Water sports on vacation – You can enjoy a variety of water sports while camping, including fishing, canoeing, swimming, sailing, surfing, diving and water skiing/wakeboarding.
The great thing about camping with – rooftop tent or without – is the easy access to waters that offer you numerous water sports opportunities.
Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, there are plenty of tips available here to enhance your camping vacation.
Take this opportunity to try out new water sports and improve your skills.
Camping Ratgeber:
Water sports on a camping vacation: adventure & relaxation
If you’re looking for a fun and active addition to your camping vacation, you should consider water sports!
Not only is it a great way to enjoy the water and explore the surroundings, but it’s also a chance to learn new skills and improve your own fitness.
However, you should always remain safety-conscious by finding out about potential dangers in advance and wearing the right protective equipment.
If you keep this in mind, water sports will be an unforgettable experience for you and your family or friends, making the camping vacation experience even more exciting and thrilling.
Safe & fun: find out beforehand
This offers you water sports while camping:
- Possibility: enjoy the water & explore the surroundings
- Opportunity: learn new skills & improve your own fitness
- Pay attention to safety (inform beforehand & protect appropriately)
- Can be an unforgettable experience for family & friends
- Can make camping vacations even more exciting & thrilling
Tip!
If you combine camping with water sports, you should make sure that you have a suitable place to spend the night.
One idea is a roof tent, which you can easily fold up and take with you to the nearest beach.
If you use a roof tent, the trailer coupling also remains free so that you still have space for a trailer and your water sports accessories.
Otherwise, you can also combine a roof rack with your roof tent.
This roof tent is ideal for this:
Learning to fish: tips for beginners
Do you want to relax by the water outside the campsite and maybe even catch a tasty meal?
Then fishing is worth considering.
When camping, fishing offers a wonderful opportunity to sit and relax by the water outside the campsite and enjoy the tranquillity of nature.
Fishing can also be a social activity.
You can fish with friends or family and spend time together, sharing stories and creating memories.
That’s why you should consider learning to fish:
- Relax and enjoy the tranquillity of nature
- Possibility to catch a delicious meal
- Social activity: time for friends & family
- Sharing stories & creating memories
Here you will find tips for fishing beginners on where, when and how you can fish.
You’ll find explanations about fishing licenses, other requirements for fishing, popular fishing destinations and a range of accessories:
You don’t just want to sit next to the water?
Get out on the water with a jet ski!
Learn to jet ski: experience on vacation
Foaming water, high speeds and a sparkling horizon – this is what jet skiing can feel like.
A jet ski or jet boat is a motorized vehicle that glides over the water.
In some cases, a driver’s license is not required.
For jet skis with a power of up to 5 hp, you can jet across the water without a license.
Very close to your destination?
There are particularly beautiful areas for jet skiing in Germany, Spain, France and Portugal!
What you should know about jet skiing:
- Jet skis: motorized vehicles that glide over the water
- In some cases, no driver’s license is required (up to 5 hp)
- Germany, Spain, France & Portugal offer beautiful areas
Here you will find lots of tips on the general requirements, handling on the water, the right equipment and beautiful destinations for your next trip:
Jet skiing is not possible everywhere and you can also explore nature in other ways, one option is a canoe tour.
Learn to canoe: kayak, canoe & rowing
Canoe is a generic term for two types of boat: Kayak and canoe.
When canoeing, you use a paddle to move across the water.
It’s a great water sport to experience nature up close, perfect for campers.
You can get into a canoe directly from the campsite in beautiful places such as the Mecklenburg Lake District or the Spreewald and set off to explore the surroundings from the water.
Canoeing offers you an opportunity to enjoy the peace and beauty of nature.
A quick overview of the
- Canoe: generic term for kayak & Canadian canoe
- Across the water with a paddle
- Advantage: experience nature up close
- Suitable for campers (start at the campsite)
Here you will find tips on boat types, rowing and equipment so that you have an initial overview of water sports:
You need less muscle power for a motorboat.
Learning to drive a motorboat: license, first trip & co.
When motor boating, you can feel the fresh sea breeze around your nose, listen to the calming sound of the water and the exciting rattling of the engine – an experience that appeals to all the senses.
This water sport also offers fun and enjoyment for the whole family.
Children can take on smaller tasks on board and learn responsibility while enjoying the adventure on the water.
Another advantage of motor boating is that you can even drive boats under 15 hp without a license.
You should know this before you plan motor boating for your vacation:
- Water sports for the whole family, fun & enjoyment for everyone
- Children can take responsibility & enjoy the adventure
- Boats under 15 hp can be driven without a license
We have put together a list of the driving licenses you need for motorboats with more power.
You’ll also find tips for your first trip, a driving tutorial and popular destinations for motorboat vacations:
If you have gone out on a motorboat and want to jump into the water, you should pay attention to these things:
Learning to swim: basics & training
Whether in Germany, Italy or Spain, bathing and swimming are among the most popular leisure activities for families, couples and individuals.
Swimming is a particularly popular activity when camping.
If you are also traveling with a roof tent or tent trailer, you have more space for swimming gear and can move on flexibly to the next swimming spot.
Whether at a lake, river or by the sea – the refreshing water is waiting to be explored by you.
These are the advantages of combining swimming with camping:
- Bathing & swimming popular in Germany, Italy & Spain
- Popular leisure activities for families, couples & individuals
- Exploring lakes, rivers & seas
Here you will find tips on how to learn to swim or explain it to others.
You will find suggestions on how to improve your existing technique.
This will help you build up more stamina for your vacation and enjoy the blue water for longer:
Get out of the water again with sailing!
Learn to sail: sailing course, accessories & first trip
Rattling sails, bright blue water and the fresh sea breeze sound wonderful at first.
But where do you start as a beginner?
Experience the fascination of sailing by taking a sailing course at a sailing school or club.
It is also advisable to obtain an inland or sea sailing license.
Start your first trips on the water with smaller boats and get support from experienced sailors so that someone can help you in an emergency.
What you should know about sailing as a beginner:
- Complete a sailing course at a sailing school or club
- Recommendation: Sport boat license inland or sea
- First trips with smaller boats begin
- Enlist the support of experienced sailors
Here you will find lots of tips on how to start your sailing adventure straight from the campsite.
This includes advice on preparing for the sailing course, the first trip and five beautiful destinations for your sailing vacation:
You can also glide over the water with stand-up paddling, but the transportation is not as bulky as a whole sailing boat.
Learn stand-up paddling: equipment, paddling & basics
Relaxed tours through nature – this form of water sport is very popular on many rivers and lakes.
You stand on a board and move around by paddling.
Stand-up paddling opens up the world of new waters where you can explore hidden bays and river courses.
Enjoy not only the gentle movement of gliding over the water, but also the peace and relaxation of the surrounding nature.
These are the advantages of stand-up paddling:
- Relaxed tours through nature
- Form of water sports on rivers & lakes
- Exploring bays & river courses
- Gliding gently over the water
- Peace & relaxation in the midst of nature
Here you’ll find tips on how to get started with stand-up paddling, which techniques you should consider when paddling, how to safely plan a tour and five beautiful destinations where you can get out on the water with your board and paddle:
If you want to stand on the board without a paddle, then surfing might be for you.
Learn to surf: beach, waves & basics
Experience blue water, white whitecaps and picturesque sandy beaches on a surfboard?
A wonderful idea for your next vacation on the North Sea, in Portugal or France.
If you want to surf the waves safely as a beginner, it is advisable to take a surf course.
Experienced local surfers can also give you valuable tips at the beginning.
Beforehand, you should practise the techniques and in particular how to stand up on the surfboard.
You can do this on the beach on solid ground or in shallow water outside the waves.
As a beginner surfer, these are the most important steps:
- Attend a surf course (for safe handling of waves)
- Ask for tips from experienced surfers on site
- Practice the techniques (especially standing up on the surfboard)
- Practicing on the beach or in shallow water without waves
Here you’ll find tips on how to get to your surfing destination faster and enjoy water sports.
You can learn more about the basics on the board, the right equipment and top destinations:
With a surfboard you usually stay on the water, now it’s time to go deep!
Learn to dive: diving license, diving school & first dive
Gliding through bright blue water and experiencing the depths of the sea up close sounds very tempting.
Especially when camping with a roof tent or tent trailer, diving is an exciting day trip.
However, there are a few things you should bear in mind when diving.
Before you plan your first dive, it is important that you undergo a medical examination.
You should only go diving if you are healthy.
Then you will need a diving license and should go to a diving school.
You should pay attention to these things before your first dive: Diving as an exciting day trip when camping with a roof tent or tent trailer
- Important: Medical examination before the first dive
- Only go diving when you are healthy
- Diving license required (theoretical & practical part)
- First dives possible after completion of the diving license
Here you will find tips on how to get started with diving, the diving license and for your first dive:
Water skiing/wakeboarding: techniques, basics & co.
Water skiing or wakeboarding is a popular pastime, especially when camping by the sea or lake.
Water skiing involves two narrow skis that are curved at the front and float on the surface of the water.
In wakeboarding, on the other hand, the board is more reminiscent of a snowboard, which is also attached to the feet with bindings.
To achieve speed, the rider is pulled by a line that is either attached to a boat or an automatic system.
Here too, it is often helpful to attend a course at the beginning.
Would you like to know briefly and concisely what you can expect from water skiing and wakeboarding?
- Water skiing: two narrow skis bent at the front on the surface of the water
- Wakeboard: similar to a snowboard, with bindings on the feet
- Achieve speed by pulling on a line
- Line attached to the boat or to an automatic system
- Course attendance recommended at the beginning for an easier start
Here you will find lots of tips on getting started, riding and equipment:
Windsurfing: Gliding over the water with the power of the wind
Directly at the campsite or as an excursion, windsurfing is particularly popular with campers and is possible almost everywhere in Germany.
With a surfboard, you can harness the power of the wind and whizz across the water.
Windsurfing allows you to improve your balance, coordination and strength while having fun at the same time.
Windsurfing is also a popular leisure activity with children.
Please note, however, that children should be strong enough to pull the sail out of the water on their own and should already be able to swim safely.
That’s why you should go windsurfing on your camping vacation:
- Directly at the campsite or as an excursion
- Harnesses the power of the wind on the water
- Improves balance, coordination & strength
- Fun activity for the whole family
Here you can find out what weather, equipment and physical abilities you should look out for.
There are also tips on surfing courses, safety on the water and technique:
Vacation activities: Cycling, winter sports or skateboarding?
Are you planning a vacation but still looking for activities for you, your family, your partner or just for yourself outside the campsite?
Here you’ll find lots of great ideas for experiences that will enrich your vacation.
With lots of tips for beginners, you can also start right from the beginning and get your bearings.
