Activities | Water

Kayaking

For many, exploring by kayak pushes comfort zones in an unfamiliar environment; it can be challenging and there is a constant need to adapt as the water changes around you. As part of a group, team work is required and a willingness to learn and follow instruction. It is an immersive experience, reflective and an opportunity to feel close to nature. Paddling a kayak, whether it's on an inland water course or out at sea requires focus and commitment and it helps build strength without being too demanding, physically.

Jim Dolan, the founder and director of the US charity, Heroes on the Water, describes kayaking as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and mental therapy rolled into one. His charity has had excellent results using kayaking as a form of therapy for soldiers returning from battle with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Depending on your location and the activity provider Adventure Therapy is working with, there are specialist seats available and hoists to aid access to the kayak, if required.

Surfing

Surfing can help you to feel less anxious, more relaxed and calmer. It is a fantastic way to feel motivated, inspire confidence and see the power of nature at its finest.  It is also a great way for families to interact and build treasured memories. An example of this, a child with a life-limiting condition having the opportunity to lie on a longboard in shallow waves whilst her dad, carer and siblings play in the surf with her, under the safety and supervision of a qualified surf instructor.

Surfing provides an excellent form of therapy for all, but for people with physical or learning disabilities, it has been shown to provide additional benefits to health and wellbeing. A sense of accomplishment, the physical benefits of overall fitness and hydrotherapy through spending time in the water - it is often said that some people live to surf, but research around the world is now showing that for others, they surf to live.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP)

Jodelle Fitzwater - "The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Standing on the board, with feet hip- width apart, knees slightly bent, and keeping your core engaged, forces you to be in an anatomical, healthy position for optimal body alignment. On land, we tend to keep weight on one foot when we stand, or place weight on insides of the feet allowing knees to fall inward, or jut hips forward, slouching the upper body and locking the knees, all of which you are unable to do on a SUP or you will fall."

The board requires you to stand in the most perfect position: your feet are required by the board for balance and placed hip-width apart; you must keep a soft micro-bend in the knees; the thigh bones are gently held back in the hip socket as you stroke; and there is a natural curve in the lumbar spine. With a proper stroke technique, the shoulder blades are hugged back and the shoulders are stacked at the “catch” of the stroke, and of course, the core is ignited to stabilise you on the board, leading to safe joints, a mobile spine and strengthened muscles overall.

As one of the fastest growing watersports in the UK, Stand Up Paddleboarding is an excellent way to feel a sense of accomplishment, adventure and calm as you explore the coastline or surf a wave.

Coasteering

Wild Swimming in the sea, scrambling up rocks and jumping from them, traversing the coastline and exploring - it's adventurous, exciting and fun. For some, there is that understandable sense of trepidation and that element of danger in the unexpected; it's what makes coasteering so challenging - and so popular. Under the careful supervision of a qualified and experienced instructor and guide who will only allow you to keep within the boundaries of your ability, coasteering is a adrenaline rush which will empower and enrich.

As a group session, it provides the opportunity to work as a team, being encouraged to make that leap into the depths - and motivating others to do the same. It's a great way to interact and feel at one with the outdoors as you challenge yourself, make new friends and share in a unique experience.

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