Seatrekking is a sport that consists in exploring the shorelines of oceans, seas, bays, lakes or rivers both above and below the water over the course of several days, without the aid of a boat or a watercraft. Seatrekking involves

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

snorkeling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters ...

freediving Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving is a form of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba gear. Besides the limits of breath-h ...

and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, and combines all these disciplines into a distinctive form of sport and outdoor experience. Unlike

coasteering Coasteering is movement along the intertidal zone of a rocky coastline on foot or by swimming, without the aid of boats, surf boards or other craft. Coasteering allows a person to move in the “impact zone” between a body of water and the coa ...

, seatrekking includes overnight camping and involves trips of longer distances.

Ethics

Waterproof inflatable bag for seatrekking

Waterproof inflatable bag attached to seatrekker using a leash

Seatrekking adheres to the Leave No Trace principles. Additionally the sport is specifically committed to the conservation of natural environments along the coastline by travelling in small groups to minimize the impact on the environment and the disturbance on wildlife, and by complying with any local regulations and obtaining any necessary authorizations.

Hazards

Seatrekking can be dangerous, and is a physically demanding activity due to its engagement with the sea and open bodies of water. Seatrekking "...often involves a series of jumps into deep water.". When a person jumps from height and impacts with a water surface there is a greater risk of injury or death. In the United Kingdom between 2005 and 2015 there were 83 people injured and 20 people who died whilst jumping from height into water. When diving and

flipping Flipping is a term used to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling (or "flipping") it for profit. Within the real estate industry, the term is used by investors to describe the process of buying, rehabbing, and sel ...

into water along the intertidal zone there is an increased risk of receiving an injury including a spinal injury

List of hazards

*Being swept away by strong currents *

Cold Water Shock Cold shock response is a series of neurogenic cardio-respiratory responses caused by sudden immersion in cold water. In cold water immersions, such as by falling through thin ice, cold shock response is perhaps the most common cause of death. Als ...

* Clothing or feet being caught in rocks or objects underneath the water surface *

Drowning Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer as ...

Hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

* Impact with rocks * Impact with water surface * Submerged objects "...like rocks, fishing gear, mooring lines and other under water hazards

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

may not be visible"

Safety

A good physical condition, swimming proficiency, knowledge of outdoor safety, self-rescue and usage of adequate equipment are important to practicing seatrekking safely. Recommended safety equipment may include a

wetsuit A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on water. It ...

, personal locator beacon, hand-held VHF radio and/or mobile telephone,

dive flag A diver down flag, or scuba flag, is a flag used on the water to indicate that there is a diver below. Two styles of flag are in use. Internationally, the code flag alfa/alpha, which is white and blue, is used to signal that the vessel has a di ...

, throw line and a

whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a lar ...

. Weather and ocean patterns and forecast require particular attention. It is crucial for personal safety to keep up-to-date with local conditions regarding

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

, swell,

wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...

ocean currents An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of sea water generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences. Depth contour ...

rip current A rip current, often simply called a rip (or misleadingly a ''rip tide''), is a specific kind of water current that can occur near beaches with breaking waves. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water which moves directly away ...

s as well as the

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmos ...

Equipment

Seatrekking requires the use of a waterproof bag; this contains all equipment and food, and is dragged in the water using a rope or leash. Hydrodynamic properties of the bag are essential to reduce drag. It also acts as a supplementary safety flotation device in the water, especially when the bag can be inflated and maintain internal pressure. On land, the bag is carried as a normal backpack along hiking sections. At sea, other equipment consists of common items used for swimming, snorkeling or freediving, such as mask and snorkel, fins, and optionally a wetsuit depending on water temperature. On land, essentials are hiking clothes and shoes, as well as bivouacking equipment. Additional equipment is selected for its lightness, fast drying time and suitability for prolonged use in a marine environment.

References

{{reflist, refs= Parshley, Lois. ''A new way to explore Croatia`s Coast by Land and Sea''. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. 05 August 2016. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/destinations/europe/croatia/seatrekking-croatia/ Weiss, C.C. ''Innovative waterproof backpacks power the new sport of seatrekking''. NEW ATLAS. 14 December 2012. https://newatlas.com/waterproof-backpacks-seatrekking/25428/ Schophoff, Julius. ''Wasser, marsch!'' DIE ZEIT, Reisen. No. 30. 68. Jahrgang. C7451C. 18 July 2013. p.53. http://www.zeit.de/2013/30/seatrekking-schnorcheln-italien-portifino/seite-3 Rossmann, Julia and Jost, Malte. ''Zehn Outdoorerlebnisse von wild bis waghalsig''. GEO.de / Europa für Abenteurer. http://www.geo.de/reisen/reise-inspiration/15482-bstr-zehn-outdoor-erlebnisse-von-wild-bis-waghalsig/217217-img-mit-seatrekking-eine-neue-sportart-ausprobieren {{cite magazine , last=Kunst , first=Britta , date=4 July 2017 , title=Neue Sportart: Sea-trekking.DAS! , url=http://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/das/Neue-Sportart-Seatrekking,dasx11520.html Sanktjohanser, Florian. ''Die Wasserwanderer'' SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG. Reise. No. 190. 20 August 2015. p.23. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/reise/sportreisen-die-wasserwanderer-1.2611268 ''This Way Up. Trekking the Seas''. RNZ RADIO NEW ZEALAND. 18 March 2017. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup/audio/201837010/trekking-the-seas Nowak, Niklas. ''Seatrekking: Wandern für Wasserliebhaber''. TRAININGSWORLD.COM. 19 July 2017. https://www.trainingsworld.com/sportarten/seatrekking-wandern-fuer-wasserliebhaber Blind, Antje. ''Tauchsport Seatrekking, Meereswanderer mit Nabelschnur''. SPIEGEL ONLINE. 02 May 2013. http://www.spiegel.de/reise/aktuell/seatrekker-bernhard-wache-a-896347.html {{cite magazine , last=Blechschmidt , first=Silja , date=February 2017 , title=NEuropas grosse Tauchzeitschrift. Die Wassernomaden , url=http://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/das/Neue-Sportart-Seatrekking,dasx11520.html, magazine=TAUCHEN No.2 {{cite magazine , last=Brown , first=Jeffrey , date=March 2014 , title=The Outsiders, New Outdoor Creativity {{cite magazine , last=Bielefeld , first=Marc , date=May 2017 , title=Wanderer zwischen den Welten , magazine=GEO WALDEN No.2 {{cite magazine , last=Neumann-Delbarre , first=Alexander , date=August 2014 , title=Wir Meeresnomaden , url=http://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/das/Neue-Sportart-Seatrekking,dasx11520.html, magazine=PLAYBOY REISEREPORTAGE {{cite magazine , last=DeBoer , first=Timo , date=2016 , title=Trekking ter land en ter zee , magazine=HIKE & TREKKING. No.1 Seatrekking ab S.6 DIVEMASTER. No.89. 05 July 2016. http://divemaster.de/tag/seatrekking/ Hoch, Martin.''Trekking the Ocean, Seatrekking - noch nie gehört''. Travel Blog, Edition 02. GLOBESESSION. https://www.globesession.com/edition02/artikel/trekking-the-ocean/ https://seatrekking.org/about/ Hiking Water sports

Ethics

Hazards

List of hazards

Safety

Equipment

See also

References