Video Credit: wakesurfjames

Wakesurfing is best described as a cross between wakeboarding and surfing. The board resembles a surfboard you would use in the ocean but the waves you ride are produced by the boat. To start, a wakesurfer is pulled out of the water just like waterskiing or wakeboarding but after the initial pull - when the wakesurfer is riding on top of the water, he or she drops the rope and simply follows along riding the wave just behind the boat.

The wake from the boat mimics the look and feel of an actual ocean wave. The initial start - getting pulled from in the water to on top of the water - and finding the “sweet spot” in the wake are the most difficult aspects of wakesurfing. The “sweet spot” is the area of the wake that will keep a surfers forward motion following the boat while keeping them afloat. However both of these can usually be learned in after a few attempts.

Wake surfing has a very similar feel to traditional surfing. If you’ve ever surfed before, chances are you’ll be able to stand up on a wake surf on your first or second try. If you’ve haven’t been surfing before, its still very easy to pick up wake surfing.

Tahoe City Marine Supply rents a number of different models of wakesurfing boards.