What Is Wakesurfing ?

Being ExtraHyperActive, I have tried a lot of outdoor activities/sports over the past few years. Yet, there are a few that I still hope to try ! And wake surfing is one of them.



Wake surfing is well known to be the oldest "behind the boat" sport, even predating water skiing. When done right, wake surfing will give you the feel of riding an endless wave (without the sharks or paddling). In recent years the sport of wakesurfing has grown rapidly in popularity.

Wakesurfing (similar to, but not the same sport as, wakeboarding) is a water sport in which a surfer trails behind a wakeboard boat, surfing the boat's wake without being directly attached to the boat. The wake from the boat mimics the look and feel of an actual ocean wave. After getting up on the wave by use of a tow rope, wakesurfers drop the rope and ride the steep face below the wave's peak in a fashion reminiscent of ocean surfing. Wakesurfers generally use special boards, usually five feet or shorter.

To wakesurf, you will first need the correct kind of a boat. Ballasted wakeboarding boats produce the best waves because these ballasts add more weight to the back of the boat, increasing the height and strength of the wave. When moving at a slow speed, these boats produce a wave very similar to a small ocean wave providing the perfect surface to be surfed.

Though wakesurfing was designed to bring the fun of ocean waves to the lake or river, the initial investment ( boat coat, gas, moorage, boat maintenance... ), makes wake surfing less popular comparing to ocean surfing.

But for those who are landlocked,  if you can't take your board to the ocean, bring the ocean to your board !