📘 Part 3: Water sports

This episode's vocabulary

Baltic (adj.) - very cold

Scuba (noun) - the sport of swimming underwater with special breathing equipment.

Parasailing (noun) - a sport in which you wear a parachute and are pulled behind a motor boat in order to sail through the air.

Resilience (adj.) - the quality of being able to return quickly to a previous good condition after problems.

Conditioning (noun) - the process of improving someone's physical condition.

Isolated (adj.) - happening alone, separately, or only once.

To confer (verb) - to exchange ideas on a particular subject, often in order to reach a decision on what action to take.

Landlocked (adj.) - surrounded by the land of other countries and having no coast.

Rust (noun) - a reddish-brown substance that forms on the surface of iron and steel as a result of reacting with air and water.

To corrode (verb) - if metal corrodes, or if something corrodes it, it is slowly damaged by something such as rain or water.

Meticulous (adj.) - very careful and with great attention to every detail.

Vigilant (adj.) - always being careful to notice things, especially possible danger.

Reckless (adj.) - doing something dangerous and not worrying about the risks and the possible results.

To be off one's head (idiom) - to be crazy, insane, or eccentric.

Adrenaline rush (noun) - a physical feeling of intense excitement and stimulation caused by the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands.

Intrinsic (adj.) - basic to a thing, being an important part of making it what it is.

Risk-averse (adj.) - unwilling to take risks or wanting to avoid risks as much as possible.

Conservative (adj.) - averse to change or innovation and holding traditional values.

To appeal (verb) - to interest or attract someone.

To draw (verb) - to attract attention or interest.

To die off (phrasal verb) - if a group of plants, animals, or people dies off, all of that group dies over a period of time.

Novelty (noun) - the quality of being new and unusual.

To dent (verb) - If you dent someone's confidence or pride, you make them feel less confident or proud:

Riverbank (noun) - the land at either edge of a river.

To flood (verb) - to cause to fill or become covered with water, especially in a way that causes problems.

Questions and Answers

M: What types of water sports are popular in your country?

R: Despite the fact it's in the far north and the water is absolutely Baltic. I think, you could pretty much do whatever your heart desires in terms of watersports, especially in the summer. I mean, in my local area alone, there are clubs for everything, including scuba and parasailing. And that's in a small city. I'm not sure about how popular they are, though. My guess would be, compared to things like rugby and football, they don't rank nearly as high though, because rugby and football are supported by millions of people.

M: What do you think are the benefits of participating in water sports?

R: Well, at least where the water is cold, you probably get all the benefits that might come with being in cold water anyway. Like greater immune resilience and skin conditioning. Aside from the health benefits, you also get the chance to become fitter, though that's not isolated to water sports. That's something you could get from any kind of sport. Something specific to water sports might be the social advantages that it confers, since it's usually a certain type of person that does such things. And it's always cool to say that you're a trained scuba diver and watch people's reactions.

M: What are the disadvantages of water transport?

R: Are you sure you didn't mean sport? Regardless, it's going to be useless if you live in a landlocked country, isn't it? Water is, sort of, essential for both. The other thing is maintenance, as saltwater tends to rust or corrode materials faster, so the upkeep could be quite expensive. And they're both slow and meticulous, which could be quite boring if you prefer things that are fast-paced.

M: Do you think water sports are safe?

R: These days, they're probably as safe as any other sports, frankly. You can break your leg playing football, though there's less chance of drowning. Generally, though, it seems like safety equipment and procedures are pretty good as long as you're vigilant and not completely reckless.

M: Why do people want to try an extreme water sport like skydiving or bungee jumping into water?

R: Because they're off their heads. Some people just really like an adrenaline rush. So throwing yourself out of a plane or off a bridge into water is a pretty good way to achieve that. I don't think it's something intrinsic to the water itself. It's just something to make you feel alive and to show that you've lived.

M: Why do some people dislike such activities?

R: I can see more risk-averse people who are rather conservative not wanting to take such chances despite all the safety measures. This is not something that appeals to them because of their personality makeup or maybe some past trauma. I imagine a few people also find it boring if they don't like showing off.

M: Are there many people in your country who often go diving?

R: I have absolutely no idea, to be honest. I would say given the conditions in most bodies of water, i.e. it's freezing, that there aren't nearly as many as in places like Fiji or Egypt. Moreover, in those countries, there is a lot to see underwater. But in Scotland, visibility is quite poor, especially once the sand gets all stirred up, you can't really see much.

M: How do you think climate change will affect water sports in the future?

R: Well, if the sea levels rise, then there will be more space for all of those boats and divers, I suppose so. They might actually become more popular. Whether you want them to or not. Seriously, though, all the changes that come with... Well, changes in climate are destroying most of the things that draw people to the water, like the scenery and wildlife. If it all dies off, then it'll be kind of pointless. I mean, sure, there's the risk and novelty aspects, but I imagine the fact the world is dying might put a dent in your spirit.

M: Do you think schools should teach children how to swim?

R: Oh, well, in my country, at least they already do. And it's definitely a good thing too, since lots of people will go to the beaches and riverbanks, so they should know how to operate in the water or at least operate safely. It's like when we were talking about water transport earlier though, if your country doesn't have much water, then there might not be any point in doing it because there's no reason to go swimming.

M: And what watersports will be popular in the future?

R: Well, someone was talking about horse surfing, so who knows what kind of crazy combination they'll come up with next, but perhaps something like that. I don't know if it'll be popular or not, though. Which water sports now might be more popular? That could be something like... Well, just swimming in general, especially if the sea levels are rising and more places are experiencing flooding, then this is an important skill to have.