Wake Surfing for Beginners

How to Drive a Wakesurfer

More than any other watersport, driving a wakesurfer is a two-man venture. A successful run depends as much on the driver as it does on the surfer. It is the driver's responsibility to keep the wake consistent. There is a very small margin for error. Too slow and the wake becomes washy. Too fast and the wake becomes too small. On most boats, there is about a one mile per hour wide sweet spot where the wake is just right.

Finding and sustaining the perfect wake as a driver takes almost as much practice as finding the sweet spot surfing. It will take a little bit of practice and patience as you are learning. But after a little while you will be able to know instinctively what what the wake should look like and what you need to do to adjust it.

Here is a picture comparing the wake at different speeds:

In the leftmost picture, the wake is washy. Your board will be consumed by the frothy foam on the wake and it will be hard to surf. If your wake looks like this, it means you need to speed up.

The middle depicts a good surfing wake. This is what it should look like: crisp, but not too small. A wake like this is the most conducive to surfing. If you have arranged your ballast well you may even be treated with a slight curl.

Finally, the rightmost picture displays a long, small wake. As the boat planes off, the wake will get smaller and longer. Not only does it lose its pushing power, but it actually needs to push you harder than before to make you keep up with the boat. If your wake looks like this, slow down a little bit.

Optimally, you will want your boat to be going the fastest speed it can be going without going on plane. At this speed, it will be displacing the most water possible, creating the best wake.

The speed to achieve this will vary based on your boat's hull, the amount of ballast you have in your boat, the wind conditions for the day, and the number and placement of your passengers. But for reference, 9.5 miles per hour is a good starting point.

If you're having trouble keeping the speed constant, a cruise control system like Perfect Pass will do wonders. It's a bit pricey if you don't already have it, but if you're really into water sports Perfect Pass is a necessity (it's great for wakeboarding and water skiing too)!

If you haven't already set up your ballast, you should do that now. Otherwise, read up about the riding side of surfing by using the lefthand menu.

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