Wakeboarding Dangerous? » (7 Beginners Wakeboarding Tips)
Wakeboarding is increasing in popularity, and we are set to find out more about the great extreme watersport. We have found 7 things you should know about wakeboarding.
If you are completely new to this sport, the first question you should find the answer to is this.
Is wakeboarding dangerous? Wakeboarding does not come without danger. Wakeboarding is an extreme sport, where you should always be careful. If you want to try wakeboarding, you should try it with authorized people in good surroundings with safety equipment such as a helmet and a west.
I was recently introduced to wakeboarding in Sweden. I was taught by a former semi-professional snowboarder from California, who also has a great passion for wakeboarding. If you want to know more about this amazing sport, then keep reading.
Read Also: Wetsuits for Winter
What Is Wakeboarding? A Beginners Guide
Even though I am still a rookie on a wakeboard, I have a lot of knowledge about the sport. I can draw a lot of similarities for when I started snowboarding because, in the beginning, you keep falling, failing and are using the wrong techniques. Suddenly, you just know how to do it.
What is wakeboarding? Wakeboarding is a fairly young extreme sport, which has its roots from surfing, snowboarding, and waterskiing. The purpose is to ride on the surface of the water while standing on a wakeboard. The rider is getting towed by either a motorboat or a wakeboard cable system.
A wakeboard is a shortboard with foot bindings, so you can jump with the board an into the air while you are making tricks. There are also special places for wakeboarding, where you can use a waterpark with items to grind on and show off your skills, just like in snowboarding.
Wakeboarding History
Wakeboarding first became popular in the 1890s when surfers started off by hitching tides on a boat The surfers have been the first movers on more of these sports like they took surfboards to the mountain inventing snowboarding.
Wakeboarding was like that story, just where surfers took their board and got toweled after a motorboat. In the beginning, wakeboarding was called skurfing.
There are some uncertainties, where the sport was invented, but both Australia and Florida were first movers on wakeboarding. For us, it is not that important. We found 7 other things, that are good to know about wakeboarding.
How Do I Get Started? 7 Things You Want To Know About Wakeboarding
#1 Which foot should be in the back?
When you have learned about the dangers in wakeboarding, one of the first questions, that people ask is, which foot should be placed the back? It is just as when you surf, snowboard or skate.
If you don’t know, which is your back foot, it is usually the one kick with, when you play soccer. Your “strongest” foot should be in the back.
#2 Don’t give up
But you will get hurt. You fall in the water, so that is a plus. But the water can still hurt you, and you are riding with a lot of speed, so be prepared, you will make a faceplant if you a real wakeboarder. Suddenly, you just know how to wakeboard, and everything is forgotten.
#3 Safety first
This is always our advise, no matter what sport you are doing. Some sports are more dangerous than others. Wakeboarding is not that dangerous in general, but there are a lot of precautions you should take.
Always try wakeboarding with someone who knows, what they are doing. Remember your safety equipment, and don’t push yourself too far.
Find a great helmet for wakeboarding in this article.
#4 Rope-advice
Wakeboarding is very tough on your arms, but hang in there. It can make your arms feel, that they will fall off. Use a short rope when your start. It can make the technique easier, and you are closer to the one, who gives you advice.
Don’t pull in the rope. The boat will pull you up when you fall.
#5 Look straight
It is exactly like when you are learning to drive or learning to ski. The instructor always tells you to look straight ahead, but you are not looking far away, you are looking at your feet. You are then putting to much weight on your front foot, and that will take you out of balance.
#6 When can I do tricks?
Pretty fast actually. Some people use years to learn how to jump on a snowboard or stand correctly on a surfboard. Wakeboarding is usually picked up pretty fast, and the speed helps you to do the tricks easier.
#7 Find a nice location
A lot of the beauty of wakeboarding is to find nice surroundings and communities to hang out with. So, before you invest too much money on a new wakeboard, find a great place, and rent a board the first time you try it.
If you think, that wakeboarding is a little too extreme, but you still want to do some lovely watersport, you should read our guide: Is Stand Up Paddle Boarding Difficult
What Is The Essential Wakeboarding Gear? See The List Here
Here is what you need, if you want to start wakeboarding. At BestSportsLounge we love new gear, and you don’t always need everything that we suggest before you try a new sport. But on this list, we have found the most essential if you wanna go wakeboarding.
Wakeboard (And a motorboat or a wakeboard system)
Mystique New Hyperlite Women's Wakeboard Complete Package
Great board for all type of riders. It comes with bindings.
Helmet
Retrospec CM-1 Classic Commuter Bike/Skate/Multi-Sport Helmet
Cool helmet that can be used for different modalities.
Buoyancy Aid
Zeraty Men Life Jacket Impact Buoyancy Swimming Vest
Great vest for wake boarding. Ensures mobility and it comes at reasonable price.
Wetsuit
O'Neill Men's Reactor-2 2mm Back Zip Short Sleeve Spring Wetsuit
Great wetsuit for warmer conditions.
Wakeboard Bindings
Hyperlite Destroyer Wakeboard Bindings
Good quality for the money, these bindings are very easy to get in and out.
5 Best Places To Wakeboard In California
We haven't tried all of these places yet, but we are planning to. Here are 5 of the best places to go, if you wanna go wakeboarding in California.
Wake Island
Wake Island park is a huge waterpark near Sacramento, which should be amazing for wakeboarding. It is also possible to try paddleboarding.
California Delta
At the Honker Bay in California, you find an amazing and beautiful place to both boating and wakeboarding. This is also located near Sacramento.
Canyon Lake
There is a cool tournament here called the Canyon Lake Wakeboarding Tournament. If you are interested in competing, you should try to look this up. It is in Southern California.
Redding Wakeboard and Ski Park
This is the first wakeboard park made in Northern California. The park has a nice cable system and it has all the equipment you need for a great wakeboarding park.
Velocity Island Park
Velocity Park is known for having the best and newest equipment in their park, and their park features a 2.0 cable system, which should be amazing. This is a very good place to go if you are a beginner on a wakeboard.
Other Places To Wakeboard In California
Did you not find a place on the list, that fit your needs? California is a Wakeboard paradise, and is stuffed with waterparks all over the state. There are supposedly more than 100 different places to wakeboard in California, so have no fear, the wakeboarding trend is here.
89 Places To Wakeboard In California - See The Complete List Here
Here is a full list of places I found to wakeboard or watersport in California
- Lake Oroville Marina
- Far West Water Ski Club
- Liquid Zone
- Wake Island
- Lake Pillsbury Resort
- Bridge Bay Resort and Marina
- Digger Bay Resort and Marina
- Ensane Wakeboard School
- Jones Vallet Resort and Marina
- Mike Suyderhoud Waterski School
- Redding Wakeboard and Ski Park
- New Melones Lake Marina
- Lopez Lake Marina
- Ironwood Ranch Ski Club
- Lake Piru Water Ski Club
- Westside Wakeboard School
- Bass Lake Watersports
- The Pines Resort
- Berkley Water Ski Club
- Big Bear Lake Cable Sports Park
- Big Bear Marina
- Big Bear Water Sports School
- Designated Wake Sports
- Holloways Marina and RV Park
- Lake Nacimiento Marina
- Lake San Antonio Marina
- Orwood Resort
- Learn 2 Wakeboard
- Plumas Pines Resort
- So Cal Wakeboard Instruction
- California Watersports / Carlsbad Lagoon
- Castaic Boat & Ski Club
- Las Angeles Wake
- Shred-it Babes! Ride Club
- Mid Valley Waterski Club
- Chico State University Waterski Team
- Ride the Delta Wakeboard School
- Jovia’s Pond Waterski Club
- Willi’s Waterski Center
- Bullards Bar - Emerald Cove Marina
- North Shore Landing
- Millerton Lake Rentals
- Ski Sunset Ranch
- Sacramento State Aquatic Center
- Obexer’s Water Sports
- Imperial Lakes Waterski Club
- Moccasin Point Marina
- South Lake Tullock Marina
- Barrett Cove Marina
- Lake Don Pedro Marina
- West Coast Camps
- Knotty Pine Resort and Marina
- Majors Outpost
- Lake Arrowhead Waterski Club
- McKenzie Water Ski School
- Æale Sonoma Marina
- Antlers Resort and Marina
- Trinity Alps Marina
- Delta Wakeboard Camp
- Silverthorn Resort and Marina
- Bell Aqua Waterski School
- Bell Acqua Waterski Club
- Launch Wakeboarding Shcool
- Sacramento State Wakeboard Team and Club
- Tower Park Marina
- Wakeboard By the Hour
- Bella Lago
- Action Water Sports Wake Club and Gear
- Sunset Ranch Oasis
- Meeks Bay Resort and Marina
- Lake Berryessa Marina
- Pleasure Cove Marina
- Horton Lakes Ski School
- Wet Set Village Waterski Club
- The Watersports Farm
- Norcal Boar & Ski Club
- Bidwell Canyon Marina
- Oberholtz Disabled Ski School
- Holiday Harbor Resort and Marina
- Shasta Wakeboard Shcool
- Adventure Watersports
- Convair Waterski Club
- Learn 2 Wakeboard
- Mission Bay Aquatic Center
- Mission Bay Sports Center
- San Diego Marriott
- Seaforth Boat Rentals
- Wakeboard San Diego
- Velocity Island Park
This list was made with help from www.wakescout.com
Wakescout is a great place to find Wakeboard, Water Ski, Wakeskate and so on.
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