Watersports

Watersports are the use on specified waters of:

• canoes, kayaks or similar craft propelled or steered by paddles held in the hand (but excluding rowing-boats propelled or steered by oars);
• rafts (including those which are inflatable or which are improvised from various materials but excluding those propelled by means of a motor or towed by a motor-boat); or
• sailing boats, windsurfers, sailing dinghies or other craft whose principal means of propulsion is the wind but excluding craft whose construction, equipment and use of which require a certificate in line with the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 or any regulations made under it;

• Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004, regulation 2(1)

The most familiar watersport activities include canoeing, kayaking, dragon boating, wave skiing, white-water rafting, improvised rafting, sailing, sailboarding and windsurfing. This list is not exhaustive and you should ask the AALS if you are unclear if a particular activity is licensable. For any of these activities to be licensable, they need to be done on 'specified water' – this is the sea, tidal waters (eg estuaries), inland waters more than 50 metres from the nearest land excluding any island or on turbulent inland waters.