Efforts toward global sustainability are picking up every year as society realizes that the earth’s natural resources are finite. Increased awareness drives initiatives to couple economic growth with efforts to minimize environmental impact by preserving the natural world’s delicate ecologies and ensuring resources remain for their long-term survival.
These attempts to use resources efficiently span industries and environments. The ocean is a significant focus of these conversations, and the watersports community leads with innovations that aid sustainability initiatives.
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How Watersports Impact the Environment
Over the years, watersports have adversely affected the environment in several ways. Boating, surfing, water skiing, and other water-based activities have contributed to the degradation of marine life and its habitats through water pollution, harmful emissions, and waste. Constructing launching and club facilities causes coastal alterations, further diminishing natural habitats.
In recognition of the damage done, watersports designers, manufacturers, organizations and governing bodies are attempting to alleviate the problem going forward while rectifying what they can from past shortfalls. These efforts include becoming more sustainable in various ways.
1. Environmentally Friendly Designs
With an eye on the future, craft and equipment designers and manufacturers are including sustainable production processes and eco-friendly materials and technologies in their products. Using greener bio-based resins and recycled plastic composites minimizes the industry’s environmental impact and promotes cleaner water sports.
Using sustainable materials to manufacture equipment for watersports like skiing and sailing reduces energy use. The Sustainable Marine Alliance has joined forces with The Ocean Race, sailing’s longest and most grueling team event, to address sustainable boat building via a roadmap with over 80 of the industry’s major companies.
Designers are implementing navigational innovations, such as optimizing the shape of hulls on boats to reduce water resistance and energy usage. Multifunctional designs mean that many watercraft are now more versatile and used for fishing and watersports, cutting down on the need for two different boats and their energy consumption.
2. Smart Technology
Initiatives to include innovative technology in the maritime and fishing industries have also reached the watersports industry. Commercial fishing vessels use smart GPS and radar-operated automatic identification systems (AIS) to identify fish species. Now, amateur fishermen participating in club fishing competitions can do likewise. As such, they can avoid harvesting endangered and protected species, preventing further damage to the population.
Autonomous navigation uses artificial intelligence to optimize routes, reducing fuel consumption, noise, and other pollution through shorter trips. It can prevent human error, meaning less risk of accidents and lower potential for major pollutants to reach the ocean. Autonomous navigation is still experimental, but signs indicate it could benefit ocean-going yachting and nautical transport.
East China’s Fuyang Water Sports Center in Hangzhou developed a technologically smart system to save energy while assisting athletes ahead of the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games when the center hosted canoeing, rowing and other events. With remote lighting for night training and energy conservation, alongside other intelligent applications, the center provides an eco-friendly and sustainable water sports venue for all future events.
3. Electric and Hybrid Systems
Sustainable systems are becoming more commonplace in watersports, offering quieter and cleaner means of propulsion for watercraft. Solar-powered electric boats minimize carbon emissions and practically eliminate the need for traditional fossil fuels. With improved battery technology and the introduction of regenerative braking, which transforms kinetic energy into electrical energy, these lightweight boats are more sustainable, faster and quieter.
In addition, the emergence of electric hydrofoil surfboards (e-foils), jet boards and paddleboards provides several benefits to novices and experienced surfers. E-foils are faster and elevate you above the water for a smooth ride, while electric jet boards and paddleboards provide a motorized alternative to their traditional counterparts. These electric surfboards offer eco-friendly alternatives to gas-powered watercraft.
Although electric jetskis have been in circulation for a few years, until recently, they had to be heavier to incorporate their electric systems. Recent innovations have produced a lighter, lithium-ion battery-powered jetski. Although this is, at face value, a revolutionary concept, it has unanswered questions. These lithium-ion batteries and saltwater react, creating a high risk of fires. Using personal watercraft in freshwater environments can mitigate these issues.
4. Low Carbon Materials
Manufacturers have created their equipment from sustainable composite materials incorporating carbon fiber, aluminum, thermoplastics and Kevlar to reduce environmental impact and waste in sports like waterskiing. These composite advancements mean the finished products are of higher quality, stronger, faster and lighter. As a result, your performance may improve, and your skis will last longer.
These advancements extend to manufacturing the boats you ski behind, too. While recycled plastics and reclaimed wood remain popular in sustainable boat building, bio-based composite materials made of plant-based plastics, resins and natural fibers create durable and lightweight end products with far lower carbon footprints than previously used materials. Flax-fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) is becoming increasingly popular for hulls and decks.
5. Education and Change Promotion
Many sectors of the watersports industry are actively involved in promoting the environmental impact of humans on the marine environment and the necessity for improved sustainability initiatives. They promote minimizing below-surface noise, greener boating and equipment usage and correct waste management and disposal.
Nautical sports groups and bodies are implementing tougher measures to protect endangered species, conserve underwater habitats and regulate water pollution. A more recent innovation is presenting awards and commendations to specific organizations and athletes for their outstanding commitment to promoting sustainability.
In the U.K., the Clean Water Sports Alliance (CWSA) fights for freshwater sustainability in British rivers. The alliance’s seven national watersports bodies — British Rowing, British Triathlon, Paddle U.K., the Angling Trust, GB Outrigger, Swim England, and The Royal Yachting Association — are taking regulators and the U.K. government to task in a move to improve the state of British rivers.
The innovative CWSA campaign has discovered that 85% of England’s rivers have low ecological standards, with 89% of rivers in the southeast having very high nutrient pollution levels. Testers also found high E.coli levels in the River Thames during England’s high-profile rowing event, the Boat Race.
What Can You Do for Watersport Sustainability?
Although the industry is innovative in its environmentally friendly initiatives, you, like everybody else, can do more. Respecting protected marine species and areas by avoiding unnecessary littering and using sustainable materials and equipment will promote even greater eco-friendliness in this sports sector.
Following the global trend of reducing fossil fuel-powered watercraft to lower combustion and reduce underwater noise pollution shows respect for the comfort and health of marine life and preserves their natural habitats. Remember, the less invasive you are to the living beings in the ocean, dams and rivers, the more you’re doing to grow the environment for future generations. Whether you’re standing on a paddleboard, kitesurfing between waves and air or whitewater rafting down a rampant river, be aware of how you can help the environment. Even the wetsuit you wear can promote sustainability, so buy wisely next time you shop.
Watersports is Innovative in Promoting Sustainability
While watersports like sailing, surfing, paddle-skiing, and windsurfing are naturally innovative in a sporting sense because they utilize renewable energy sources like the wind, the innovation shown in the motorized sectors is making the true splash. Efforts by designers, manufacturers, watersports organizations and governing bodies are noticeable in driving change.
With professional competitors and recreational enthusiasts joining them in promoting initiatives and buying into innovative products, regulations and actions, watersports will reach new levels of eco-friendliness and sustainability.