One of the most intense adrenaline rushes starts to build once you mount your feet to a seemingly awkward board and prepare to jump into the water. Experiencing this for the first time is both daunting and exhilarating at the same time. You think of nothing but how to get out of the water while holding onto a stiff handle and long rope. Lying back awaiting the initial tug from the boat leaves you shaking in the water, with no positive expectations. Once you manage to get out of the water, the real difficulty begins. You have to balance from left to right through multiple waves from your boat and others. Then you fall. It is as simple as that; smacking your face for the first time and dousing your nostrils with water hurts for barely a second. Then the boat pulls around and everyone asks if you are alright.
Wakeboard Tailbone
Wakeboarder, hinter Boot
English: Wakeboarding Marco Díaz photography Espa..."Let's do it again!" the driver always hears. This is why I started and continue to wakeboard today.
When someone decides they want to take on the challenge of wakeboarding they must of course first learn how to get out of the water. This is definitely something that is easier said than done. You begin to do this by having your legs crouched up close to your body, with the wakeboard perpendicular to the surface of the water. You hold the rope with both hands while reaching forward so that your knuckles are just past the edge of the wakeboard. When you have achieved this position and feel you are ready, let the driver know. The driver must accelerate slowly to about a speed of 20mph.
When the boat just begins accelerating, keep the wakeboard in the same position as mentioned earlier, in order to...