polo and water volleyball, mimic common land sports, while others, such as swimming and diving, can only be performed in water. Many water sports are part of the Olympic Games, including team sports such as synchronized swimming.
Do you need to know how to swim to participate in water sports?
Many water sports require that the athletes know how to swim. This is the case in most popular water sports, such as swimming, diving, and water polo, where knowing how to swim is necessary in order to play the sport well and remain safe. There are some water sports where swimming is not a necessary skill, such as fishing and ice fishing, which can be performed from land or on a boat. Other sports, such as sailing or kayaking, do not involve swimming, though the ability to swim may still be valuable in case the need arises.
What are some of the most popular water sports?
Some of the most popular water sports include swimming, diving, surfing, and water polo. Swimming is a sport with many different styles, such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Diving also has a number of varieties, in terms of the height of the diving board and the tricks which the athletes attempt. Surfing is a popular ocean sport that involves riding large waves, and water polo is a popular team sport that is played in many different water-based settings.
What water sports can be played both indoors and outdoors?
Many water sports can be played both indoors and outdoors. Most Olympic water sports, which are performed in pools, can occur both inside and outside, such as swimming, diving, and water polo. Other pool-based sports, such as water volleyball, water basketball, and underwater football, can be played both inside and outside. However, certain water sports can only be played outdoors, such as fishing, spearfishing, surfing, and windsurfing, as they require exposure to nature in order to be played.