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Water-play glossary

Score axes and nicknames used across this atlas.

A compact reference — the chapters carry the sites and the caveats.

Score axes

Accessibility How easy a typical adult can start.
Skill ceiling How far craft can go after the first weekend.
Gear load How much kit stands between you and the water.
Risk How unforgiving mistakes and conditions are.
Seasonality How much weather and calendar gate the activity.
Wow factor How often the water itself is the reason people travel.

Also called

🏊 Pool swimming lap swimming · indoor swimming
🌊 Open-water swimming wild swimming · marathon swimming
🧒 Kids swimming learn-to-swim · children swimming lessons
🏅 Competitive swimming race swimming · pool racing
🤿 Snorkeling snorkelling · skin diving
🪸 Reef etiquette reef manners · coral code
🫧 Recreational scuba open water scuba · sport diving
🚢 Wreck diving shipwreck diving · wreck penetration
🌙 Night diving night scuba · after-dark diving
🫁 Freediving free-diving · breath-hold diving
🛟 Freedive safety apnea safety · blackout prevention
🏄 Surfing wave riding · board surfing
🛶 Stand-up paddle SUP · stand-up paddleboarding
🦺 Water safety drowning prevention · beach safety
🐠 Great Barrier Reef GBR · the Reef
🪼 Palau Belau · Rock Islands diving
🏝️ Maldives Maldive atolls · Maldivian reefs
🦜 Raja Ampat Four Kings · Raja Ampat diving
🌅 Red Sea Egyptian Red Sea · Sinai and Safaga diving
🌺 Hawaii Hawaiian Islands · Hawaii snorkel and surf
🌴 Caribbean Caribbean Sea diving · West Indies reefs
🌋 Jeju Jeju Island · Jeju-do diving
🐬 Philippines Philippine reefs · Pinoy diving
🐢 Okinawa Okinawa Prefecture diving · Ryukyu reefs