Wakeboarding Near Me: A Guide on Picking the Best Places to Wakeboard

You have all the gear and the guts to wakeboard already. The only thing left to do is for you to find the best place for you to start riding. So, you might ask yourself, “Where can I go wakeboarding near me?”

Wakeboarding is getting more and more popular as the years go by and a lot of places have been catering to this watersport. The places where you can wakeboard varies from Cable Wake Parks, Water Sports Clubs, Schools or Resorts, or anywhere where there is Motorboat Rental if you don’t have your own boat or jet ski.

Summer is fast approaching and the goal in deciding the best location for you to wakeboard is for you to have a lot of riding times to help you hone your skills in this watersports. The nearer that wakeboarding spot is, the more riding time you get. This guide will walk you through my process of picking places where wakeboarding near me is possible.

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Popular Wakeboarding Places All Over the World

As I said, wakeboarding is a water sport enjoyed all over the world. I know not everyone can go traveling abroad at the moment, but just to give you a good picture of what an ideal wakeboarding spot is, I have listed some of the popular wakeboarding places all over the world. Maybe there is someplace similar near you that would also be perfect for wakeboarding.

Wakeboarding Near Me Location: Lake Powell, Arizona

wakeboarding near me

This lake is popular for a scenic ride. It’s true that when you experience riding on this lake, it’s like you’re riding on Mars because of the surrounding canyon formations. Lake Powell is really quite serene and breathtaking. It’s a huge lake located in Arizona, where it’s mostly like summertime so it has the perfect weather for riding.

Most wakeboarders have Powell on their bucket list and it’s a no-brainer why it is. A popular place called Surf Lake Powell offers boat and even board rentals to make your dreams to go wakeboarding in one of the most unique lakes in the world come true. 

Wakeboarding Near Me Location: St Tropez, France

wakeboarding near me

This may be a very expensive and glamorous wakeboarding destination, but St. Tropez will certainly not disappoint. It’s not considered one of the top destinations for wakeboarding holidays in Europe for no reason.

Feel the exhilarating and glitzy life of jet-setters by wakeboarding in this location. The best thing about this is that you don’t have to have a fortune just to be able to wakeboard in St Tropez. There is a wakeboarding school there that gives lessons at an excellent value while providing an unforgettable wakeboarding experience in the French Riviera!

Wakeboarding Near Me Location: Sevilla Wake Park, Sevilla, Spain

wakeboarding near me

Would you believe that this wake park is situated in the Harbour of Gelves, which is conveniently about 5 minutes away from downtown Sevilla? Not a lot of wake parks are close to downtowns so this fact alone makes Sevilla Wake Park great!

Other than its welcoming and accessible location, this wake park is also known for its great instructors who happily help out beginners. Said to have great instructors and a friendly atmosphere, this spot is especially great for intimidated beginners on their first ride. A lot of wakeboarders who travel frequently think that Sevilla Wake Park is their ‘home away from home cable’, which makes them go back without any hesitations.

Wakeboarding Near Me Location: Orlando Watersports Complex, Orlando, Florida

Wakeboarding Near Me: A Guide on Picking the Best Places to Wakeboard 2

Like Arizona, Florida also has amazing weather for water sports! Orlando is not just popular for Universal Studios or Disneyworld. It also has the Orlando Watersports Complex with an Aqua Park, Summer Camps for kids, and a beach area for everyone to enjoy.

It is one of the ultimate summer destinations in the US. What’s to be highlighted about this place is its wake cable system. It has two full-size cables with many unique features that can accommodate wakeboarders of all levels from beginner to advanced. It also has a pretty accessible location in the city which makes it very convenient watersports complex to visit. 

Importance of Choosing the Right Wakeboarding Spot

Choosing the right wakeboarding spot is just as important as choosing the right equipment that you will use for wakeboarding. This can also make or break your experience in wakeboarding especially if you are going to try it out for the very first time.

Some people are discouraged to try wakeboarding not because they don’t have the means to buy the equipment for this watersport, but because they have no idea where they would try wakeboarding in the first place.

You have to consider a lot of things. It may seem as simple as going to the nearest beach from your house. However, it’s much more than that. For example, if the beach nearest you is mainly known for surfing because of the crashing waves that surfers love to ride, then this place is not an ideal place for wakeboarding. The waves would mostly make it difficult for a motorboat ride through and in turn, you, as a wakeboarder, might have a hard time to control your board as well.

Wakeboarding is best done in glassy and calm waters that allow motorboats to tow you across its wake, which leads to you having a better ride.

How to Choose A Wakeboarding Spot

Mood and Surroundings

In choosing a place that allows wakeboarding near me, I consider a lot of different things. The first thing I consider is the type of ride I am in the mood for. Sometimes I want to go wakeboarding to enjoy the scenery as I ride, so I go for lakes, rivers, the sea, or any body of water with enough space for towing.

Normally, these spots usually don’t have a lot of people. Other times, I don’t mind having other people around me, and I also want to ride mainly to improve my skills even more and learn new tricks, so I go to Cable Parks, Watersports Resorts, and the like. 

This is not to say that if I want to learn new tricks and improve my skills, I can’t enjoy some scenery. Thankfully, they are not mutually exclusive. Some parks have beautiful scenery, and it’s possible to learn tricks in rivers and lakes. Both can certainly be done in either of these types of places, depending on you. But from just this factor alone, I can narrow down the type of spot that would be perfect for me. 

Towing Equipment Available

The second thing I consider is the equipment available mainly for towing. If there is a boat or jet ski available for rent by the nearest lake or sea, that would be very ideal. Wakeboarding actually began by using a motorboat that tows you across the wake it creates for you to do tricks on. Jet skis can also be used if a boat is not available in the area. 

However, I admit that not all bodies of water big enough for wakeboarding near me have boat or jet ski rentals on standby.

If you do own these or know someone who does and can lend them to you, then you’re good to go. If not, since they are super expensive or you’re in an area where buying boats is not a thing, the best option would be to ride by being towed by cable systems that Cable Parks and Watersports resorts have. This is definitely the cheaper and more environmentally-friendly option.

What Kind of Learner You Are

The third thing would be knowing what type of learner you are. This is a good factor to think about for those of you who are trying out wakeboarding for the first time. If you are the type who learns better on your own because you don’t want the pressure of being watched by other people in the park as you learn, then go for lakes, rivers, and seas near you. On the other hand, if you are the type of learner who needs an instructor to assist you in riding for the very first time, then water parks are the way to go. 

The proximity of the Spot

The last and most important thing to consider is how near the place is to you. As a water sports enthusiast, I always find spots that are good for wakeboarding near me. The farthest place I would probably go for would be somewhere 2 hours away from me, at most.

If you choose a place that’s too far, that might not excite you any more to wakeboard. Of course, if you don’t mind the drive, then that’s totally fine. However, if your goal is to improve your skills and learn tricks, it’s important for you to get in as much riding time as possible. So make sure that the place you choose, whether it be a calm body of water or a water park, the trip there won’t take away your motivation to enjoy wakeboarding as much as I enjoy it. 

Safety Measures to Follow

COVID-19 Protocol

While some places are slowly going back to normal, a lot of places are still battling the COVID-19 pandemic. I do believe that we are in a better position now than last year since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allows businesses to operate already, including aquatic venues. Of course, it’s still important that we follow COVID-19 Protocols recommended by the CDC when we are in places such as public lakes, beaches, rivers, water parks, etc. 

The main considerations for Aquatic Venues include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Practice social distancing at the location since the transmission of the virus is through water droplets. The ideal distance would be at least 6 feet;
  2. Provide COVID-19 Test Results if such is required before being allowed in the venue;
  3. Wear dry cloth mask when not in the water; and
  4. Bring extra cloth masks since you’ll be in and out of the water.

For more information about this, visit the CDC’s website by clicking here.

Know the Best Time to Wakeboard

When you have already decided where you are going to wakeboard, it’s important for you to visit the place during different times of the day or gather information about the location’s condition during certain seasons or times of the day. This is to know the possible influx of people into these places and for you to avoid it as much as possible. It’s going to be summertime very soon, so a lot of these places will certainly have people.

For me, I usually go wakeboarding at places near me in the morning because not a lot of people use the facilities or are by the water. This gives me more room to practice and enjoy my ride. This also helps me observe social distancing without any hassle.

Check the Weather of the Location

In some places, even during summertime, there’s a chance of rain, or the day may be windy. Although it is possible to wakeboard despite a little rain or wind, for beginners, that might be a little too much to handle. Rain and wind will certainly affect the calmness of the waters that you will ride on, which would possibly make it hard for you to maneuver your board or do aerial tricks. 

To avoid this, I usually plan ahead by checking which day of the week would have the best weather for me to wakeboard. You can use your weather apps, watch the news, or surf the internet for this. This will also prevent you from wasting time in going to the location and then ending up not wakeboarding at all because of the weather. Preparedness is key!

I know choosing the right wakeboarding location can be tricky but once you find the best location for you, it would be smooth sailing from there on out. Just remember to consider the factors I mentioned above. You can also add a few more things to consider depending on your preference. But remember, the most important thing is for you to enjoy and have fun regardless of what wakeboarding spot you pick. With everything that’s going on, it’s important to find a release, and what better way to do that than to try wakeboarding this summer? 

 With all that being said, please don’t forget to give our Facebook and Instagram pages a visit if you want to know more information about choosing the perfect place to wakeboard, wakeboarding in general, and other water sport-related content. Catch you all later!

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