Wet & wild: Boardsports to get you down to the beach this summer

With the season's signature warm weather, extended daylight hours, and the sheer abundance of time at your disposal, your summer holidays are naturally the perfect time to pick up some new skills. On top of this, there's no better time to be at the beach either! So you may as well kill two birds with one stone and head to the coast with a few boards of all shapes and sizes and take full advantage of all that our Aussie summers have to offer.

If you're looking to explore the wide and wonderful world of boardsports over this coming summer holiday break, it's highly recommended that you read up on the different types of boardsports in order to find which style suits you best. You can read up on the most popular boardsports below to help finetune your summer to-do list.

Want to go with the flow this summer? With your stand up paddle board, you'll be able to do just that. This peaceful alternative to traditional surfing uses a variegated surfing-style board. Stand up paddle boards (or SUP boards) generally tend to be longer than your average surfboard to facilitate comfortable balance in an array of different surf conditions as well as accommodate multiple riders at the same time.

The ability to practice this boardsport in calm or choppy waters is one of the primary appeals of SUP boarding. This is a board sport that can facilitate a need to wind down just as well as it can inspire a healthy release of adrenaline. Your paddleboard can have you gliding on still ocean waters or flying across large, swooping waves. It really depends on what tickles your fancy.

In fact, it's common for some surfers to use paddle boarding as a method for training in tactical calm, taking the opportunity they have on their SUP boards to practice tactical breathing and focus on being present to ensure that they'll always be ready for the next wave. If you're already a fan of living in the moment, stand up paddle boarding may be just the boardsport for you.

Aussie surf culture is well and truly a part of our national identity for a number of select reasons, one of which has to be the fact that we have some of the best surfing spots in the world. Whether you'll be travelling interstate in search of your favourite Aussie surf beach or sticking to your local swim and surf spots this summer, you should absolutely feel encouraged to head out on the water with a few friends in tow to make your summer surfing experience that much more enjoyable.

The best thing about Aussie surfing is that our swells do tend to be quite consistent depending on where you may find yourself along our extensive coastline. You can absolutely find a great beach for beginner surfers if you're travelling with people who may be new to this age-old sport, or hit up some more gnarly surf spots if your travel party is filled with veteran waveriders.

If you are travelling with some beginner surfers, you should also be sure to coach them through their first few waves as well. Surfing can be a rather intimidating board sport in comparison to the other ones on this list, and your friends should feel supported enough to give it a go. Aussie surf culture does prioritise respect for the swell, support for one another, and safety education over 'surfing in style'. By no means should we ever be aspiring to California's 'Cowabunga' surf culture.

If you're an avid surfer who's looking for a novel challenge, taking on kitesurfing or even windsurfing may be your ideal hobby during this summer holiday season. Both windsurfing and kitesurfing use sails or kite-like attachments in order to propel surfers across smooth or choppy waters. But what's the difference between these two rather similar watersports?

With windsurfing, the sail is attached to the board itself. Windsurfing boards can often look like small yachts when they're dotting the horizon. The sail being attached directly to the board effectively makes these boards quite easy to balance on when compared to surfboards, and other similar boards.

Contrastingly, kitesurfing involves the use of a kite that's attached directly to the surfer rather than to the board, so kitesurfers must maintain their connection to their boards alongside controlling the direction of their kites. Kitesurfers are expected to develop a superior sense of balance and direction.

Naturally, kitesurfing may be an ideal challenge for proficient surfers who are looking to further hone their own surfing skills. It's important to note, however, that just because this particular boardsport does require a little more focus and physical skill, it doesn't necessarily mean that kitesurfing isn't an accessible boardsport for total beginners. Any holidayers looking for a challenging boardsport that works your core should feel encouraged to give kitesurfing a go, either by hiring a board and kite for the day or by signing up for some kitesurfing lessons!

Finally, you don't necessarily have to head too far out to have a good time on the coastline. Boogie boarding (or bodyboarding) is a style of surfing that can be enjoyed in small or large swells, and by surfers of all ages, making boogie boarding a summertime essential for travelling families in particular.

Boogie boarding is a highly nostalgia-inducing boardsport for many of us who come from surf-crazy families, as this boardsport is likely to have been your first, soft introduction to riding waves. Even if you're a proficient surfer, you may still enjoy the odd boogie boarding session or two, especially if a swell is too small for your liking.

You can, however, pass your enjoyment of this beloved boardsport down to your own children too, simply by packing a boogie board in with your surfboards, paddleboards, and windsurfing sails when it comes time to set out on your next summer getaway.

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Whilst there is a myriad of other coastal activities that you can try this summer outside the world of boardsports, there's no denying that no other summertime hobbies can get your hearts pumping as much as the sports we've outlined above. Chances are that if you do manage to pack a board or two along with you, your summer holiday experience is likely to be highly positive indeed.

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