Something I always wanted to do when I was younger, was learn to surf (I have done so now, and love it!) but even when I wasn’t learning to surf, my all-time favourite holiday activities were to do with the water. While my sisters were doing their different activities I was learning how to sail and windsurf; the water was where I was in my element. So, I thought that for those of you with the same interests, I would compile a short list of the generic items that you need to bring with you for a lesson on or in the water.

1) Swimwear

For all the lessons that I have attended, wetsuit hire is included in the price, the only stipulation is that you provide something to wear underneath. Even for the activities where you won’t be submerged in the water (e.g. sailing or canoeing) when you are first starting out, I would recommend wearing a swimsuit under clothes that you don’t mind getting wet because there is always the chance that you will flip over or need to enter the water.

Ideally as a female I find that a one piece swimsuit is easier than a bikini under the wetsuit, even if only when taking it off at the end of the session!

2) A Towel

When you have finished whichever activity you have been participating in, a towel will be needed to dry off before you catch a chill or get changed out of your swimming costume and wet suit. There is no describing the feeling of coming out of the water to cold air and wrapping a towel around your shoulders (if you’ve been in the water in England, you’ll understand what I’m talking about), then again even in the warmer weather it is nice to have a towel that you can wipe the water off your face when coming out of the water.

3) A Change of Clothes

It may be that these are the clothes that you wear to the lesson (although I usually have the swimming costume under a hoodie and shorts to begin with) or you might have showering facilities available to you immediately afterwards, in which case it could be some completely new ones depending on the time of the day.

I would usually recommend joggers and a jumper after a shower, particularly if it’s a chilly day, after all you are likely to cool down fairly swiftly after water activities (especially if it’s chilly) and I find these to generally be the comfiest option.

4) A Drink

You will certainly need to rehydrate at the end of the lesson, particularly if you swallow as much salt water as I did in my first surfing lesson!

Having a bottle of water is a no brainer if it is a hot, sunny day and you have spent a long time out on the water, because it is very easy to become dehydrated in this instance. However, even if it’s cooler outside I would recommend having a bottle of water (or some other drink) available for after your activity maybe even a flask containing a warm drink.

5) Waterproof Suncream

Suncream is a must have, especially for those of you who are like me and are incredibly pale no matter how much time you spend in the sun. I have found that it is worth investing in a good waterproof suncream, mainly so that it doesn’t wash off and get into your eyes, but also because while in the water the sun’s rays are bouncing back at you so the chances of getting burnt are doubled.

6) A Good Attitude

Ok, so this point isn’t exactly something you can bring in a bag (a little bit of a cliché too, I’ll admit), but it is important. If you don’t want to be there, it will show and if you aren’t paying attention not only are you unlikely to get the proper experience but you aren’t going to be safe.

A lot of what is being talked about, particularly at the start of the lesson, is safety information and purely for your benefit, so if you aren’t going to listen there may be a lot of accidents in your future.

7) Appropriate Footwear

With more of my recent water activities, it is important to have appropriate footwear, as not all of them will do well with bare feet.

Harry and I invested in water shoes when we visited Typhoon Lagoon at Disney and for me in particular this was one of my best purchases on that trip. Since then, I have used them repeatedly, for canoeing, stand up paddleboarding and kayaking to name a few of these activities.

However, for activities like canyoning and white water rafting they requested we bring old trainers or some that we didn’t mind getting wet, so it is important that you check what type of footwear they require you to wear for the lesson.

Conclusion

Hopefully this will help a little bit, even if most of what I have listed seem rather obvious. Water sports are definitely an activity that I would recommend to anyone, there are so many different ones that I feel there are always more that I’m adding to my wish list.