5 Beginner Wakesurfing Tricks to Try

If you’ve recently mastered getting up and staying up on your wakesurf board, congratulations and welcome to the world of wakesurfing! Having grown in popularity over recent years, wakesurfing is a fun sport and one that anyone of any age can enjoy. It’s similar to wakeboarding, but rather than having your feet strapped to your board, you stand on it like a surfboard and use similar motions as you surf the waves that the boat makes. All you need for a successful wakesurf outing is the right wakesurf board, a wakesurf rope, a life jacket, and an inboard or V-drive boat that is safe for surfing behind. Be sure you’re all geared up by checking out our surf shop before you head out!

So, what’s next for the person who is able to stand up and drop the rope confidently? If you’re at the point where you’re starting to get bored of simply getting up successfully behind the boat, it’s time to learn some wakesurfing tricks! Whether or not you consider yourself to be adventurous, attempting some easy wakesurfing tricks can be a great way to add some more fun to this sport, not to mention impress all the on-lookers!

There are a number of wakesurfing tricks that you can eventually master, but we’re going to start off with a few easier ones.

Here are 5 beginner wakesurfing tricks to try this summer:

Floating

One of the best wakesurfing tricks to start with when you’re first learning is floating or riding the top of the wave. To do this, start by centering yourself on your board. You’ll want to turn the nose of your board up toward the wave by slightly moving your front foot forward. After you’ve ridden up the wave, keep your footing where it is so that you can stay on the top of the wave. This is a great move to start off with when you’re building your way up to learning other wakesurfing tricks.

Carving

Carving is another great skill to start with when you’re working your way up to learning more advanced wakesurfing tricks. It’s essentially a back-and-forth zigzag motion as you’re riding up and down the wave. To carve, you’ll use the same motion as you did to float on the top of the wave. The difference, though, is once you get to the top of the wave, you’ll want to ride back down. Your back foot will be what you use to pivot and control the direction you’re headed. Continue this up-and-down motion and you’ll be carving! This is another fun wakesurfing trick to start off with.

Rail Grab

A rail grab is pretty self-explanatory—it’s where you grab on to the edge of your board while you’re wakesurfing. To accomplish this, you’ll want to be comfortable with crouching on your board. Bend your knees and keep them close to your body as you get low. Whichever leg is forward, use your opposite hand to grab the edge of your board. Learning how to get comfortable with this move will help you with other future tricks!

Ollie

An Ollie is when you jump with your wakesurf board and get a little bit of air. It’s recommended to first try doing this outside of the wave and while you’re still holding on to the rope as you’re learning. Whichever foot you have forward, use that same arm to hold the rope and keep it straight. Put weight on your front foot and bend your knees enough to jump. From here, shift your weight to your back leg and pop your wakesurf board up with your front foot. As the board starts popping up, bend your knees even more and bring them to your chest. Once you’re able to get your board out of the water and successfully land, you can work your way up to doing Ollies without the rope and while at the top of the wave.

360 Turns

This trick is a little more complicated and something you’ll want to build up to after mastering some easier ones, but it’s a great wakesurfing trick to start working on regardless! As you ride up the wave, bend your knees and stick your back hand in the water to help you pull your body around (you’ll be turning towards this arm). It helps to look over this shoulder as you turn to spot yourself so you can properly get back into facing the front. Like some of these other wakesurfing tricks, think of your back foot as the one to pivot yourself. It may take several tries before you successfully turn yourself fully around but keep at it!

Things to remember:

Make sure you have the basics mastered first. If you’re only successfully getting up on your wakesurf board half of the time, you probably aren’t ready to attempt any wakesurfing tricks. Keep practicing the basics until you feel confident enough with those to the point where you’re getting bored and anxious to try something new! That’s a good sign that you’re ready to start learning some wakesurfing tricks.

Attitude is everything! Just like when you first learned how to stand up on your board and drop the rope, this will take time and won’t be something you master right away. Therefore, don’t let yourself get discouraged after your first wipeout! Go into learning your trick with patience for yourself, knowing that it might take several or more tries to get it right.

Going off of attitude, don’t push yourself past your limits. If your muscles are getting tired after numerous attempts and you’re feeling shaky, it might be best to take a break. After all, it’s easier to successfully master a wakesurfing trick when you’re feeling 100% than it is when you’re feeling weak and worn out.

Think you’re ready to start learning some beginner wakesurfing tricks? Start off with a few of these easy ones and soon, you’ll be ready to show them off to everyone on the boat!