Wakesurfing for beginners

Wakesurfing is the easiest of the towed sports

That is the first thing to know, because everything else follows from it: in wakesurfing you do not hold a rope. After a few seconds you let go and stay in the wave, pushed along by the boat without being attached to it. Wakeboarding requires constant tension and speed management. Wakesurfing does not. The speed is 16 to 19 km/h — a fast runner's pace, not a speedboat's.

In practice, the large majority of beginners get up on their first session, usually within three to six attempts. It is not a question of strength or fitness. It is a question of patience during the first five seconds.

The start, second by second

This is where it is won, and the only slightly counter-intuitive moment.

• In the water, board on your feet, heels on the board, knees tucked to your chest. The board is perpendicular to you, not parallel. You float on your back, rope between your feet, board against your soles.
• The boat pulls slowly. Let it come. Mistake number one is pulling on the rope: the board shoots forward and you go over it. Stay passive, arms straight, and let the water rotate the board under you.
• When the board flattens out, it comes naturally under your feet. Only then do you rise — slowly, staying crouched. Standing up too fast breaks the balance.
• Once up, shift your weight back towards the tail until you feel the boat pulling less. You are in the wave. Now you can drop the rope.

That last moment is the best thing in the sport: no link to the boat, no engine noise in your ears, and the wave pushing you on its own.

The three mistakes that cost the most attempts

Pulling on the rope. Instinct says to help with your arms. Wakesurfing punishes that instinct. Arms stay straight and relaxed; the legs do the work, and only once the board is flat.

Standing up too early. Until the board is under your feet, rising achieves nothing. Waiting two more seconds solves half of all beginner falls.

Looking at your feet. The body follows the eyes. Eyes on the boat, shoulders follow, balance comes. Eyes on the board, you fall forward.

Do you need to surf? To be fit?

No, and no. Wakesurfing has almost nothing to do with ocean surfing: no paddling, no getting through the break, no reading the wave. The wave is made by the boat, it is identical every time, and it waits for you.

Being able to swim, on the other hand, is essential, and a buoyancy vest is compulsory during all riding. For children, eight is a good marker — provided the child genuinely swims and actually wants to. Younger ones come aboard as passengers, which is already a day out.

How long do you ride?

Far less than you would think. A beginner rarely lasts more than ten to fifteen minutes in total on the water: forearms and thighs give out well before motivation does. That is why outings work well with several people — you ride, then recover on board while the others take their turn, and go again fresher.

Gear

With us, everyone brings their own: board, vest, wetsuit. If you are starting out and have no board yet, say so when you sign up — there is almost always a spare to lend on board. A beginner's board is wide and thick: it forgives placement errors and comes up more easily. Short, lively boards come later.

Otherwise: swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, and a strap for your sunglasses. Lake Geneva stays cold until June; a wetsuit changes the experience a great deal in spring.

When to go out

Early morning and late afternoon. The lake turns to glass, with no wind and no boat chop, and the Surf Gate wave is perfectly clean — meaning consistent, which is exactly what you need to learn. In the middle of a summer day the lake is chopped up by traffic and thermal breeze, and the wave becomes irregular.

What we do

Crans Wake is a non-profit association based at Crans-près-Céligny harbour: we take the boat out to enjoy the lake, everyone with their own gear, and the costs of the outing are shared between those on board. There is nothing to buy on this site. To see what the outings look like, read how a first time works or the open slots.

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