Welcome
to Watermen News. I hope to make this an informative news and information page
about everything having to do with watermen and their unique aquatic and marine lifestyles. But
first we have to try and define watermen, waterman or waterwoman...
Wikipedia defines watermen as river workers who transfer passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in Britain and its colonies. Most notable are those on the River Thames and River Medway, but other rivers such as the River Tyne and River Dee, Wales also had their watermen who formed guilds in medieval times.
Webster defined waterman as "a person who makes his living from the water (as by fishing, crabbing, or oystering)", and it is of Middle English origin.
The term has evolved to mean one who takes part in activities which involve water, including wave riding, wind or motor assisted sports, diving and fishing. A waterman is also skilled in interpreting weather and tide information to decide the best water activity for the conditions. They also work to improve water resources, reduce water pollution and protect water species from overexploitation.
Webster defined waterman as "a person who makes his living from the water (as by fishing, crabbing, or oystering)", and it is of Middle English origin.
The term has evolved to mean one who takes part in activities which involve water, including wave riding, wind or motor assisted sports, diving and fishing. A waterman is also skilled in interpreting weather and tide information to decide the best water activity for the conditions. They also work to improve water resources, reduce water pollution and protect water species from overexploitation.
Wave
riding sports include swimming, surfing, kayaking, and bodysurfing. In surfing
terminology, "waterman" refers to a versatile athlete who can engage
in various forms of water sports depending on conditions. One early person
given this title was Duke Kahanamoku.
Fishing
includes both common above water pole fishing and underwater spearfishing, both
with a simple spear or a spear gun. Freediving skills are often used when
fishing underwater.
Two great
links to definitions of waterman are below;
Chip Bock. "Waterman Lifestyle". Surf News on
Surfguru.com. http://www.surfguru.com/surf-news/Waterman-Lifestyle.aspx.
Retrieved December 1, 2012.
Greg Heller (January 2001). "Waterman explained". Surfing
A-Z on Surfline.com. http://www.surfline.com/surfing-a-to-z/waterman-explained_943/.
Retrieved December 1, 2012.
Please feel free to comment and tell us your definition
of a waterman.
1 comment:
As Surfline describes, a Waterman boasts total mastery of all oceanic endeavors, the revered waterman can fish, dive, surf, windsurf, kayak, bodysurf, interpret complex weather data, save the odd drowning man, etc. Generally built like a tank and typically soft-spoken (choosing to let his actions do the talking), loner watermen fear neither tempest nor shark and rarely head for higher ground. If need be, he can survive entirely on self-harvested ocean bounty, spearing his food from the nearby reefs he'll surf over when the swell is up. He's an intense figure, idolized in the local community for his silent bravery and meteorological prowess.
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