Wakeboard Safety

Watersports have only steadily increased in popularity since their advent during the 1980s. One of the most popular types of water sport is wakeboarding, which is done at lower speeds than water skiing and requires the user to ride a wakeboard that jumps waves generated by the towing boat. You could also call it wake surfing or wake skiing.

Even though it’s not as fast as water skiing, wakeboarding still presents some dangers, like any water sports might. Whether you’re facing obstacles in the water or needing to get back to the boat after a fall, you should be properly prepared with the skills, knowledge and gear you need to stay safe.

Here at Active Water Sports, with locations in Beaverton and Salem, OR, we want to keep all our customers safe when you’re out having fun on the water. This guide to wakeboard safety should help you practice your watersports activities without incident!

Get The Necessary Safety Gear

Your most essential piece of watersports safety gear is a well-fitting life jacket. Water hitting you at high speeds as you fall off your board can make you dizzy and push you underwater, so having a life jacket on is crucial until you can get your bearings. It will also right you if you’re knocked unconscious by hitting your head on your board as you fall, allowing rescuers to easily haul you in.

Another necessary piece of gear is a helmet. Hitting your head is dangerous in any situation, but on the water it’s even more dangerous since it impedes your ability to swim. Your last need is a signal flag to indicate to other boaters to look for a swimmer in the water so they can slow down.

Hone Your Swimming Skills

Anyone who spends a significant amount of time in the water needs to know how to swim, even rudimentarily. As a wakeboarder, especially a novice, you’re very likely to fall into the water more than once during a trip, and you need to be able to get back to your board or to the boat safely and quickly. Take the time to build up your swimming skills in a public pool, practicing different strokes and how to float.

Practice Courtesy Towards Other Water Users

Whether you’re a wakeboarder or the boat operator, you need to be courteous to others around you. Some crafts will go very fast and others will be much slower, and there may be swimmers in the water. Don’t ruin someone else’s fishing outing or pleasure cruise by tearing through the water and kicking up spray! Give everyone all the space they need and pass other crafts to the right. Slow down when approaching docks and the shore, and don’t speed off once you launch your boat.

Obey Speed Limits & Signs

Boat operators will want to stay abreast of the warning and safety signs posted throughout a particular waterway so they can keep themselves, their towed sports participants and passengers safe, as well as others on the water. Stick to posted speed limits, no matter how much you might want to go faster. They’re posted for a reason!

Work Your Way Up To Tricks

While you may be tempted to start flipping or spinning right off the bat, it’s better to save the tricks for when you’re more experienced. After all, you wouldn’t attempt to pop a wheelie when you first climb on a bicycle. So take things slow and steady for the first several times you wake ski until you become accustomed to how the sport works. Then you can start taking on jumps and flips and all the other fun tricks as you become better.

Still need the right boat for towing watersports users? Come into one of our dealership locations in either Beaverton or Oregon City to see our full selection of new and used boats for sale, including wake boats. Active Water Sports serves the greater Portland metro area, as well as the cities of Salem and Eugene, Oregon, to the south.