Out Door Activities

There so many activities can we get in out door, there are some kind activities that usually we found bellow :

CAMPING
Camping can be considered a recreational outdoor activity in its own right, although many other outdoor sports activities will involve finding a suitable campsite or campground and using appropriate camping gear. It ranges from the bare minimum taken by the survival camper to everything including the kitchen sink taken along by the luxury RV's and motorhomes. For everyone it is the chance to get away from civilisation and enjoy nature.

CAVING
Every cave is different and cavers all enjoy the exploration of each individual cave. It is even more exciting when you are exploring new caves not knowing what you are going to find. These days to find new caves you are likely to have to do some digging or diving. Depending on the cave a cavers will need some climbing skills, be happy to squeeze through tight spaces or not mind getting wet.

As with all adventure sports, it is important to be properly equipped. Clothing which can protect from abrasion, a helmet and lights source are essential. It is also important to have another two or three backup light sources. The type of clothing will also depend on conditions in the cave – warm or cold. Here local knowledge is an important factor. Other equipment includes ropes, first aid kit, food and bathroom supplies to remove all personal waste from the cave.

The main safety issues with caving are hypothermia, falling, physical exhaustion along with the added dangers of being caught out by flooding. To combat these proper training and well maintained equipment is a must, along with local knowledge and a weather check for rainfall to ensure there is not a flooding risk. It is also important to notify someone outside the cave with your intended return time and details where you are going. It also helps to have at least 4 in your group. This way if someone falls, one person can stay with the casualty while the other two go for help.

It is very important to remember that the caves and the species living in them are a fragile environment and great care must be taken not to damage or contaminate the cave.

Climbing
Climbing is basically using your hands and feet to move up the surface of a steep object. Rock climbing is the most familiar form of climbing but there are other types such as ice climbing and buildering (climbing up the outside of tall buildings. Mountaineering is just using various climbing techniques to assend mountains.

Cycling
For many cycling is just a form of transport, allbeit a very healthy alternative to driving or sitting on a bus. However there are also many recreational activities using the bicycle from touring and sightseeing to BMX racing on purpose built tracks. There is also mountain biking which basically involves riding specially designed bikes almost anywhere

FISHING
In ancient times fishing was simple providing food by catching fish by any means. Modern fishing is both a recreation and professional sport with various conventions, rules and restrictions.

SAILING
Sailing used to be considered a sport for the rich and although that still may be the case with luxury yachts, dingy sailing is available to all. It is not difficult to find a club or centre where the basic sailing techniques can be learned in a safe environment. These basic skills may be learned in a few days. However the mastery of sailing a boat in varying weather conditions will take considerably longer but is well worth the time and the effort. Sailing is becoming much more accessible to disabled people with new boat designs, a better understanding and recognition that outdoor sports should be available to everyone.

LIGHT WEIGHT AEROPLANES AND GLIDERS
From the late 1970's people have been looking for affordable ways to fly. This has resulted in the building of a whole variety of different lightweight slow flying aeroplanes. They are known under a variety of names - Microlights, Ultralights, ULMs and Light-Sport Aircraft. The names along with the regulations vary from country to country which is a major barrier to international trade and overland flight.
Gliders have been around a lot longer and the first competition was actually in 1920.While competition does test a pilots ability to understand local weather conditions and flying ability, many people do it simple for the enjoyment and sense of achievement.

SCUBA DIVING
Most people understand what is implied by the term Scuba Diving but I wonder how many actually realise that Scuba actually comes from Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. The first aqualung was invented in 1943 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and as the sport became popular with recreational divers so the equipment improved in safety, comfort and ease of use. Today we have buoyancy compensators, sophisticated diving regulators, rebreathers and even dive computers.

FREE DIVING
Free diving, sometimes called skin diving is the art of swimming underwater while holding your breath. Although it is used in activities such as snorkeling and spearfishing it has now become a sport in its own right. There are a variety of disciplines within the sport, some using aids to achieve the greatest depths or distances covered on one breath. The sport is known as Competitive Apnea

Snorkeling
At it simplest snorkeling is just swimming on the surface of the water breathing through a plastic tube called a snorkel and using a mask to watch the fascinating marine life below. Snorkels have developed in recent years from the simple tube to clever devices with purge values and systems to stop water going in. Fins are also normally worn. Once a snorkeler becomes more confident and experienced they will use a certain amount of free diving to enable them to enjoy the underwater environment to the full.

Spearfishing
Spearfishing has been carried out for hundreds of years, but the sharpened wooden poles of the past have now been replaced with various powered spearguns. In the past it was a means of catching food – now it is considered more to be a sport and for this reason spearfishing with scuba gear is frowned upon. The spearfishers will normally use snorkeling gear and often hold their breath for about a minute diving down 15 – 20 metres to hunt their prey. The very best hold their breath for 2-4 minutes and can dive down to 40 metres.

SURFING
Surfing has existed in Hawaii for over 200 years but it is only since 1960 that it has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. For many it is not just a sport but a way of life with its own culture, language and style of clothing. However don't let this put you off having a go - its fun and definitely addictive! Although the dedicated are a bit territorial over the best spots, there are plenty of beaches left for us mere mortals to enjoy.

WALKING, HIKING, TREKKING, BACKPACKING, SCRAMBLING, RUNNING
Hiking is an excellent outdoor activity for the whole family. It is a chance to enjoy the scenery in rural or wilderness areas, exercise the body and de-stress the mind.

The word hiking may be understood worldwide but in some countries tend to use other terms. It is walking in the UK, tramping in New Zealand and bushwalking in Australia.

The term trekking is used for stenuous walking through mountainous regions and the term backpacking when there are overnight camping stops. Then there is scrambling which is when the hands need to be used to scramble over rocky outcrops.

Also included in this sections are the various forms of running in the countryside - cross country running, fell running and orienteering.

WHITE WATER RAFTING
Is it a thrilling leisure activity or a dangerous sport? It is probably a combination of the two. Since it began in the 1970 it has certainly become a lot safer with legislated safety measures, better qualified operators and much improved equipment. In the past rivers have been known to swallowed up whole expeditions. Nowadays the overall risk, when using experienced operators, is considered as low. It is also now a competitive sport with international and world championship events. This competitive element of rafting began in the mid 90's.

Off Roading, Motocross and Trial Riding
Off roading is a simple a term for driving four wheel drive vehicles such as Landrovers and ATV's off road. Drivers pit their skills against all kinds of natural terrain. Motocross uses specially built motorcycles and is fast, dirty and often dangerous. Trial riding is a non-speed event, the idea being to ride a natural obstacle course without touching the ground.

Kites - Kite Surfing
Kite flying has been practiced for over a thousand years and gradually over the years it became popular recreational activity. Kite Surfing is a rapidly growing new sport. Numbers grew from about 30 in 1998 to 200,000 in 2006. Your body is the only connection between the board and the kite. You have to learn to pilot the kite and steer the board at the same time.

Powerboats, Zap Cats and Jet Skis

Power boats have a high power to weight ratio and the hull is design to plane over the water which allows for high speed. Zap Cats - basically small inflatable catamarans - have an incredible speed and cornering ability. Jet Ski's are capable of high speed and excellent maneuverability and are like motorbikes on water.

Shooting - Archery
This is a vast subject but for the purposes of this website we have included links to game shooting, rifle shooting, shotgun sports like skeet, trap and clay pshooting. Also covered are the various forms of archery along with the rather less serious paintballing sites!

Skateboarding
Unlike most of the outdoor activities on this website, skateboarding is an urban sport. Sometimes it is considered an extreme sport although to skateboarders it is often seen as an art form, hobby or just a means of transport.

Snow Sports - Skiing, Skateboarding, Dog Sledding, Snow Mobiling

Skiing, as we know it today saw its beginnings at the end of the 19th Century, whereas snowboarding developed 100 years later and did not become an olympic sport until 1998. Dog sledding and snow mobiling also included.

Water Skiing - Wakeboarding

Water skiing was invented in the early 1920's. Beginners using two skis are pulled along at speeds of about 25-35 kilometers per hour. Wakeboarding developed as a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques and the towing speeds are less.