Surfing is a very popular sport which involves riding water surfaces. For a lot of people this sport can has turned a lifestyle. Some people actually live for the thrill of riding the highest waves. Although this sport is widely spread across the world most people only associate it with a certain image: a person riding a wave by standing up on a board. However there are a lot of other ways to ride water surfaces According to the position, the waves and the type of water, there are a wide variety of surfing styles.
The ocean is usually the most common picture associated with this sport. However waves can be produced under different circumstances therefore aside from the ocean, one can also practice this sport on a lake or a river. In order to be able to ride the water in a lake, one requires a storm strong enough to produce some quality waves. Furthermore the lake should be quite large in order for proper waves to be created. This type of sport requires a lot more skill than the ocean style due to the fact that the effects of the storm are quickly manifested and quite unpredictable. On the other hand a person can also surf on a river. This water riding style is more of a stationary sport due to the fact that the waves don’t move a lot. In order to perform this sport, the surfer needs to ride the waves that are created around large river rocks. A more interactive type of river surfing can happen in some places where large tidal bores are manifested.
Surfing is also classified according to the equipment used to ride the waves. The most basic form of this sport is called body-surfing and it doesn’t require any type of board. You just need to know how to swim in order to catch a wave and then you use your body to slide across the wave towards the shore. Body-boarding is another popular style of wave riding which involves the surfer to lay on the board whilst performing this sport. Windsurfing is a sport that resembles sailing due to the fact that the board is equipped with a sail that needs to be maneuvered. Knee-boarding uses a smaller and wider board and it is quite exciting due to the fact that it has a low center of gravity. Stand up paddle-boarding is a newer version of this sport. The fun thing about it is that you can move very quickly across the water and you can ride any type of water surface. Kite-surfing requires a small board and a big kite. Last but not least wave skying is also very entertaining. This sport resembles kayaking except for the fact that the surfer is standing up.
