Wakesurfing Behind a Boat

To wakesurf, a person rides on a device similar to a surfboard in the wake just behind a boat.

• The wakesurfer holds onto a tow (ski) rope only until he or she is up out of the water. Then the rope is tossed into the boat.
• The boat travels at slow speeds of 9 to 14 mph.
• To create the larger wake that a wakesurfer needs, the boat carries artificial ballast.

Persons involved in wakesurfing must follow these regulations.

• Due to the large wake, a boat involved in wakesurfing must be operated at least 200 feet from:
  • The shoreline
  • All marine structures, including piers, docks, bridge structures, abutments, and anchored swimming or water-skiing floats
  • Navigation aids such as regulatory buoys and channel markers
  • Other vessels that are underway, anchored, or moored
  • Persons in the water
• Any portable ballast tank must have a manufacturer’s label that gives the tank’s maximum capacity in gallons and/or maximum weight in pounds.
• The combined weight of the ballast, passengers, gear, and motors must not exceed the maximum weight capacity for the vessel.