Canyoning combines mountain sports and water sports.
It offers pure adventure: swimming, diving, climbing, scuba diving, abseiling off mountains and in waterfalls, clambering through streams and crawling through narrow crevices. It is essential for people who have not tried canyoning before to take a beginners' course and learn basic techniques, such as abseiling on your own and securing a partner. You can discover the mountain gorges of the Berchtesgadener Land, for instance.

Rafting
Experience all the power of white water. River rafting is all about riding white water and enjoying the force of a mountain river.

Parasailing
Parasailing is a holiday experience you will never forget. Once you are kitted out with a life jacket, a harness and a parachute, a special winch boat takes you up to 150 metres to enjoy the feeling of weightlessness. Germany's lakes and Baltic coastline have facilities for trying out this sport.

Jet skiing
Jet skis (also called 'jet boats' in Germany) are fast and extremely manoeuvrable. In Germany, jet skiing is permitted only in certain zones designated by a special symbol. A leisure craft licence is required.

Kitesurfing is a trend sport that combines several board sports. Kiters use a small board (similar to a wakeboard, snowboard or surfboard) and a kite to steer across the water. The kite's lift gives some really spectacular jumps - "flights", even. Off the North Sea coast, Sylt is a mecca for kitesurfers; it has a special kitesurfing beach. St. Peter-Ording, Büsum and Meldorf Bay are also popular for kitesurfing. On the Baltic coast, good places for kitesurfing are Heidkate in der Probstei and the sunny island of Fehmarn.

Waterskiing is becoming extremely popular and can be learnt surprisingly quickly. In Germany, there are waterskiing facilities on the North Sea and Baltic coasts and on many lakes. But why not have a bit of variety? Instead of a boat, try one of Germany's water-ski cable tows.

Wakeboarding
"Fun without limits" is the wakeboarders' motto. Wakeboarding is waterskiing and surfing in equal measure. The short board is designed for incredible jumps, rotations and speed. In Germany, wakeboarding can be done either with a boat or a cable tow.

Surfing
This exhilarating water sport from the USA and Australia can also be done in Germany. On Sylt, Germany's northernmost island, for instance, Camp One offers courses for beginners and more advanced surfers.