Wakesurfing

An example of someone wakesurfing.

Wakesurfing is a water sport in which a rider trails behind a boat, riding the boat's wake without being directly pulled by the boat.[1] After getting up on the wake, typically by use of a tow rope, the wakesurfers will drop the rope, and ride the steep face below the wave's peak in a fashion reminiscent of surfing. Wakesurfers generally use special boards, designed specifically for wakes.

History

The origins of wakesurfing are somewhat disputed with multiple people and companies claiming to be at the genesis of the sport. Some claims have set the dates for the origins of boat-surfing or wake-surfing as far back as the 1920s. However, no credible evidence of this is available. Footage and print media from the 1950s and 1960s show ocean surfers actively riding surfboards behind motor boats. By the mid 60's numerous surfboard manufactures laid claims to building wake specific boards.

The practice of riding surfboards behind boats continued through the 70s and 80s with the boards being ridden evolving to shorter forms right along the shortboard revolution in Surfing. As boards progressively shortened in length, taking a page from windsurfing or sailboarding many practitioners started using devices mounted to the board to strap and secure their feet in place. Aided with a tow rope, hard carving and launching off wakes lead to sports like skurfing, skiboarding, and eventually wakeboarding.

Wakeboarding's growth and mass appeal led the watercraft industry to advance technology to increase the size of wakes. This, in turn, provided an opportunity for wakesurfing to emerge from the shadows. Several sport pioneers, including, but not limited to Tim Lopes, Jerry Price, Jeff Page, Rick Lee, Mark Sher, and others are noted with being at the forefront of modern wakesurfing. The first US design patent for a wakesurf was granted to Alfonso Corona in 1997.

Boat setup

Inboard ski/wakeboard boats are the most popular choice for this sport as the propeller is under the boat, and are less likely to make contact with the rider. Owners of inboard boats place ballast, such as water, lead weights, concrete, or other heavy objects in different sections of the boat in order to weight the boat down and create a larger wake. The best weight configuration for wakesurfing is to place the majority of the weight near the back corner side on the side you're surfing on.[2] The deeper the boat is in the water, the bigger the wake will be overall. In addition, you will want to place a larger amount at the stern of the boat on the side which the rider is riding. This will ramp the wake up on the side the rider is riding and washout the opposite side.[3] A rope length of 8 to 10 feet is recommended. Wakesurf intended ropes are generally 20 feet long, making it ideal for boats that have a tower set up. Long ski and wakeboard ropes can become hazardous for wakesurfing, because it usually involves winding up the rope or tying unnecessary knots.

Notable wakesurfers

  • Ashley Kidd, winner of the 2014 and 2015 World Wake Surf Championships (pro women's division)[4][5]

Trick list

Many riders perform a wide array of maneuvers or specifically-named 'tricks' while wakesurfing, with most owing their origins to surfing, skating (both vert and street) and snowboarding, Some of the most well-known tricks are:

Pumping – Turning up and down the face of the wake to gain speed.

Stalling – Applying pressure to your back foot to slow down or “stall”.

Floater – When a rider and board “floats” on top of the wake.

Lip slide – Just like a floater, but the board is sideways.

Spray – Gouging into the face of the wake to create the water under you to explode and spray.

Fire Hydrant – Placing one hand on the board and taking your front foot off.

Posing – Doing hand and body positions while riding for cool style points.

Hang 5 – Rider extends front foot (toes) over front of board.

Rail Grabs – Grabbing the board’s rail while the board is on the wake – one or both hands.

Cutbacks – Bashing off the lip of the wake with the board – the more extreme and risky the better.

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

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.

Switch Stance – Riding with the opposite foot forward.

180 spin – Spinning 180 on the wake – Board and rider spin.

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

One Hand Grab Air – Grabbing one rail of the board while the board is airborne above the wake.

Double Grab Air – Grabbing both rails of the board while the board is airborne above the wake.

Hang 10 – Rider extends both feet (toes) over end of board.

360 spin – Spinning 360 on the face of the wake – Board and rider spin.

540 spin – Rider spins continuously 1 1/2 times until he is riding switch stance forward.

720 spin – Rider spins continuously 2 complete 360′s.

Air 180 – Doing an air while spinning 180 the blind direction.

180 air – Doing and air and spinning a 180 in the air and landing in with a switch stance.

180 shove it – Spinning just the board 180 under your feet and landing with the board “backwards”.

900 spin – Rider spins continuously 2 1/2 times until he is riding switch stance forward.

360 shove 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.

Big Spin – Same as a 360 shove it, only the rider spins a 180 at the same time the board does a 360.

In 2013, Canadian musician Chris Hau recorded a video in which he played a song on an acoustic guitar while wakesurfing.[6][7]

In February 2015, Hunter Sims, a professional wakesurfer, received a world record for doing 106 shove its.[8]

References

  1. ↑ WakeSurfing, Wake Surfing, Wake boarding, WakeSports
  2. ↑ WakeMAKERS. "Weight Your Boat for Wakesurfing". Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Fly High. "How to Weigh a V-Drive Ski/Wakeboard Boat" (PDF). Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  4. ↑ Boarders (October 6, 2014). 2014 World Wake Surf Championship, Las Vegas". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  5. ↑ Centurion Boats (October 2015). "The 2015 World Wake Surfing Championship presented by GM Marine Completes Three Days of Amazing Wake Surfing Competition". Retrieved 22 July 2016
  6. ↑ Mills, Carys (2 August 2013). "Does this wake-surfing singer have what it takes to go viral?". Toronto Star. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  7. ↑ Cross, Alan (1 August 2013). "Canadian Dude Sings, Plays Guitar and Surfs AT THE SAME TIME". AlanCross. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Most consecutive wakesurfing shove its". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
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