Contact with marine blue spaces for human health and well-being

Contact with marine blue spaces, directly (practicing a water sport) or indirectly (while commuting to work or through window views) can provide positive outcomes to several aspects of human health and well-being. This chapter summarizes the main ways in which people are exposed to marine blue spaces, and the outcomes derived from these exposures, in the form of benefits for human well-being. The most common tools used to assess the well-being benefits are reviewed, as well as the effect modifiers influencing the exposure-health relationship. The “social prescription” of marine blue spaces, both as preventive and intervention tools, is explained with examples. A final section is dedicated to providing guidance on how to ensure that blue spaces are sustainably maintained and accessible for all. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the effects that marine urban walks and surf therapy interventions have on well-being.