The Top Three Lessons I Learned When Learning to Wake Surf

Hi! My name is Kate and I’m a new blog writer! I’m a high school student in the Phoenix area.  I love to write and talk about the lake, so blogging is an amazing opportunity for me!

I learned how to surf in April of 2018. Surfing has become one of my favorite things to do. Who doesn’t like an early morning surf sesh? Lake Pleasant has become my second home. I love to be on the water. Tubing, surfing, knee boarding, swimming, you name it. I’m currently working on landing a 360° right now on a skim board. It’s pretty tough. However, I’m working hard at it, and I’m hoping to learn it before the season is over. My dream is to compete in the wakesurfing competitions. Hopefully, in the future you’ll see me out there. For now, here are some lessons I learned while learning to surf and wanted to share with you.

It took me quite some time when I was learning to wake surf. It takes time and patience to learn. I did not want to be patient and would get frustrated with myself. Trust me, lots and lots of tears went into learning so don’t give up! I struggled finding the right placement on the board and not letting the boat pull me over. When you fall, you should drop the rope right away. Some important lessons I learned were feet placement, balance, and learning to get comfortable. Once I took some time and learned these three lessons I popped right up!

LESSON 1: FOOT PLACEMENT
Paying attention to your feet for footing, and placement. Footing is important so you can ride comfortably. Some people are “goofy footed” or they ride with their right foot forward. Some people are “Regular footed” and ride with their left foot forward. Most people ride regular, or left foot forward. If you don’t know which foot you ride in front with you can try this test. Stand straight up in the boat and have someone push you from the back. The foot you step forward with tells you if you’re “regular” or “goofy” footed. Stepped forward with your left foot? You’re regular. Got it?

Once you figure out your footing, placement is next. When you are in the water waiting to get up, keep your heels on the very edge of the board closest to your body. You want them to be about shoulder width apart. Yell “I’m ready!” or “Go!” when you are ready! When the boat starts to accelerate, put pressure on your heels, which causes the board to be pushed flat underneath you. You want to be in a squatting position as you are getting up. Slowly pull yourself up like you’re doing a reverse sit-up.

LESSON 2: BALANCE
When I was starting out, I would try to stand up too late, which resulted in the boat pulling me over. You need to wait for the pressure of the board to resist the water. Once you get up, you want to put pressure on your toes rather than your heels. When putting pressure on your toes you will be pulled closer to the wave. Once you feel comfortable on the board, move your toes to the “toe side” of the board. The “toe side” of the board is the side of the board closest to the wave. This will move you towards the wave where you want to be. Being close to the wave is the easiest spot to get comfortable while surfing. You can pull yourself with the rope or try to use your body weight to get there.

LESSON 3: GETTING COMFORTABLE
Once you are up and feel stable enough, you can start to stand up more. Let go of the rope with your back hand, and only hold it with one hand. This will gradually get you to not needing the rope to stay in the wave! If you are having a hard time getting to the “sweet spot” try bending down and putting your back hand into the water. The “sweet spot” is the point on the wave that the wave starts pushing you forward and being dragged by the rope isn’t necessary to move forward. You don’t want to put your hand all the way into the water because that will act as a brake and you don’t want that. You can just touch the wave lightly with your fingers. Once you get slack in the rope and you are comfortable enough you can let go of the rope!

It takes almost everyone a couple tries to get up. Don’t get frustrated! You’ve got this! Keep working on your footing, balance, and getting comfortable. Ultimately, have fun and stay safe.

- Kate Judson