Wakesliders

Before I get started on what wakesurfing is, I want reassure all of my readers that anyone can do it! Following these tips and putting in the practice will get you up and riding in no time.

The concept behind Wakesurfing is pretty simple. If you have ever ridden in a boat you have probably seen the wave that it creates behind the boat. The weight from the boat sitting in the water produces two separate waves more commonly known in the water sports world as wakes. It is that very wake that you use to wakesurf.
Using a smaller rope than what is typically used for wakeboarding, skiing, tubing, etc, you pull yourself in front of the wake, typically about 5 to 10 feet from the back of the boat depending on the size of the wake. A larger wake will allow you to surf further behind the boat. There is a special spot on the wake known as the "Sweet Spot." The sweet spot is where the wake or wave has the most power and is the smoothest place to ride. The Sweet Spot allows you to let go of the rope and surf as though you were surfing out in the ocean. It is the coolest feeling when you hit the Sweet Spot for the first time and begin riding the Endless Wave.

Well, when you are first starting out don't worry too much about the board. Howtowakesurf.com does a great job of describing the different types of boards. There are 2 basic styles of wakesurfboards, skim board style and conventional style.

Skimboard style wakesurfboards are thinner and smaller than surfboard styles.

Advantages: Easier for a beginner to get up on. Easier to spin (180s, 360s etc.). Easier to do shuvits. Easier to stow on the boat. More likely to fit into a wakeboard rack. Less tendency to roll and nose dive.

Disadvantages: More difficult to learn to freeride. Boat typically has to go back to get a fallen rider.

Conventional style wakesurfboards are thicker than skimboard styles and have greater buoyancy.

Advantages: Easier to freeride. Will freeride in a smaller wave than a skimboard style. Easier to recover from far back on the wave. More adept at classic surf moves that require bigger turns and cutbacks. Fallen rider can paddle quickly back to the boat (assuming the driver stopped soon after the rider fell).

Disadvantages: More difficult for a beginner to get up on. More difficult to spin. May not be able to do shuvits. Requires special racks to stow on the tower. More difficult to stow in your car without surfboard racks. Some have a significant tendency to roll and nose dive (not all). Shred Stixx boards (for example) do not have this roll and nose dive tendency.

A beginner may have difficulty getting started and standing up upon a conventional style surfboard. The same person may just pop up on the skim board style. They may not freeride as quickly, but they can still have lots of fun lineriding.

There are a lot of great wakesurfboard manufacturers out there. I've listed some of the most well know brands for you to take a look at. As I said earlier, don't worry too much about the brand of board that you are riding. The most important thing to do at this point is determine what style of riding you are going to focus on and then try out both the skim and conventional style boards. Once you have got your riding style down and have gotten comfortable with a certain style of board, then take a look at which brand caters most to your style.

Ronix Caption 4 ft 8 in Wakesurf Board 2008

Hyperlite Broadcast Wakesurfer 4.9


Hyperlite Broadcast 5.6 Wakesurfer

Obrien Alias Wakesurfer 2008

O'Brien Alias - 4' 6"?You no longer have to be on the coast to scratch your surfing itch. The O'Brien Alias has the right amount of rocker through the nose and a single surf fin which makes the ... more info.

CWB Ride Wakesurf Board 2008


CWB Tsunami Wakesurfboard 2008


CWB Tsunami Wakesurfer - Women's 2008

Shred Stixx Wake Surfers

Inland Surfer Wake Surfers

Surf Rope

Proline Super D Wakesurf Combo 2008

Proline Super D Wakesurf Combo 2008

Straight Line Knotted Surf Rope 2008

Straight Line Knotted Surf Rope 2008

Vest

Hyperlite 5 to 10 Catalyst Comp Wakeboard Vest 2007

Hyperlite 5 to 10 Catalyst Comp Wakeboard Vest 2007

Jetpilot Full Metal Jacket USCG Wakeboard Vest 2006

Jetpilot Full Metal Jacket USCG Wakeboard Vest 2006

Jetpilot Vixen USCG Wakeboard Vest 2007

Jetpilot Vixen USCG Wakeboard Vest 2007

Liquid Force Henshaw Comp Wakeboard Vest 2008

Liquid Force Henshaw Comp Wakeboard Vest 2008

Liquid Force Hinge Girls USCG Vest Blue 2007

Liquid Force Hinge Girls USCG Vest Blue 2007

Waterproof MP3

H2O Audio Headphones

H2O Audio Headphones

H2O Audio iPod Arm Band

H2O Audio iPod Arm Band

1. No swimming required to catch the wave
2. The wave lasts as long as there is gas in the boat
3. It's really hard to hurt yourself, trust me
4. Nearly anyone can learn to ride, with a little practice
5. Chances are you won't have to worry about any sharks at your local lakes.

So where do I begin if you have never tried wakesurfing? Well, if you have ever participated in other board sports, chances are you are going to be able to pick up this sport fairly quickly. As with any board sport, it is going to take some practice before you start rippin' it up in the water. In any case, here are a few tips that might help.

1. First you need to know whether your stance is goofy or regular. Goofy is right foot forward and regular is left foot forward. This is very important because determining your stance is going to determine which side of the boat you are going to be riding on. Riding toe side (aka your toes are facing toward the wake) is the easiest way to start learning. Later on down the road you can switch to riding heelside (aka your heels are facing toward the wake). So if you are goofy footed then you want to start towards the right side of the boat. If you are regular footed, then you are going to want to start towards the left side of the boat. Now that you have your stance figured out and you know which side of the boat you are going to be riding on, you are ready for the next step.

2. The next thing that we are going to look at is the takeoff. I recommend starting about 5 to 10 feet away from the platform. You want the rope to be tight by the time you in this position. If you still have a lot of slack in the rope in this position, you are going to find yourself too far back from where you need to be on the wake. The takeoff itself is very similar to that of wakeboarding. Position your feet in a comfortable position on the board. You want your heels to be resting near the edge of the board and your toes pointed up. When the boat begins to pull you up, you want to put pressure on the board with your heels to bring the board to your feet. As the board flips to the bottoms of your feet, point the nose of your board towards the boat. Staying on your back edge will only cause your to wipe out. Now that you are facing forward on the board being pulled by the rope, edge out into the flats (away from the wake) to get your feet in a comfortable position. Once you are comfortable, begin edging in towards the wake by putting pressure on the board with your toes. As I mentioned eariler, most people have any easier time learning when riding toeside. Once you get the takeoff down, now the fun begins. It's time to find the "SWEET SPOT".

The first thing that you have to get used to is the power of the wake. During your first couple of runs you might feel that the board is a little bit unsteady. That feeling will start to go away after you work on your balance and weight distribution on the board.

1. While continuing to hold onto the rope, start to get a better feel for the wake by doing some little carves up and down on the wake. You will notice that as you edge up onto the wake that it will start to push you towards the platform and then as you shift your weight to avoid hitting the platform, you will then notice that you end up on top of the wake or even behind it. Finding the balance in between these points is key. Use the rope to help to pull you into the position where you feel the push from the wake. Ultimately, you want to be able to ride without using the rope but the rope is very helpful when you are first learning to ride on the wake. Once you have a good feel for the power of the wake and the responsiveness of your board, you are probably ready to start working on finding the "Sweet Spot."

2. Pull yourself back in close to the wake where you begin to feel that push forward. Keep in mind that you are only about 5 feet or so away from the platform of your boat. Now is probably a good time to emphasize that wakesurfing should NEVER be done with an outboard motor, only inboard boats specifically designed for wakeboarding and wakesurfing. As you place the board in that spot where you notice that the rope gets some slack in it and you begin to feel that push forward from the wake, you have found the sweet spot. As I said earlier, this is where you want to practice riding while continuing to hold onto the rope. Once you are able to ride for a little while without any help from the rope, throw the rope into the boat and let your endless wave riding experience begin. This is where practice makes perfect. Balance and weight distribution are everything when learning to ride in the sweet spot. If you are constantly blasting towards the platform, put more weight onto your back foot. On the contrary, if you are finding yourself getting pulled to far back on the wake, put more weight onto your front foot. It is a game of balance and is just going to take some time to get it right.

Well, my little grommet you have progressed quite well. My only remaining bit of advice that I have for you is Go Shred!!!! I can't tell you enough how great it is to have my own endless wave right here in AZ. Every single person that I have ever taken out on our Malibu becomes instantly addicted to this sport. Give it a try and I'm sure that you too will know exactly why this sport is here to stay! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

The following Wakesurf Trick List was compiled by the World WakeSurf Association.

Listed in order of difficulty. Some of these tricks can only be performed on a skim or trick style board, while others can only be performed on a surf or conventional style board. The style of board appropriate for each trick is noted at the end of each line.

Pumping- turning up and down the face of the wake to gain speed. (Both styles)

Stalling- Applying pressure to your back foot to slow down or "stall". (Both styles)

Floater- When a rider and board "floats" on top of the wake. (Both styles)

Lip slide- Just like a floater but the board is sideways. (Both styles)

Spray- gouging into the face of the wake to create the water under you to explode and spray. (Both styles)

Fire Hydrant- Placing one hand on the board and taking your front foot off. (Both styles)

Posing- doing hand and body positions while riding for cool style points. (Both styles)

Hang 5 - Rider extends front foot (toes) over front of board (Both styles). More credit by judges the further forward the rear foot.

Rail Grabs - Grabbing the board's rail while the board is on the wake - one or both hands. (Both styles)

Cutbacks - Bashing off the lip of the wake with the board - the more extreme and risky the better. (Both styles)

Paddle back in - Going to the extreme rear of the wake, throwing down on the board and paddling back in to the power zone. This can also be done by pulling the outside rail of the board to bring it back to the power zone. (Surf style)

Tubing It - Throwing down on the board and sliding back into the tube until covered up - the deeper the better, and then popping out and standing back up on the board. (Surf style)

Switch Stance-Riding with the opposite foot forward. (Both styles)

180 spin - Spinning 180 on the wake - Board and rider spin. (Both styles - more difficult surf style) The video shows first a toeside 180 and then a heelside 180. Both show a regular turn. A blind turn is more difficult.

Airs- Launching off the lip with board into the air and landing back on the wake (toeside or heelside). (Both styles)

One Hand Grab Air - Grabbing one rail of the board while the board is airborne above the wake. (Both styles - more difficult surf style)

Double Grab Air - Grabbing both rails of the board while the board is airborne above the wake. (Both styles -more difficult surf style)

Hang 10 - Rider extends both feet (toes) over end of board (Surf style)

360 spin- Spinning 360 on the face of the wake - Board and rider spin. (Both styles - more difficult surf style)

540 spin - Rider spins continuously 1 1/2 times until he is riding switch stance forward (Both styles - but extremely difficult surf style)

720 spin - Rider spins continuously 2 complete 360's (Both styles - but extremely difficult surf style)

Alley oop air 180- doing an air while spinning 180 the blind direction. (Trick style)

180 air- doing and air and spinning a 180 in the air and landing in with a switch stance. (Trick style)

180 shuv-it - spinning just the board 180 under your feet and landing with the board "backwards". (Trick Style)

900 spin - Rider spins continuously 2 1/2 times until he is riding switch stance forward. (Both styles - but extremely difficult surf style)

360 shuv-it - same as a 180 but you spin the board a full 360 under your feet. NOTE: rider does not spin only the board spins. (Trick style)

Big Spin - Same as a 360 shuv-it only the rider spins a 180 at the same time the board does a 360. (Trick style)

Wakesurfing season is just around the corner and I wanted to show you guys some of the awesome new gear that is already available for your 2009 wakesurfing season. The first is the new 2009 Hyperlite Wakesurf line.