People who tend to have an affiliation with water tend to also have a natural interest in all of the things you can do in, on or around it. As divers we all look for the best dives, wrecks, thrills to keep expanding our dive knowledge and training and to enjoy all that the sea has to offer.
The Southsea Watersports Festival brought people together this weekend to share their passions and love of their own sports. The idea being to allow people the opportunity to try other activities and have new experiences in a safe and guided way.
SUP boards, kayaks and rowing boats lined Eastney seafront with instructors and trainers ready, waiting and enthused to get people involved and in the water.
We headed down to the sea to meet the Tudor Sailing Club crew who regularly enjoy dinghy sailing, fishing, gig rowing, kayaking and other social events. What a super bunch of people they are! So much local knowledge and a big willingness and pass on tips and pointers and to teach at your own pace.
Trying a new sport can put you totally out of your comfort zone and for those of us that are most comfy under water, rowing can/could be a little bit daunting. The team were fantastic, really thorough with their instructions and keen to show off their sport.
The buzz around the beach base camp was vibrant. The RNLI promoting safety in the water and supporting festival goers around the stalls to get talking and having those all important conversations about their interests and how to take them to the next level.
The morning swimmers were pottering around the in water, gliding past markers and buoys and the festival crew were handing out goody bags and information for people to find out more. The event had a great feel and was warmly welcomed in this pretty seaside city.
Bringing people together in any capacity has challenges in terms of organisation and they really pulled off a lovely day. Perfectly positioned next to Eastney’s coffee cup for a welcomed pit stop after a very adventurous morning.
Learn more at: https://andrewsimpsoncentres.org
