The Best Water Sports for the Summer

High temperatures cause many athletes to choose water sports. In the following article, we'll go over the best alternatives you can try this summer.
The Best Water Sports for the Summer

Last update: 14 November, 2019

With the arrival of good weather, doing water sports can be one of the best options to get fit. As a matter of fact, there are lots of water disciplines that allow athletes to stay fresh while they exercise their muscles and have fun.

Water sports are certainly ideal to perform during the summer months. An increase in climate temperatures makes it harder to go to fitness rooms, which is why we must look for alternatives to avoid stagnating our muscles. This turns water sports into a great choice, and today we have a broad range of options to choose from.

Water sports are very exciting and filled with fun and action. On top of that, you can use them to work on both your physical abilities and your mental stimulation.

On the other hand, you can do water sports individually or collectively. There are also some options that you can do outdoors, and some others such as swimming and water polo, for which you’ll need a pool.

Which are the best water sports?

1. Swimming

Swimming is the water sport par excellence, and it’s a great alternative for the hot summer months. It doesn’t matter if you do it on a beach, a river or a pool; long sunny days are the perfect excuse to jump in the water and start swimming.

It’s not only a fun sport but also a great way to keep cool. Swimming is also good for your health, and it can do wonders for your body. Because it’s an aerobic exercise, it improves your cardiopulmonary capacity; the effort you make to go against the resistance of water also helps to tone your muscles.

A swimmer in an olympic pool to exemplify a water sport option

When you swim, you’re literally immersed in a silent, refreshing and technology-free element. This allows you to completely unplug from the outside world and focus on the activity you’re performing.

2. Water polo

For people who love team sports and water, water polo represents one of the best options. The goal of this game is to score more points than the opposite team by passing the ball and performing team plays.

The players can’t touch the bottom of the pool when they’re in the water; this is one of the main rules of this game. To comply with it, they should be kicking with their legs all the time to keep their upper body outside of the water.

A waterpolo player blocking the ball in a pool

This constant movement burns calories and can help you to lose weight. And the truth is that no part of your body stays still during a match or training session.

3. Surfing: one of the most exciting water sports

The best part about surfing is the challenge of staying on top of the board for as long as possible. Balance plays a fundamental role in maintaining a good posture and toning your muscles. For this reason, surfing isn’t only fun but it’s also useful to work your body. As if that weren’t enough, this activity helps to release lots of endorphins, the happiness hormones!

4. Rowing

Rowing is a physically demanding sport that’s becoming increasingly popular. It consists of moving a boat using paddles.

By pushing against the water with a paddle, you generate strength to move the boat, which helps to tone your muscles. You can practice this sport for fun and focus on learning different rowing techniques; there’s also a competitive modality for athletes to race against each other.

Two men rowing in a lake for fun

It’s a team sport because if one person struggles, everyone else will struggle as well. Teamwork is the most important part of being in a boat.

On the other hand, rowing is one of the best water sports because it involves the activation of every muscle in your body. Despite what most people think, you don’t use your arms and legs only, you also engage your back, abs, feet, hands, torso, shoulders, glutes, etc.

Finally, remember to warm up before and after every training session if you want to practice any of these water sports. Choose your favorite and get moving during the hot summer months!


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.



This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.