(From top) Parasailing allows adrenaline junkies to soar into the sky by latching onto a motorboat; There’s nothing like kite surfing to set your pulse racing; Dinner with sharks at the Singapore Underwater World is an experience of a lifetime; Coral diving lets you see the marine life in all its glory; The hydraulic platform forms the perfect base for scuba divers; The sub scooter ride allows you to get up, close and personal with the marine world

Once upon a time when life was simple the lure of the ocean was uncomplicated: you went to swim or, at least, dip your toes in the ocean. Then, you picked up the biggest towel you could find and lazed on the beach till the sun climbed down from its perch.

We hate to tell you this but times have changed by the waterside. Would you like to glide through the sea in a glass-bottomed boat, or walk the ocean floor wearing an oxygen helmet? Or, how about whizzing along the ocean in a sea-scooter — here too, you wear a helmet that supplies oxygen. In the 21st century, water sports and aqua activities have become more luxury-oriented and fancy than ever before. There are, of course, the original trailblazers like scuba diving, snorkelling and deep sea diving that continue to enthrall adventure sport fanatics.

But there are also new activities like ocean floor walking and aqua restaurants, aimed at water freaks who are obsessed with life under the sea and getting new underwater highs.

Whatever their appeal, aquaphiles have never been so seriously spoilt for choice. So let’s take a look at the newest high-octane water pastimes ripping up the waves around the world.

We’ve chosen a few locations where you can catch-up with the latest water sports and underwater activities but they are on offer at other locations too.

Spanish splash

This one’s tricky but fun. Kite surfing in Spain can make you feel like a fish out of water if you’re not already a real sports buff. But don’t despair if you’re not.

Experts say all you need is a three-day course at one of the many licensed schools on the Costa del Sol, Almeria, the Costa Brava or the Balearics that will set you back around 250 euros.

A few practical classes later in the art of kite-surfing and you’re set to ride the blue Mediterranean waves. The actual sport involves racing over water on a surfboard, pulled by a kite hooked onto a harness.

The sizes of the kites can be anything between 5sqm and 15sqm depending on the wind conditions. And there are plenty of safety measures. Kite surfers, for instance, are separated from people practising other adventure water sports by buoys.

Of course there are the real pros, who get the kick out of performing gravity-defying somersaults and other acrobatic manoeuvres 40m above the water but you can always stick to a sedate surfing route and do cartwheels in your mind — right?

Where else can you go for kite surfing: The US, UK, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, Canada,India, France and a host of other countries.

Mauritius magic

Ever felt like going off the deep end? The Blue Safari Submarine Ride in Mauritius takes the concept of the deep end to an entirely different level.

Ensconced in the safety and decadent atmosphere of a luxury submarine, travellers are lowered 35m below the ocean’s surface, as they peck on gourmet dishes and quaff vintage champagnes.

As they look outside it’s a scene straight out of The Little Mermaid or Finding Nemo. Brilliantly coloured corals and marine life provide the visual extravaganza.

What’s more, the ocean changes colour at different levels depending on the sunlight. So, at a depth of 20m, you’ll see a spectrum of red and brown while at 35m, you’re gazing at an aquamarine blue. The duration of the trip is two hours but that’s long enough for an out of this world experience.

And for people who are game for more thrills and spills, there’s the sub scooter ride. This is your chance to do a Kevin Costner of Waterworld if that’s your desire.

The sub scooters are stationed on a platform in the ocean. The sub scooters are just like regular bikes but come with oxygen helmets.

Strong cords are used to attach the sub scooters to the platform. The scooters are lowered into the ocean to a depth of about 3m until the passengers are totally enveloped by water and off you go! To make it even more interesting you’re accompanied by divers who ensure safety and also feed the fish close to the sub scooter with bread crumbs to lure an entrancing array of marine life for the riders to see.

Where else can you go: The Canary Islands and Bali.

Malaysia beckons

How would you like to become a flying fish? You can try the Fly Fish at Malaysia’s Pulau Sapi Island.

The Fly fish is an inflated rubber boat that’s attached to a high velocity speed boat by a strong cord.

Once the speed boat takes off, the inflated device turn almost vertical and unless thrill seekers cling to it with all their might, they are likely to topple into the placid waters of the South China Sea where they might have barracudas or hammerhead sharks for company. Okay, maybe you’d have to be a bit of a hammerhead to want to try this one but seriously folks they say there’s no danger.

There’s also the ocean floor walk off the Borneo islands in Malaysia where aqua enthusiasts have to clamber down a steel ladder into the ocean bed, wearing an oxygen helmet. People who’ve been underwater say there’s a moment of panic as you hit the ocean floor but once you’ve overcome that, it’s a great experience.

Once you’ve reached the ocean bed, you walk around under the expert eyes of a deep sea diver and watch the water world unfurl in its fullest glory. The big attraction here is to feed marine life with bread crumbs and watch them make a beeline for your palm.

There are other beguiling options too. There’s aqua parasailing, where the parasail with seating provisions for a couple is hooked to a speed boat by a harness. Once the speed boat zips into the sea, you’re propelled into the sky with the height, velocity and direction of the parasail being determined by the pilot of your speed boat. Make sure you’re nice to your pilot before getting latched onto the parasail.

Where else can you go: The US, India and the Caribbean Islands and several other Asian countries.

Sensational Singapore

Did we mention that there is something called ‘Dinner with the sharks’ at the Underwater World in Singapore? Actually it’s not what you think.

At least you are not the dinner. In fact, it’s about having a sumptuous spread in the travelator or the moving conveyor belt that passes through the entire glass fronted marine life facility called Underwater World.

There are special dining arrangements made for those who are gourmets and aqua buffs rolled into one. They get to see the sharks squishing the tip of their mouths on the glass aquaria while tucking into those delicate canapés. (We can all do with a bit of irony sometimes.)

Carried away by Korea

You can always hotfoot it to South Korea if you are an eclectic water sports enthusiast. There’s jet skiing where you drive a motorised water craft and ride the surf with abandon. As anyone who has tried it will tell you, there’s nothing like the fresh spray of surf slapping your face as you zip across the water surface in your sleekly powered watercraft. But be warned: Jet skiing requires expert supervision.

Also there’s wakeboarding for those of you who are willing to hang on for dear life. That’s the sport where you stand on a board tied to a speed boat whooshing through the water. Wake boarding is a surface water sport and combines water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques.

Wakeboarding pros perform gymnastic manoeuvres in mid-air, landing on the board afterward. This sport is definitely not for rookies.

Where else can you go: The UK and Australia

Sri Lanka

Hit the pristine beaches of Sri Lanka if you want to check out exotic water sport options like wind surfing and waterskiing. For those not in the know, wind surfing involves riding the waves using a board known as the sail board that is powered by a single sail. The sail’s rig is attached to the board by a flexible joint and the surfer steers the board by tilting and rotating the mast.

This requires the supervision of skilled guides and you have to be at least 15 years old to wind surf. But adrenaline junkies are sure to have a whale of a time trying to ride the towering waves. You may also want to try out waterskiing here if you want to explore lower risk options. Water skiing involves skimming across the water pulled by a motor boat.

Where else can you go: Hawaii

Domestic

And it’s not just international destinations that can offer exotic water holidays. At home, we’ve got the Lacadives, an underwater scuba diving initiative by adman Prahlad Kakar, in the Lakshadweep islands.

Lacadives also runs a diving centre at Bangaram Island resort in the Lakshadweep Islands. The centre runs various certified courses with diving sites at Kadmat and Bangaram, two of the region’s coral islands. The underwater marine life is fantastic to say the least, with an array of exotic creatures like angel fish, sea anemone, leopard moray and lion fish.

Treks and Rapids, an adventure sports outfit, too provides interesting water sport options like kite surfing, water skiing, scuba diving and snorkelling in Goa, Pondicherry and the Andamans.

So what are you waiting for? Go grab that bathing suit now and head for the beach!