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There's a moment on a wakeboard when everything goes quiet. The rope goes tight, the boat surges, and suddenly it's just you, the water and the wake. Give someone that moment. Wakeboarding, water skiing, wake surfing and kneeboarding all come from the same family of towed water sports, whether it's carving turns on a single board, holding a line on two skis, or dropping the rope to surf the wake solo. It's a gift built for someone who'd rather spend the day on the water than unwrap another candle.
You don't need experience to start. Sessions are built around first timers, with an instructor talking you through everything from getting up on the board to holding a steady line, so nerves don't get in the way of a good time. Book it for a birthday, a bucks' or hens' day, a family weekend, or for the person who's been saying "I've always wanted to try that" for years.
A wakeboarding or water skiing session usually runs from thirty minutes to a full afternoon, with a boat, all the gear and an instructor included. Calm, flat water makes for the smoothest ride, so most sessions run in the morning or early afternoon. Here's where to book one.
The Gold Coast Broadwater is calm, warm and about as forgiving as towed water sports get, which makes it a solid pick for a first go. Give someone a Gold Coast Solo Wakeboarding or Wake Surfing – 1 Hour session if they'd rather ride solo with the instructor's full attention, or a Gold Coast Wake Surfing or Wakeboarding – 30 Minutes taster if they're easing in for the first time. For a longer day out, a Gold Coast Wakeboarding or Wake Surfing with Lunch – 6 Hours session adds a proper lunch stop on the water to the mix.
If Middle Harbour is closer to home, Sydney Wakesurfing Lessons in Middle Harbour puts a qualified instructor and all the gear in the boat, on calm, protected water that's ideal for a first attempt at dropping the rope and riding the wake solo.
Wakeboarding is a towed water sport where you ride a single board across a boat's wake, similar in feel to snowboarding or surfing but with a tow rope instead of a hill or a wave. Water skiing is the two ski version of the same idea, and wake surfing drops the rope once you're up so you surf the wake itself.
Wakeboarding uses one board with both feet strapped in side on. Water skiing uses two skis, or one for slalom, with a more upright stance. Wake surfing uses a shorter board and no rope once you're riding, so the wave the boat throws does the work.
No. Sessions are built around first timers, and your instructor will run through getting up, holding a line and falling safely (there's a fair bit of falling early on) before you head out.
Start behind the boat at a slow, steady speed with the board pointed straight and your knees bent and let the boat do the work of pulling you up rather than trying to stand too early. A good instructor talks you through this before you're even in the water.
Swimwear, a towel and sunscreen. Life jackets and any other safety gear are provided as part of the session, so there's nothing else to source.
Anywhere from a thirty minute taster to a full afternoon with a meal included, depending on how much time on the water someone's after.
Yes. Gold Coast Private Wake and Surf – 4 Hours – For 10 is set up for exactly that, with a private boat, gear and instruction for up to ten people across a full afternoon. It's a solid pick for a hens' day, birthday or family get together.
If wakeboarding and water skiing aren't quite the fit, RedBalloon water sports covers plenty of other ways to spend a day on, or under, the water:
Or browse the full water sports range for everything in one place.