Research shows boating helps with beating the blues

Updated for October 2026

Most boaties know the feeling. The engine settles into a steady note, the phone loses signal somewhere past the harbour entrance, and the week's worries start to shrink. For a long time that was something you simply knew from experience. Now a growing body of research, including some important work here in New Zealand, backs it up.

What every boatie already knows

Ask anyone why they love getting out on the water and you'll hear the same things. The wind on your face, the sun on your back and a bit of spray coming over the bow. Views that most people only see on a postcard, from a quiet bay at dawn to the islands of the Hauraki Gulf on a clear afternoon.

Then there's what you leave behind. The lawns, the inbox and the list of jobs around the house are all back on shore, and for a few hours none of it can reach you. You don't need a study to tell you that feels good.

What the research adds is a better picture of how much it helps, and which parts of time on the water seem to matter most.

What researchers mean by blue space

Scientists use the term "blue space" for outdoor places where water is the main feature. That covers the coast, harbours, lakes and rivers. It sits alongside "green space", the parks and bush that have been studied for longer.

Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols popularised a related idea in his book Blue Mind, which describes the calm, mildly meditative state many people feel near water. He has since worked with Discover Boating to look at how that applies to time spent on a boat.

A Wellington study on sea views

One of the best-known studies in this field was carried out in Wellington. Researchers from the University of Canterbury, the University of Otago and Michigan State University mapped how much blue and green space could be seen from homes across the city. They then compared that with results from the New Zealand Health Survey.

Their findings, published in 2016, showed that people who could see more of the sea tended to report lower psychological distress. Green space showed no such link. Professor Simon Kingham, who supervised the study, suggested that could be because New Zealanders already have so much green space that it doesn't set one neighbourhood apart from another.

Getting out on the water matters too

Living with a view is one thing. For boaties, the more useful question is whether actually spending time on or near the water makes a difference.

A 2021 study published in Scientific Reports surveyed 16,307 people across 18 countries. People who had visited green spaces, lakes and rivers, or the coast more often in the previous four weeks reported higher wellbeing and lower mental distress.

The researchers noted that results for blue space varied more between countries and seasons than results for green space, so the effect isn't identical everywhere. The overall pattern held, though. Regular time outdoors near water was linked to better mental health.

What New Zealand anglers told researchers

In 2025, Fish & Game New Zealand and the University of Otago published one of the largest studies of fishing and mental health carried out anywhere. They surveyed 1,882 New Zealand trout anglers about how often they fished and how they were feeling.

The results showed a dose-response relationship. The more active someone was as an angler, the higher their wellbeing scores and the lower their scores for psychological distress, anxiety and depression. Anglers who waded in the water, fished with companions, had some success and walked further while fishing tended to have better mental health scores.

This was freshwater fishing rather than boating, and a survey like this shows a link rather than proof of cause. Still, the ingredients will be familiar to anyone who fishes from a boat, with time on the water, time with mates, a bit of physical effort and the occasional good catch.

Most of the participants were men, which the researchers say makes it one of the largest studies of men's mental health and wellbeing done in New Zealand.

Sailing as a structured programme

Sailing has also been studied as a deliberate wellbeing programme. In a randomised trial in Sardinia published in 2014, outpatients with severe mental disorders took part in a sailing rehabilitation programme that included a series of cruises in the Gulf of Cagliari. They showed a statistically significant improvement in quality of life.

More recently, researchers at the Maria Grzegorzewska University in Warsaw measured hardiness and resilience in 178 teenagers and young adults before and after high-sea sail training cruises. They reported significant increases in both.

Closer to home, the Wish4Fish charity takes people with physical or mental disabilities, illness or financial hardship out on the water free of charge. We covered their work in our article on boating for people with disabilities.

Getting more out of your time on the water

The studies line up neatly with what boaties already enjoy, and they hint at how to get even more out of it.

• Bring people along. The Fish & Game study linked fishing with others to better mental health scores, and a day out with family or mates is half the fun anyway.
• Get out often. The 18-country study linked how often people got outdoors near water with their wellbeing, so regular trips count, even short ones after work.
• Keep moving. Launching, hauling in lines and trimming sails all get you active, and the anglers who walked further scored better.
• Get close to the water. Wading, swimming off the back of the boat or just sitting at anchor puts you right in the blue space these studies are built on.

If you're newer to boating, a course with Coastguard Boating Education is a good way to build confidence and meet other boaties. Our guides to family friendly boating and getting your kids boating have ideas for bringing the whole whānau along.

The research is still growing, but it's pointing the same way most boaties already know. Time on the water is good for you, so pick a good forecast and get out there.

Sources: ScienceDaily, Stuff, Scientific Reports, Fish & Game NZ, Leisure Sciences, Fishing World, PMC, Discover Boating