Wake surfing catches attention of water sport enthusiasts

When ocean surfers want the perfect wave, they first have to wait for the correct tide and then paddle out and meet the roller at just the right time.

But emerging technology has produced wake boats that can turn any area lake into the perfect wave for surfing as long as the rider wants to catch it.

The growing sport is not only catching the attention of water sport enthusiasts, the demand for boats that can create the perfect wake is also pumping life into the boat sales industry, said Jerrett Moss, 29, who started wake surfing about 12 years ago.

“Literally anybody can do it as long as they are able to get into the water and listen to instruction. The age range of people I teach is 4 to 84,” Moss said. “It’s very gratifying and isn’t very difficult to learn how to do.”

Like Moss, Coeur d’Alene wake surfer Adam Wheeler, 32, started out years ago with wake boarding. Wheeler even competed in college in the sport.

“I really got into that,” he said. “But I ended up tearing my ACL again and having surgery in 2007. I didn’t want to keep injuring my knee. About that same time I heard about wake surfing.

“It’s high on fun and low on risk for injury. When you drop that rope for the first time, it’s a really cool feeling.”

Water skiing and wake boarding require the rider’s feet to be secured to skis or a board at speeds of about 24 mph and up.

“Wake boarding can be consequential, is what I like to say,” Moss said. “When you catch an edge, you can fall really hard. I’ve blown two ACLs in the last four years wake boarding, but I’ve never injured myself wake surfing.”

Once the surfers hit the waves, they are typically traveling only about 11 mph.

“You are not connected to the board so you don’t get that whiplash effect,” Moss said. “That’s what a lot of families like about it. When they fall … it’s a very mellow fall.”

Wake surf competition

Water sports had a much bigger following in the late 1990s and early 2000s with several events that provided an opportunity for those in the sport to show off their skills in competitions.

Now that sport is growing again, Ronnie Watson began organizing competitions that he follows with a day of instruction so that folks can come out and try the new sport without the pressure of competing.

Watson is the North Idaho coordinator of the International Novice Tour League, which organizes the water sport events. He had approximately 30 people come out for an event to Hauser Lake on June 11.

“There has been a lull of contests in this area. So, it’s definitely a work in progress,” he said.

Watson also has a competition scheduled for July 23 at Willow Bay Marina on the Pend Oreille River outside of Priest River.

“We’ve got about 30 people signed up. But a lot of them tend to register at the event,” he said.

Another event is scheduled for Aug. 20 at Camp Easton on Lake Coeur d’Alene. The next day, the organizers will host a clinic to show others how to wake surf.

Folks in the competition get graded on everything from waving to the judges to 1080-degree spins.

“We have a call judge in the boat. There is a point system for every trick in the book,” Watson said. “We encourage them to go to the INT League website so they can have an idea about the INT judging process.”

The competitions often are used as a way for folks who love the water to show their stuff and draw attention to the sport. Watson, 36, has been wake boarding for 20 years.

“With wake boarding, there’s a whole group of us who are pretty diehard. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said. “When you get the double-ups and get 15 feet up in the air, it is pretty exciting. But, it definitely comes with its consequences.

“But everyone can get out and learn to wake surf.”

Expensive habit

Anyone who wants to start wake surfing could face some pretty rude sticker shock. The price of some of the wake boats can range from $130,000 to as much as $200,000.

“That’s one thing that is tough with all these brand new boats – their price has gone way up,” said Moss, who works at StanCraft Marina in Coeur d’Alene. “But so has their technology.”

The new boats can be programmed to provide different waves for different people with the touch of a button. However, all three men said the wake boats are now old enough that shrewd shoppers can find used craft that can still provide the thrill.

“If you are river surfing, you have a very short window when you have enough water flow,” Moss said. “As soon as the dam is closed, that wave can be gone in a matter of a day.

“But I call these boats ‘The never ending wave,’” Moss said. “That wave is always there until you fall.”