Many people enjoy engaging in various water sports throughout the year. Statistics gathered from 2016 found 2.91 million people throughout the United States participated in some type of wakeboarding. While many people enjoy using their wakeboard boats, another one of the most popular types of water sports is wakesurfing. It’s understandable to want to learn safety tips to utilize before getting on a wakesurf boat. Considering that, here are four safety tips to remember before wakesurfing.
- Know What Activity You’re Planning For
It’s incredibly easy to get wakesurfing and wakeboarding confused. Wakeboarding typically utilizes ropes that are longer than those used for wakesurfing. While wakeboarding ropes range from anywhere between 52 to 78 feet, wakesurfing ropes typically measure five feet in distance. The rider is meant to stay on while wakeboarding, meaning boat speeds need to be much slower than while waterskiing. - Keep an Eye on Speed
It’s understandable to become momentarily distracted while navigating out on the beautiful water. That being said, you’ll want to avoid this and ensure that you’re regularly monitoring how fast your wakesurf boat rental is going. Those who are beginning to wakeboard for the first time should start out as slow as possible. - Have an Extra Set of Eyes Present
Driving a boat is quite a lot of work. With that in mind, it’s wise to have someone with you that can help navigate. For instance, many people utilizing a wakesurf boat rental bring along more than one person. Having more than two people in your group allows for someone else to help watch both your driving and the safety of the person wakesurfing. In addition, having someone else in the boat can help you come back around to pick up someone after they’ve been out surfing. - Make Sure Everyone is Wearing Lifejackets
One of the most important safety tips to follow while out on the water is to wear a lifejacket. These are essential pieces of attire that assure you remain afloat in the event that you lose your balance while wakesurfing. Before ever heading out on the water, make sure that your wakesurf boat rental is outfitted with enough lifejackets for all boat occupants.
In closing, there are several tips to follow before going wakesurfing. This fun activity is one of many water sports enjoyed by people throughout the United States. That being said, it’s still important to follow important safety tips while you’re out having fun wakesurfing. You’ll want to ensure that you’re keeping an eye on speeds, ensuring the person trying to wakesurf can do so safely. Many people who wakesurf take along additional passengers to have a spotter present. It’s also important to make sure that each and every passenger on your boat wears a lifejacket at all times. Following these tips will help ensure that your next wakesurfing experience is one that is both safe and fun.