Wakesurfing vs. Wakeboarding
By: Hank Ahrenholz
Two summer activities that many people enjoy to do are wakeboarding and wakesurfing. These two uprising water-sports are becoming one of the main activities for people to do on the lake. Wakeboarding has been a water-sport for quite a while already. Wakesurfing is the fastest growing water-sport right now.
Wakesurfing is a fun activity for people of all ages. I doesn’t matter if you are tall, short, young, or old. The way boat companies have revolved around wakesurfing is amazing. They are making hulls on their boats specifically for wakesurfing. With a deep hull and new surf systems they are able to throw out huge wakes. Wakesurfing also takes some practice and patience but as soon as you get the hang of it and toss the rope is it is the best feeling ever. Being pushed by the water and being able to get air without a rope in your hands is awesome.
Wakeboarding is also a pretty fast growing sport, but it has a lot more risks than surfing. Wakeboarding also has a pretty specific age group. Like wakesurfing, wakeboarding has boats specifically made for wakeboarding. They have a pretty deep hull but are also long so the wake is steep with the curl a long ways back. There is a lot more tricks you are able to do on the wakeboard but it is not the same when you have a rope in your hand. One downside to wakeboarding is the pain. When you get big air, but land with the nose in the water you will feel pain for a few days. Wakeboarding has to be about 70 feet behind the boat and you have to be back that far to get the best part of the wake. When you are surfing you are around 10-15 feet behind the boat so you have no risks of getting hurt because you only go 11 mph.
Wakesurfing and wakeboarding also have a lot of similarities. One of these similarities is that they both involve boards just different sizes. Wakeboards are measured in centimeters and are anywhere from 140-170. Wakesurf boards are measured in inches and range from 46-60 depending on board type and the rider. The length and type of board is also similar because both boards vary depending on rider and the way you will use the board. Also, both boards have different types. Wakeboards have boards for riding park or behind a boat. Park boards are tough and don’t scratch. Boat boards are made specifically for water and wake riding. Surfboards also have types of boards. They have a surf style and skim style. Skim style boards are very thin, short, and have a tiny fin. They are like this so they can slide easy and do three sixties easier. Surf Style boards are long and thick. Surf style boards are mainly for airs and air three sixties.
One final difference between the two activities is where you can ride. This may seem like a point that everyone should know. When you are surfing you need to be in 15 plus feet of water so the wake has enough space to push up and get it to the max size. While with wakeboarding you have a much longer and not so tall wake that you are able to go in much shallow water. Also surfing you will need pretty calm water so your wave is not rough. When you wakeboard you can have a little bit choppy water but calm is always recommended.
Both the water sports are great activities to do in the summer and both are easy to get the hang of. With practice you will be able to do either one of these sports or others on the water.
