The injunction to sport can sometimes be very validistic. Fortunately today, many sports activities are adapted to people with physical or sensory disabilities. And we see you coming: yes, even when in a wheelchair. As a disability can have many faces, we present you today 6 water sports accessible to wheelchair users.
6 wheelchair accessible water sports
Many water sports are now accessible to wheelchair users. Despite this reduced mobility on earth... water could give you wings!
Handi kitesurf
We start hard to show you that nothing is impossible even with a wheelchair with the kitesurf Hey! With a special seat or a suitable harness, it is a completely open sport even when you have reduced mobility.
- Most : can be practiced solo or tandem to discover.
- Ideal for : those who seek to push their limits and feel the adrenaline by reaching a high speed on the water. An activity that combines extreme sport and total freedom. Strong feelings guaranteed!
If you want to try the experiment, the Handi Kitesurf with Partirtoutpres.fr is an excellent option to discover this sport.
The adapted paddle
We keep the board and replace the sail this time with a long row for a more tranquil water sport accessible even by wheelchair: the paddle. On a large and stable board, sometimes equipped with a seat, you pamper in peace. In addition, the paddle is also an excellent way to work balance and smooth coordination.
- Most : accessible without experience.
- Ideal for : those who want an activity that reconciles sport and discovery. Perfect for a family outing!
The Handisport Kayak
Other water sports where wheelchair use is absolutely not a problem: kayak. It is the perfect activity to explore rivers, lakes or even the sea! With stable boats and ergonomic seats, you're paddling independently, almost forgetting your engine handicap.
- Most : accessible without experience.
- Ideal for : group or family trips.
Handisport swimming
You might not have thought that at first glance, but the swimming is a particularly inclusive activity in terms of disability. Whether by pool or at sea, the water carries you and offers you great freedom of movement.
- Most : easily accessible daily if you live away from the sea.
- Ideal for : those who seek complete physical activity.
Handi-surfing
If we have an image of surfing as being perfectly unsuitable for someone in a wheelchair (You have to get up on his board, right?)The reality is very different. The Handi-surfIt's the art of taming waves, even in a wheelchair!
With large and stable boards, often equipped with grips or harnesses, you can surf safely. Yes, even on a flat stomach, it counts!
- Most : a community of surfers very inclusive and aware of the Handisport.
- Ideal for : those who love strong sensations and who are not afraid to drink the cup.
Scuba Diving Handi: Explore the depths
Finally, why not stay? under Water for a while? Indeed, the Scuba diving allows you to easily free yourself from your wheelchair and evolve in a three-dimensional space. That feeling of floating in weightlessness? You're entitled to it too!
- Most : accessible at all levels, at sea or by swimming pool.
- Ideal for : people who have difficulty accepting the restriction of their motor disability.
Handicap: Why are water sports your best allies?
We are not used to evolving on or in the water. Water sports are, therefore, only ways to understand this universe that was not ours at the beginning... and that could change everything in your approach to sport:
- Freedom, just freedom : on or in the water, the earth's stresses disappear. If the fall is not impossible when making paddles, handi surf or handi kitesurf, the fallout is much less than if you fell on the ground. Water carries your body and allows you to move with fluidity that you may not think possible anymore.
- A gently toned body : If you put the handicap aside, water sports attract all your muscles without forcing your joints, regardless of the type of athlete you are. It is a gentle muscle building, ideal to keep the shape painless.
- A calming moment Not everyone necessarily likes the effect of water. But in some, there is a rather unique side to evolve in an aquatic environment to empty your head. Goodbye stress and tension, hello light spirit!
- Meetings : with a disability, you can quickly feel isolated, even in the face of a common activity like sport. Performing a sports activity in a club with other people who have a similar experience to yours has a real social benefit, ideal boost your mental health.
- The challenge of good Learning to navigate, surf or paddle, this is a challenge that pushes you to push your boundaries that may not be the ones you would have thought of.
So, when do you throw yourself in the water?
