Key Points

Adventure sports are activities for individuals seeking excitement and a desire to explore nature. They include sports like rafting, surfing, mountaineering, and trekking.

Adventure sports are classified into three main categories: adventure water sports (like surfing), adventure land sports (like trekking), and adventure air sports (like paragliding).

Paragliding is a recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders. It is an engine-less and motor-free sport that requires courage and decisive action.

Domina C. Jalbert invented gliding parachutes in 1954, David Barish developed the 'sail wing' in 1965, and the term 'Paragliding' was officially coined in a 1985 manual.

The first official Paragliding World Championship was held in Kossen, Austria, in the year 1989.

A paraglider's combined equipment weighs around 12 to 22 kilograms. Its typical speed range is between 20 and 75 kilometers per hour.

Key instruments used in paragliding include the Variometer to detect climb rate, a Radio for communication, and a GPS for tracking and navigation.

There are two main launching techniques used on higher ground: the forward launch for low winds and the reverse launch for higher winds.

Surfing is a surface water sport where a surfer rides on the face of a moving wave towards the shore. It was scheduled to be inducted into the Olympic Games from 2020.

George Freeth is often credited as being the 'Father of Modern Surfing' and is thought to have been the first modern surfer.

The International Surfing Association (ISA) is the highest governing body for surfing. Professional contests started in 1975.

Major types of surfing include stand-up surfing on a surfboard, body surfing using only the body, and tow-surfing which uses a watercraft for big waves.

Two significant dangers for surfers are the seabed, which can cause injury upon collision, and rip currents, which are water channels that can pull surfers away from the shore.

A fundamental safety measure is that a paraglider should be certified and highly skillful. Gliding should only be done under the supervision of licensed personnel.

Paragliders must regularly inspect their equipment. Surfers should practice in artificially created waves before entering the deep sea.

A variometer helps a paragliding pilot find and stay in a thermal to gain height. It indicates the climb or sink rate with audio signals and a visual display.