Surfing on a wake behind a boat has been going on since at least the 1950’s, and has grown in popularity over the years with new designs for boats that create a larger wake as well as safety features and special boards for riding the wakes.
A wakesurfer typically starts a ride by first sitting in the water on a floating board with one or two hands holding a tow rope attached to the boat. After a go-ahead signal from the wakesurfer, the boat accelerates while the surfer stands up on the board. After the boat reaches a desired speed and the wakesurfer feels comfortable on the water, the tow rope is tossed aside, and the ride begins with tricks and style that looks similar to surfing.
Want to give it a try? Watch this how-to Wakesurfing 101 video from Liquid Force Films.
Info/Resources:
Ten Beginners’ Tips for Your Wakesurfing Adventure, Monterey Boats (July 25, 2016)
Top Wakesurf Schools in USA, Boarders Magazine (Feb 22, 2016)
Competitive Wake Surfing Association
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We always called it wakeboarding growing up. The boards were more rectangular and resembled hard, narrow, and thinner rafts more than surfboards. I like that the newer boats enable the surfers to release the tow rope, or jump directly into the boat’s wake. I’ve seen some cute videos of people wakesurfing with their dogs too.
Yes, saw similar wake boarding experiments on our home town lake growing up, and was surprised to see what’s happening in the sport now. And speaking of surfing dogs — have you seen “Abbie” video? She’s a California surfing champ and has inspiring story to tell. You can find it in “Super Dogs” video channel but maybe this link will work → https://on2in2.com/super-dogs-video/?vimeography_gallery=36&vimeography_video=106481288