In 1982 I was born into a “River Rat” family, and have been around the water sports industry from that day.  Now I know some of you are saying that you graduated college in 1982, or maybe even high school, but this is not my point.  My point is this.  Ever since I can remember there has been one defining lesson taught during my 27 years of being on the water.  SAFTEY, SAFTEY, SAFTEY!  In the next few paragraphs I am going to outline some of the most important safety factors for wakesurfing, and water sports in general. 

To start off, wakesurfing requires the same level of safety that all other water sports require.  This article will cover the type of boat needed for wakesurfing, the type of gear needed, driving/riding safety, and overall basics that a person stepping into a boat should know.  For a seasoned pro, or a newbie to the sport it is always important to refresh safety knowledge.      

Now that it is time to give wakesurfing a try, please make sure to wakesurf behind a boat that has an Inboard motor only.  The reason this is critical is because on boats with Inboard/Outboard motors or boats with Outboard motors there is a huge chance to get caught in the prop of the boat.  With an Inboard motor, there is a lot less chance of getting to the prop when falling because the prop is under the boat.  If the motor, or any part of the motor is in plain sight wakesurfing should be reconsidered.  With the motor in plain sight people will be within a dangerous distance to that motor and the results may not be pretty. 

Having the proper gear is the one of the most important safety aspects to wakesurfing.  The most important gear a person should have is a Life Vest.  While there is always a drive that wants us to wakesurf without a life vest, it is not recommended.  It is recommended to always wear a life vest.  A vest that is USCGA certified will give the best results in the case of an emergency.  However we are seeing a lot more riders which prefer to use a competition vests that are not USCGA certified.  In either case it is imperative that a life vest of some type is to be worn.  Emergencies happen in the blink of an eye, and a life vest is the best way to save lives.  Go Figure!  Without life, there is no wakesurfing!     

There are two other pieces of gear that are needed and that are very important to wakesurfing.  The first piece of gear that is needed is a wakesurf board.  The board itself is not so much used as a piece of safety equipment; however it is critical to make sure that the board is in good working condition.  Many times boards can be damaged, which can lead to the board breaking while riding.  This is a safety issue.    Also check to make sure that the board doesn’t have any small cracks that can lead to fiberglass splinters or worse.  In both situations, the board that is going to be rode must be checked visually before it is going to be used.  If the risk is weighed before getting in the water, there will be a lot less of a chance of getting hurt which will increase the your safety while wakesurfing.

The next piece of gear that is as critical as any other piece of gear you have is the rope and handle of the rope.  Many people try to modify their old waterskiing, wakeboarding rope and handle for wakesurfing which is not recommended.  There are many companies in the industry that have designed specific wakesurfing handles and ropes that provide the proper length of rope and handle size.  The handle should be wide enough to allow a firm grip by one hand and an overlap hand, but not wide enough for a spaced grip with both hands.  Once a rider is up and riding, it is important to only hold onto the rope with one hand.  Sometimes when trying to find the meat of the wave you will get some slack in the rope and this slack should not be looped in anyway possible when holding the rope.  If there are loops in the line this will create a danger that limbs can get caught in when you fall.  This danger could result in the loss of that limb.  The same dangers are apparent when using a handle that is over sized. 

It is also important to talk about safety while wakesurfing.  There are many risks when wakesurfing and accidents can happen at anytime.  One of the most important ideas to grasp when wakesurfing is that when a rider falls the board is usually somewhere over the top of them.  Seeing that most wakesurf boards are very buoyant there is no real way to tell where the board is after falling, and it is important that the rider protects one of the most important parts of his/her body; Their Head.  It is easy to protect the head by covering it with a forearm.  By using this technique the rider can lesson the chance of getting knock in the head by the board.  The boards might seem light and harmless, but they can cause some sever damage.  Always be thinking about where the board might be when resurfacing the water.      

Another important safety aspect of wakesurfing is the driver’s responsibilities.  It is very important that the driver of the boat maintains a constant speed.  If the drive lets the speed of the boat decrease there is a good chance that the rider will run into the back of the boat causing damage to the boat, swim platform, the board, and may cause injury to the wakesurfer and other shredders on the boat.  It is also very important for the driver to be aware their surroundings.  Even though the boat will only be traveling approximately 11 mph it is imperative to know what other boats are around, and where they are at all times. 

After covering some of the topics about safety, I hope we can all realize that there is a lot more to learn, and that we need to practice safety whenever we are on the water.  Wakesurfing is an enjoyable sport with many dangers, and we want to keep our friends, passengers, riders, and drivers all on the same page to ensure that we can wakesurf for a lifetime.  I hope you enjoyed this article and keep your eyes out for more helpful wakesurfing information in the near future.

Bri has been wakesurfing for two and a half years, and has proved to be one of the best women wakesurfers in the industry.  You can check out her website at www.brichmel.com.  It is easy to say that Bri has been on the podium for almost every event that has taken place since she has started riding.  Look for her in the future to keep on pushing the sport of wakesurfing with her spins, shuvits, and airs.  

Check out the video below for some intense skim style wakesurfing put together by the Crawley Wake Team.

 You can also check out a news release WakeWorld put out on there site about Shred Stixx Wakesurfing Co.  To check out the news release click here à http://www.wakeworld.com/getarticle.asp?articleid=2069 

This camera is somewhat stuck in the past using miniDV tapes vs the up and coming HDD video cameras, but if your are strictly looking for the best quality video at bargin bin prices you can’t beat it.  Besides its great quality video (all I really wanted it for), it also comes with a built-in 3.1 MP point and shoot camera, Firewire, AV, S-Video, MiniHDMI and microSD to make for easy transition to video editing or watching yourself in HD on your flat panel TV.  The battery life is descent at around 2 hrs, but can easily be upgraded to 5 hrs for about $50 and the video that comes from a miniDV tape is uncompressed (unlike HDD), which is great for video editing.

If you want to take your video skills to another level, I recommend picking up a Raynox .33X semi-fisheye lens.  At $95, all the extra real estate you pick up with this lens its like a modern day Louisiana Purchase.  The ability to get up close and personal really adds a whole new dimension to shooting rails, wakesurfing, and big mountain scenes as well.  There is a slight amount of fish eyeing on the very edge and your zoom is reduced to about 5x down from 10x, but if your looking to get a high quality video and extra real estate for new video perspectives, be sure to strongly consider this set up when the stimulus check comes in.

Be sure to stay tuned to the Midwestwakesurfing blog for a video demo showing off the cameras quality and the lens ability to pick up those extra inches to get great shots!

Epic Wakeboats out of San Diego Calif. has announced the new release of the ”The World’s First Electric Hybrid Sport Boat,” the Epic 23E.  With the boats new electric hybrid drive system, the Epic 23E uses half the fuel of its combustion-powered equivalent.  This boat is now more environmentally friendly and economical than any other boat on the water.

The Epic 23E currently has 4,000 lbs of stock ballast, “D.R.O.P.” Zone Wake Enhancing Hull Technology, Resin-Infused All-Composite construction, Dual Rudder “Vector Steer System,” 10-Speaker Transom Audio and many other features. Epic currently has dealers located nationwide as well as Australia, Canada and Mexico. For more information, please visit Epic Wakeboats.

 Click here to check out a video of the Epic 23E in action.

Anyone want to Wakesurf behind this guy??

It is safe to say that the Action Sports industry is growing every day.  In May of 2009, Wake Nation is brining a new cable park to the Midwest.  The cable park is located in Cincinnati, OH.  For all of us in the Midwest who can’t travel to Orlando Watersports Complex or other cable parks around the US, we now have a cable park that is a lot closer for us to enjoy.

Wake Nation Cincinnati is a watersports complex designed for wakeboarding, wakeskating, waterskiing and knee boarding.  There park is designed for you the rider.  Whether this is your first time wakeboarding or you’ve been doing it for years Wake Nation is sure you’ll find their park to be challenging and a total blast.  Wake Nation Cincinnati is on an eight acre lake and has a cable system suspended thirty feet above the lake.

For a quick look at how the cable park works; check out their web page at www.wakenation.com./index.html.    

I am now convinced that everyone should add this magazine to their pooper material pile.  This magazine comes in the form of Wakesurfing Magazine (Surprised!?!?!).  But honestly I just got my first Issue of the magazine and am super happy with my choice to buy the yearly subscription.  You can see one of Shred Stixx team riders Chase Hasen ripping it up with a few other riders such as Josh Mulcoy.  The stories are written well, and the hype of wakesufing jumps off the pages at you.  Go out and get yourself some, and keep an eye out for this wakesurfing sport, it’s hot!  

You can also find a virtual version of the magazine at http://www.wakesurfingmag.com where there is even more wakesurfing entertainment.    

Before I start this blog, I want to put my opinion of the word “WAKESURFING” to rest.  I know others might say “who cares”, but it is something I end up thinking of and want to put an end to it.  Here it is, “The word Wakesurfing is One Word.”  If you are using “wake surfing”, it’s cool, but come on man Change it.

Now on to your introduction to Wakesurfing.  To Shred Stixx, Wakesurfing is an up and coming sport that people are just starting to catch on to.  The sport has been in the under ground stages of growing since the late 50′s early 60′s, when people like Jerry Price were riding long boards behind outboard boats, which we do not recommend any more.  With today’s boats, we have pretty much split wakesurfing into two different styles.  We have the skim type style of wakesurfing and then we have original surf style.  In each style we use the same wave, however the personalities of surfing are different.  In surf style wakesurfing, the surfer uses a board that resembles the style of board an ocean surfer would use.  The boards have a lot of drive down the wave, and we are seeing a lot of big airs come out of this type of wakesurfing.  In Skim Style wakesurfing, the boarder uses a board that is usually thin and bi-directional.  We see these surfers doing a lot of spins, shuvits, and variations of the two.  

Wakesurfing has become a sport that everyone in the family can enjoy.  In the words of Jerry Price, owner of Shred Stixx, “People can get a very true simulation of what it really feels like to surf in the ocean.”  I don’t know if you can explain wakesurfing any better than this?   To the people in the Midwest, keep praying for warm weather, and I think dock season is right around the corner.  Check out the video below and have fun wakesurfing.  

Stay tuned for more up and coming news on wakesurfing  events, clinics, and fun.

Boating season 2009 has officially opened!