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. 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 or wakeboard boats are the most popular choice for this sport as the propeller is under the boat, and is 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 the surfer is surfing on. The deeper the boat is in the water, the bigger the wake will be overall. In addition, one 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. 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
Connor Burns, 2019 & 2018 World Champion Pro Men’s wake surfer; 2017 World Champion Amateur Men’s wake surfer.
Ashley Kidd, winner of the 2014 and 2015 World Wake Surf Championships
Jake Caster, winner of the 2017 World Wake Surf Championships, runner-up 2018 World Wake Surf Championships and placed 3rd in 2019 World Wake Surf Championships
Trick list
Many riders perform a wide array of maneuvers or specifically named 'tricks' while wakesurfing, with most owing their origins to surfing, skating 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 the 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 the rider to explode and spray.
Fire hydrant – Placing one hand on the board and taking the front foot off.
Posing – Doing hand and body positions while riding for cool style points.
Hang 5 – Rider extends front foot 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.
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 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.
In 2013, Canadian musician Chris Hau recorded a video in which he plays a song on an acoustic guitar while wakesurfing. In February 2015, Hunter Sims, a professional wakesurfer, received a world record for doing 106 shove-its.
