Wakeboarding for Beginners

Safety

Synopsis: Boating safety is a serious topic. Wakeboarding (and all water-sports) are inherently dangerous and safety is something that needs to be taken seriously. Here we cover boating safety basics.

As much fun as it is, wakeboarding is an inherently dangerous sport. There are always going to be risks associated with wakeboarding, water sports, and boating in general. Driving a boat puts a lot of power in your hands. And with great power comes great responsibility (thanks Spider Man)!

When you take the helm of a boat, you take the lives and wellbeing of everyone in the boat into your hands. The laws governing boating safety differ in each state. Some states require specific licenses or permits to operate a vessel. Check your local DNR website for the laws pertaining to your state (or check out BoatUS.com for an unofficial breakdown of the laws for each state).

Regardless of the laws, there are some common sense rules of thumb that you should always follow (whether or not they are part of the law in your state).

The first such thing I would like to touch on is life jackets. You should always wear a US Coast Guard (USCG) approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD) while wakeboarding. There has been a shift in recent years to using non-Coast Guard Approved life jackets. The main advantage being that they are thinner, lighter, and allow a fuller range of motion. Not to mention the "cool factor." Non-Coast Guard Approved life jackets (like most of the Jet Pilot line) are generally sleeker-looking and less-bulky than USCG Approved Jackets.

Don't fall into the trap. When it comes to something as serious as a life jacket, always go for a USCG Approved jacket! Non approved vests are not guaranteed to float you. If you were to be knocked unconscious, there is the serious risk of drowning. There are USCG Approved alternatives that are nearly as sleek and much more functional than the non-Coast Guard approved ones (including some in the Jet Pilot and Hyperlite lines). "Comp vest" generally means non-CGA.

The second common-sense area I'd like to delve into is that of Alcohol. Pretty much everyone enjoys a drink now and again, but you should treat operating while intoxicated the same as you treat driving while intoxicated. There are laws prohibitting operating boats while under the influence. But, to be honest, there shouldn't need to be. It's common sense that you should never get behind the wheel after you have been drinking. Designate a driver (or two) for your crew.

To emphasize this point, I'd like to share an anecdote. Labor day of 2006: we were out wakeboarding on a small, private lake with a handful of good friends. It was a beautiful day out and we were stopped near a cove talking a beginning rider through the process of getting up. I, the driver, was on the swim platform helping the rider get her board strapped on securely when I heard my friend yell, "Ummmm, helloooo." I turned around to see a pontoon boat heading right for us at full speed. I scrambled back in the boat and grabbed the bullhorn that we use to give instruction while underway and started yelling obscenities at the pontoon boat. They turned just in time, coming within five feet of my boat. Had they hit us, the two people who were sitting near the would-have-been impact point probably would have been killed. The rest of us would have been lucky to escape unscathed.

As it turns out, the driver of the pontoon was intoxicated. He was not paying attention. He was not being responsible. When you get behind the wheel, you take other peoples' lives into your hands. Keep that in mind.

This brings us to our third common-sense point: stay alert. Always be looking around for other boats, people in the water, and other obstacles. Anticipate what other drivers are going to do. Assume that every other driver on the water is going to do the stupidest thing possible and anticipate it.

Also be watching the people in your own boat. People are bound to do stupid things. Set ground rules and ensure that everyone follows them.

Another part of being alert is keeping track of your rope.. and the wind. I am ashamed to admit that my first summer driving a wakeboarding boat I ran over my rope on three seperate occassions. The best way to avoid this is to anticipate and to stay alert. If you do run over your rope, there are two things you can do. First, you can try to unwind it from the prop while you're still on the water, if the water is murky, it's a futile effort (believe me). If you can't get it unwound, just unhook the rope from your tower, power off the engine, and flag someone down to tow you back to your boat lift or trailor so that you can untangle the rope and see what you're doing. You'll likely be back on the water within a half an hour.

Even if you adhere to the most stringent safety regulations, wakeboarding is still a dangerous sport. Recently, I have heard of several people getting head injuries on their wakeboard. Three personal friends of mine have needed stitches on their head because they got hit by their board in a hard fall. One of my friends has had a serious concussion in the past month. And I have heard stories of people who have even died of head trauma. Severe injuries like those are rare, but they do happen. This is why I now recommend wakeboard helmets for everyone. You may look a little dorky, but they can save your life.

Stay alert, stay sober, stay safe. Boating safety is something that everyone should take seriously. I highly encourage you to take a Coast Guard Approved Boating Safety Course if you are new on the water. You will learn a lot and it may just save your life.

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