18 Fun Things To Do At The Beach For Adults
Going to the beach is a lot of fun and has many health benefits. You can choose to spend the day relaxing and swimming or get a few friends together and enjoy some beach activities. Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget your sunscreen, plenty of water and a beach umbrella or cabana.
There are many activities that adults can enjoy while at the beach. Here are just some ideas.
- Scuba Diving
- Sailing
- Kite surfing
- Jet Skiing
- Fishing
- Parasailing
- Play badminton
- Play beach volleyball
- Go 4WD driving
- Rowing
- Enjoy ice coffee
- Ride a hydrofoil or efoil board
- Go wakeboarding
- Water skiing
- Launch water rockets
- Go spearfishing
- Work at the beach
- Ride a water bike
1. Scuba Diving
Once you discover the underwater world, you may not want to go back on land. Scuba diving increases emotional well being, improves blood circulation, helps to relieve stress and improves concentration capacity. Not to mention you discover many new creatures and learn to appreciate marine life.
For your safety, you should not attempt to scuba dive until you have done scuba diving classes and have become certified.
When you have your dive license you will be able to dive in places where snorkelers can’t go and you get a chance to discover a whole new world.
As long as you are over 15 years, you can undertake PADI or SSI open water certification course. These are available all over the world
I come from a family of divers and whilst scuba diving has not been a big part of my life, I have enjoyed hearing my dad’s and brother’s stories of reef and shipwreck diving.
2. Sailing
Sailing is a lot of fun with friends and provides many health benefits including increased stamina, alertness and decreased level of anxiety. It can also help boost your confidence and communication skills.
If you have never sailed before, look for sailing lessons near you. A skilled instructor can teach you the basics of sailing in a day or two.
Want to learn more about learning to sail? Check out Trip Savvy website.
3. Kite Surfing
I remember watching kite surfers and admiring their fitness and strength. Considered an extreme sport, kite surfing requires a decent level of fitness and coordination. Whilst it can look dangerous for the bystanders, it is considered relatively safe when compared to other sports.
If this is something you are interested in, check out kite surfing lessons in your area.
4. Jet Skiing
Jet skiing is a lot of fun and once you’ve felt the wind in your hair and adrenaline rush, you’ll want to keep going. There are two types of jet skis – stand up and sit down ones. Standup jetskis are more difficult to ride as they require good balance, so if you are only starting out, hire a sitdown jetski.
Jetskis are also referred to as personal watercraft (PWC) and since riding them can be dangerous, there are rules and regulations as well as restrictions on locations where they can be ridden.
5. Fishing
Apart from bringing home dinner, fishing has many benefits including stress reduction and increasing your vitamin D intake. It helps you bond with friends and improves your self esteem. In many places you can fish directly from the pier or the beach.
Each state has its own rules and regulations as to where you can fish and what you can catch, so make sure you check these out before you buy your fishing gear.
6. Parasailing
I’ll never forget my first parasailing experience – I was on the Gold Coast and parasailing off the back of a boat. It was such a high (no pun intended) that I have looked for other opportunities to fly when travelling to places such as Hawaii and Mexico.
When my son was 7 years old I took him on his first tandem flight and although he looked a bit nervous as we climbed higher and higher, he relaxed after a while. Since then he’s been with me several times and we have found each adventure just as exciting.
I totally recommend giving parasailing a go – although there are weight limits, you don’t need to be physically fit to undertake it.
7. Play Badminton
Badminton is a fun active sport with many great benefits – it improves muscle strength and heart function. It helps to reduce stress and boost your metabolic rate. You can play one on one or as two opposing pairs.
Badminto sets are available from Rebel Sport, Big W and many online stores.
8. Play Beach Volleyball
Beach volleyball has become a popular sport around the world. It is not only played for fun, but is also an Olympic sport.
The main difference between regular volleyball and beach volleyball is that on the beach you generally only play in pairs, whereas regular volleyball is played with 6 players on each side.
In Australia, we proudly watched Kerri Pottharst and Natalie Cook win a gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic games and since then beach volleyball has become even more popular.
Beach volleyball gives you a great whole body workout and helps you build strength and tone your muscles.
Beach volleballs, kits and nets are available from Amazon, Rebel Sport, HART Sport websites.
9. Beach 4WD Driving
My first experience of beach 4WD driving happened recently, when my son and his friends decided to take their 4WDs onto the beach. And what a lot of fun it was. There’s nothing quite like driving onto the beach and seeing the big blue emerge right in front of you.
Thankfully the boys came prepared and knew what to do to make the most of the day.
Before we drove onto the beach, they released some air from the tyres to make driving on the soft sand easier.
They also brought car tyre inflators to ensure they could fill up their tyres once we were done on the beach.
If you are going driving on the beach for the first time, make sure you bring some basic recovery gear including a shovel, snatch strap and recovery boards such as Max Trax.
Also bring plenty of water, shelter and sunscreen.
For more helpful tips on beach 4WD visit Happy to Travel website and watch this video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJdaZd9WX3Y
10. Rowing
According to healthline, rowing is one of the best full body workouts you can get. When done correctly, it is 85% legs workout, 5% back, 5% core and 5% arms.
The best part is you get to do it with friends.
If you are interested in learning how to row properly, join a rowing club in your area.
11. Enjoy Iced Coffee
I started making iced coffee when I went to the beach with my then young son. Getting ready for a day out always took time, so I didn’t usually have a chance to have my morning coffee and I didn’t really feel like having a hot one at the beach. I would make iced coffee and bring it with me, so I could enjoy a quiet cuppa, while junior played on the sand.
All you need is instant coffee, sugar, milk, ice and thermos bottle.
The easiest way is to dissolve the coffee and sugar with a bit of boiling water. Then place the ice in your thermos bottle, pour the coffee / sugar mix over the ice and fill the rest with milk.
12. Ride a Foil Board
Not long ago, I was relaxing at the beach, when I saw a young man trying to jump onto something that looked like a mix of surfboard / bodyboard with wings. I had never seen anything like it.
After a few attempts he managed to get on top of the board and quickly started bouncing up and down and as he did that, the board started moving along the water. It was fascinating to watch and looked like a lot of fun.
When I got home that evening I found out the boards are called foil boards. You can find out more at Surfd website
13. Go Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a water sport in which you stand on a short board with foot bindings (also referred to as wakeboard) and get towed behind a motorboat or by cable system.
For safety, wear protective gear such as a life vest and water resistant helmet.
Wakeboarding is not only a lot of fun, but it helps to strengthen your arm and leg muscles and improves your mental concentration and reaction time.
If you are in Sydney check out Cables Wake Park website.
Otherwise search for wakeboarding lessons / venues in your area.
14. Water Skiing
Like wakeboarding, water skiing is a great water sport for increasing balance and core strength and promotes strong legs. Being on the water, it can have a calming effect and help reduce stress.
If you live in or are visiting Sydney and want to give water skiing a go, check out H20 Ski School website for more information.
15. Launch Water Rockets
In 2006 my brother and dad (both engineers) watched an episode of Myth Busters, which featured information about water rockets. They were fascinated by what was possible and joined a worldwide community of rocketeers.
They have built many large water rockets, which can only be flown at specific locations, however, we did have a lot of fun launching their initial rockets on local beaches.
I remember one time, Angry Anderson happened to be on one of the beaches and was intrigued as to what we were doing. My brother showed him the rockets and even let him launch one.
Find out more about water rockets at Air Command website.
If you are interested in flying a water rocket, you can get a Water Rocket Kit from Amazon.
16. Go Spearfishing
Fishing from a boat or kayak is certainly easier but some people enjoy the challenge of fishing while knee deep in saltwater and very close to where they can get out and walk back to their vehicles. There are some advantages to hunting from the beach, especially if you are not a very experienced spearfisherman. This way of hunting is often referred to as “surf fishing” and it can be done with either the snorkel or scuba set-up.
When spearfishing from the beach, you need to be much closer to where fish can come in and out of the water.
Most people use either a standard harpoon gun or speargun. You need to be able to shoot your fish very quickly, so practice shooting multiple times at different distances in various conditions until you’re confident that you can make a good shot.
17. Work at the Beach
If you have a laptop or iPad, why not get out of the house and do your work at the beach. You can easily make phone calls, answer emails, read work related materials or listen to business podcasts or audio books. Bring a comfortable chair and beach umbrella or cabana and do work in between swims.
18. Ride a Water Bike
Riding a water bike at the beach is a great way to get some exercise, build your leg & arm muscles and have fun at the same time. Paddling on a water bike feels like an adventure as you explore parts of the shoreline and soak up some vitamin D. It can also help your balance and coordination skills.
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Ivana Katz is a Sydney based website designer and travel blogger. Having her own business has given her the freedom to explore the world. She believes travel is the best teacher and her passion for adventure, writing and photography has taken her and her son to some amazing places, including Hawaii, Canada, Fiji, Greece and Czech Republic. Ivana’s favourite thing about travelling is learning, discovering hidden gems and creating memories. She loves nothing more than inspiring other women to chase their dreams and explore the world with their families and friends.
