Nearly everyone loves getting down to the seaside during their holidays, and the images we typically associate with the beach are all pretty heartwarming. Kids running around laughing and building sand castles, parents relaxing with ice creams or good books, and attractive people playing volleyball while the mid-summer sun beats down from overhead.
All of that chilled-out beach pastimes are great, but what about the people who aren’t just looking to unwind and relax on their vacation, but who also want a shot of excitement and adventure mixed in.
Here are a few activities you can try out if you find that your lazy days by the seaside are getting a bit too lazy for your tastes.
Whale watching and shark cage diving
There’s something about seeing nature up close, especially huge, mysterious creatures like whales and sharks, that can completely change the way we look at the world.
It’s one thing to sit on the sofa at home and watch footage of blue whales on the TV, but it’s a completely different experience to be on a boat and to see the creature itself swim past, alive, conscious, aware, and enormous.
And while whale watching is likely to inspire a sense of general awe, wonder and happiness, shark cage diving is is likely to be more about the adrenaline rush and the hope that you don’t somehow get eaten.
In either case, you’re not likely to forget the experience in a hurry.
SCUBA diving
The are certain places where humans aren’t naturally supposed to go, and under the sea is definitely one of those. The hint is in the lack of oxygen and the fact that we’re pretty bad at moving through the water, all things considered.
Luckily, the miracles of technology allow us to visit aquatic landscapes which, even relatively recently in human history, would have been all but impossible to see.
Taking your basic SCUBA certification course on your next seaside vacation isn’t just a fun way of experiencing some amazing sights and sounds, it also opens a door to you which can lead on to deeper and more advanced dives, a greater understanding of the sea itself, and the awakening of a sense of adventure that will stay with you throughout your life.
Once again, forget about what you’ve seen on TV. Being able to breathe underwater, as fish and sea creatures swim by, is a truly unique experience.
For all of human history, people have dreamed of being able to fly. There are ancient myths and legends like the tale of Icarus and Daedalus which describe people trying to craft their own flying devices, and many people during the last few centuries are said to have jumped off cliffs, flapping their homemade wings, hoping to take off.
Today, that dream has become a reality, and not just because of airplanes.
Parasailing is basically the safer, more beginner-level cousin of wind-riding techniques like hang gliding. The idea with parasailing is that you get attached to a parachute on one end, and to the back of a motor boat on the other. As the boat takes off, you catch the wind and fly behind it in the sky.
Parasailing allows you to experience something that people have been yearning for throughout human history, and with water below you to cushion your fall. What could be better?
