Wet and Wild

CEBU, Philippines - Summer is the perfect excuse to get out of our daily grind and hit the beach—or the pool, as the case may be. Even if I am particular a fraidy cat when it comes to vast expanses of water, I must admit that I am generally drawn to all things that have to do with the beach.

If you’re planning to hit the beach for the nth summer in a row, suffice to say you should never settle with unfurling your beach towel and getting down and lazy on the sand trying to burn yourself to a crisp. If it’s a hot tan you’re after, you might as well bag that perfect bronzy hue in motion.

Here are my top picks for rocking the beach come sun season:

Barefoot Water Skiing

If the regular water skiing took your breath away the first few times you’ve tried it, then you shouldn’t miss water skiing without the skis. Barefoot water skiing will quench your need for speed as you’ll have to travel at unconventionally higher speeds so you can breeze through the surface of the water like a charm. With the wind in your hair and the water at your soles, this will definitely be one for the scrapbooks.

Flowboarding

Flowboarding is perhaps the halo-halo of board sports what with its hot mix of bits and pieces of body boarding, surfing, skim boarding, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and skateboarding. In flowboarding, the flowboarders are challenged to ride on sheet waves or artificial waves in order to perform tricks and stunts over a stationary surface. The flowboarder’s BFF? The body board which can be ridden in the standing or kneeling position. This will definitely challenge your balancing skills. The secret behind flowboarding? Simply go with the flow.

Parasailing

Parasailing is my all-time favorite. I basically fell in love with this water sport since the first time I’ve tried it. Parasailing can be a little bit scary for those who have never tried it yet. What basically happens is that you are literally towed behind a motorized boat and are lifted towards the sky with a huge parasail behind you. This is best enjoyed late in the afternoon when the sunshine turns golden yellow and you can actually see the surface of the water beneath you sparkling as if a jillion topaz shards were tossed on it. Spread your arms when you’re high up and take in the sights. Hey, it isn’t every day that you get to fly.

Snorkelling

If it weren’t for my Environmental Journalism class, I would never, in my wildest dreams been able to try my luck in snorkelling. If you’re swimming skills aren’t that swak, I highly suggest you don’t hit the water without a buddy and a trusty life vest. If you’re really up to taking a glimpse of kaleidoscopic coral gardens and schools of fish in every hue imaginable, make Apo Island in Negros Oriental you’re first diving destination.

Waboba

If you’re up and about with your barkada and looking for something new, waboba is the name of the game. Waboba stands for “Water Bouncing Ball” and is a team sport worth trying out even if you might totally mess up on the first try. The waboba is a specially designed ball that bounces on water the same way a rubber ball bounces on land. Pretty nifty, eh? So what’s the point of the game? It’s to pass the ball between team players (with each team made up of at least two players) while making sure that you do not lose the ball to the other team. The team bags a point when the ball has bounced on the water at least once and when each member of the team has caught the ball at least once without any interruption. Players cannot keep the ball on hand longer than 5 seconds.

This summer, move away from the typical lounging at the pool or scuba diving and be a little bit more experimental when hitting the beach. After all, summer is all about spontaneity and generally trying something for the first time. (Photos from the wires)