Your Stories

Wakeboarding is a bit like water-skiing but instead of two long planks attached to the end of your feet you stand on a single wide board.

It's a bit like snowboarding on water and has often been described as 'an exciting mix of snowboarding, surfing and skateboarding'.

Participants don a wetsuit, clamber into a speedboat and prepare themselves to get extremely wet.

After a few tips from the instructor, and a major battle to get your feet into the rubber bindings, you are told to get in the water and assume the correct position for launch.

Battling the waves

Bobbing up and down in the water waiting for the speedboat as it revs its engine and moves off down the lake is a little intimidating to say the least.

Numerous thoughts run through your head. Will I be able to do it? Will it hurt if I face plant? Will I drown? Why am I here?

But as the boat moves off, and you slowly realise you are gliding above the water instead of being dragged through it, it's a great sense of accomplishment!

Once you're up, it's actually quite easy to stay afloat and enjoy the experience as you're pulled along behind the speedboat.

The trickiest moments come when you try and cross the wake of the boat, which can in varying degrees:

• wipe the smile off your face as you lose your balance and face plant into the lake
• cause you to wail like a banshee as you bounce up and down uncontrollably
• scream with glee as you battle the waves, come out the other side and feel victorious

Wakeboarding is easy to learn and extremely good fun to do.

It’s amazing how easy it is to pick up and one thing's for sure - once you've tried it you'll want to do it again and again.

For information on Wakeboarding see the links below:

Craig Cohoon Ski School
Contact Tel: 01285 713735 / 711355
Price  £34 for every 30 minutes and £4 per person

The Watermark Club 
Tel - 01285 860606
Price  £15 for 10 minutes
Taster course - £35 adult, £30 child
All equipment supplied