Watersport – The Activity People Blog

Try out Power Boating in Scarborough..

Who can say no to high speed powerboat action? Here at The Activity People, we are over the moon to announce we have a brand new powerboat site ready and waiting for you to climb on board and get the ride of your life! Adrenaline junkies in North Yorkshire will love our Scarborough site. You’ll definitely grow a pair of sea legs when you head out into open water here!

The Scarborough coastline is one of the most eye-catching in the country and a powerboat ride is the perfect way to discover it for yourself. There are plenty of top notch packages that will let you take in the stunning scenery- from a ten minute, high speed ride to an hour long sea safari that will take you around the best views the region has to offer. All you’ll need to do is sit back, hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Our drivers are incredibly friendly and can’t wait to welcome some fresh faces to enjoy the powerboat experience. It is far more adrenaline fuelled than the usual sightseeing experience, so if you want a stag/hen do with a twist, or an excellent corporate activity or birthday treat, you’d be a fool to not consider an adventure like this. Check The Activity People’s website and book with us today.

Introducing Kitesurfing in Scarborough and Redcar

If you want an adrenaline rush that will really put the wind in your sails, then you will certainly love taking part in our one of a kind Kitesurfing experiences in Scarborough and Redcar. When you head out for high speed fun in the sea, you’ll see exactly why this is one of the best extreme water sports around.

Here, you’ll be getting expert tuition from Mike, a tutor who has long been travelling around the world in search of the best kitesurfing locations, until he settled down and opened his kite surfing school. He thinks there is nowhere better to take part than the North of England and you’ll soon be seeing why. You’ll be using only the best surfing equipment, so expect high octane thrills.

For kite surfers travelling from further afield, Mike’s wife runs a luxury hostel above the school, which has the perfect atmosphere. With a modern design, picturesque views and plenty of other reasons to visit, including a BBQ for all guests on the hottest days, there is nowhere better to stay by the seaside.

For more details and bookings visit our website

Announcing Scuba Diving in Hertford and Hertford Heath

We’re delighted to announce the latest additions to The Activity People network are Scuba Diving Hertford and Hertford Heath.

4583183561

Our two brand new scuba venues are the perfect place to experience the incredible sensation of breathing underwater, and with a team of fully qualified PADI instructors at both venues, you’ll be ready to explore the open water before you know it.

The introductory try dives are suitable for participants aged 10+, and take place in the safety of local swimming pools, which gives you the perfect opportunity to find out if scuba diving’s for you or not. So if you’ve always wanted to experience scuba diving there’s nowhere better learn the basics and take the first steps towards becoming a fully qualified scuba master.

To find out more about our Hertford and Hertford Heath scuba diving venues visit our website.

Introducing Canyoning Coniston and Garrigill, Cumbria

We’re delighted to welcome Canyoning Coniston and Garrigill, to The Activity People network.

Cumbria is home to some of the most spectacular canyons and gorges in the country, and with two brand new venues in the area there’s no better time to unleash your inner explorer!

unspecified4

With all canyoning and gorge walking packages including tuition from experienced instructors, as well as all the necessary equipment you can really make the most of every exhilarating second. So get ready to abseil down waterfalls, scale streams and dive into icy plunge pools as you explore Cumbria like a real-life adventurer.

To find out more about these wet and wild adventure sports visit our website.

Introducing White Water Tubing Newbiggin, Durham

We’re excited to welcome White Water Tubing Newbiggin to The Activity People network.

This wet and wild white water sport is just as crazy as it sounds, and at our brand new venue in Newbiggin you’re guaranteed to take on the ultimate combination of raging rapids and fast flowing white water.

The County Durham countryside is home to huge stretches of white water, which makes it the perfect place for tubing, and let’s face it there’s no better way to explore your surroundings than from the safety of giant rubber ring!

With full tuition and all necessary equipment included, this activity is perfect for participants aged 14+. So if you like to live on the wild side, and want to experience the rush of crashing over waves and racing down rapids, nothing comes close to the excitement of white water tubing!

To find out more visit our website.

White Water Rafting in the UK

White water rafting is undoubtedly one of our most exciting activities, so if you’re thinking of putting your paddle power to the test here are a few things you need to know about this wet and wild water sport.

It’s not just done on rivers..

The UK may be home to some of the wildest stretches of white water in the world, but white water rafting isn’t just confined to natural stretches of white water. Man-made centres like the Lee Valley White Water Centre, used for the London Olympics, are tailor-made for rafting too, and unlike natural stretches of white water conditions out on the water are much more consistent.

There are different classes of white water..

Stretches of white water are graded by how difficult they are to negotiate. The International Scale of River Difficulty is graded from 1-6 with class 1 white water being the easiest to pass, and class 6 white water being almost impassable. Unless you’re an experienced rafter you’ll mainly be taking on white water graded between 1-3, as this guarantees you plenty of fun without the risk of injury.

It’s not just rapids you’ll have to avoid..

If you’re taking on a natural stretch of white water it’s not just rapids you’ll need to negotiate. You’ll also have to dodge the danger of rocks, branches and river banks too. It’s not all bad news though, because with our instructors skippering the raft you’ll know exactly what’s coming your way and what you need to do to make it down the river in one piece.

You’re going to get wet..

Part of the fun of white water rafting is getting a good soaking, and even if you manage to stay in the raft you’re going to get wet at some point. All of our venues provide wetsuits, helmets and life jackets, so when you inevitably get a soaking there’s no need to worry about ruining your clothes. It’s probably for the best you bring a towel and some dry clothes to change into though!

To find out first hand just how much fun white water rafting is follow this link to find your nearest venue.

Bernie’s Travel Log: 500km of Wet and Wild Windsurfing

Here at Activity HQ we don’t just sell the most adrenalin fuelled activities, we also take part in them, and as we speak, one of our directors is windsurfing 500km down the northern coast of Brazil! Bernie is one of 14 windsurfers from around the world making the epic journey from Fortaleza and we’ll have regular updates of their progress throughout the week, starting with a summary of day one from Bernie’s travel diary.

Day 1: Fortaleza

Day one was epic! My best single run being a 10km blast taking just 20mins before gybing 2.5km out to sea. Lots of big ships in the way! The wind direction was perfect for long runs near parallel to the coast.

There were problems though, logistical issues beset the first day meaning we set off 3 hours later than planned, thus missing the best wind (my 10km run would no doubt have taken a lot less than 15 minutes in the earlier stronger winds). The alarm on a bridge was set off when sailing under it because the tide was higher than planned, mast contact meant a wobbly ride for one of the team but all good.

The late start meant a night time finish (flashing lights on buoyancy jackets proved their worth) for some. Missing the low tide meant a number of trashings in the shore dump for a number of the team. Including the rather uncomfortable 10 minutes (felt significantly longer as most of it was under water) I spent being rolled whilst trying to protect my kit before finally being dumped on the beach 500 metres downwind. A combination of big dumping waves, low wind (which is always significantly lower in the impact zone), and a sail not designed for a wave environment led to a tricky water start being impossible.

A lot of lessons learnt, not the least being set off early. Today is windier, if we catch the early low tide we’ll be 60 kms down the coast at our next stop in no time.

For the most up to date information on Bernie’s progress head over to our Facebook and Twitter accounts or follow his GPS tracker labelled Activity HQ by following this link.

White water rafting: Six handy tips

1. Be prepared to get wet! – You’re in for a soaking so wear swimwear, take a towel and pack a spare set of clothes to change into.

2. Make sure your boat is well balanced. – Balancing the boat is essential, people of similar weight and paddling power should be positioned opposite each other.

3. Communicate with your team. – When you’re racing down fast flowing stretches of white water simple communication is key. Establishing a basic set of commands will mean you can quickly relay instructions as you meet obstacles head on.

4. Make sure you’re holding your paddle properly. – Holding your paddle correctly is key for safety. One hand should be at the base of the paddle and the other should be over the T shaped grip at the top. Keeping your hand over the T grip will not only help you control the paddle, it will also cushion the blow should you accidentally catch yourself with the paddle.

5. Fully submerge the blade of the paddle – Improving your paddling technique will give you more purchase as you fight the fast flowing water. Submerging the blade of the paddle is a much more efficient way of paddling.

6. Try and stay in the raft – It sounds obvious doesn’t it but it’s easier said than done. Hold on tight and try to keep your balance by leaning towards the centre of the boat.

White Water Rafting – Strange Beginnings

White water rafting is one of the most popular adrenalin activities in the world, and millions of people put their paddling prowess to the test by taking on some of the wildest, white water stretches they can find. The main reason people choose to take on the challenge of white water rafting is to experience the rush of racing down fast flowing water, negotiating rocks and rapids as they go. However in its formative years rafting served a much more practical purpose, a million miles away from the adrenalin fuelled white water sport many people recognise it as today.

In the 1840’s United States Army officer Lt. John Fremont and inventor Horace H. Day created the first rubber river raft. Their primitive but revolutionary raft was made from four rubber cloth tubes and a wraparound floor. They made their first successful voyage in 1842 when they used their raft to survey parts of the Rocky mountains which were only accessible by boat.

As rafting slowly gained in popularity it became more viable as a business opportunity and in an attempt to capitalise on its growth John D. Rockefeller Jr. constructed a hotel in the Gran Tenton national park Wyoming. In the late 1950’s the lodge started offering trips down the river in surplus war rafts which were 8ft wide and over 20ft long. The trips were so popular that rival rafting companies started to spring up across the United States, offering rides down some of the fastest and most thrilling stretches of water in the country.

White water rafting grew in popularity throughout the 60’s and 70’s and in 1972 it was included to the Olympic Games held in Munich. In 1997 the international federation of rafting was established and the first international white water rafting championships were held in 1999. The introduction of an international governing body meant rafting became much more strongly regulated and as a result safety improved. The information available to rafters also improved and rivers were graded 1-6 using the International Scale of River Difficulty designed to reflect the technical difficulty and skill level required to navigate a section of river. Rafters use this system to find out what kind of conditions they can expect to face on stretches of river they’ve never been down before.

Modern day white water rafting has changed dramatically and almost anybody can take to the water for the challenge of negotiating boulder strewn rapids and fast flowing water. There are rafting sites across the globe and its popularity continues to grow, especially in the UK. Scotland is home to some of the best and most difficult white water rafting routes in the world which may explain why it’s so popular. There are even artificial rafting sites with man made rapids that are tailor made to put a rafters paddling skills to the test. So whether you’re trying rafting for the first time or just want to hone your skills the perfect location could be closer than you think. It may have started out as a way of crossing treacherous stretches of water but the fun that can be had in a modern day rafting experience is second to none!