Wakeboarding Power up
If you have ever wanted to try waterskiing, snowboarding or surfing then this might be your dream sport.
Wakeboarding combines techniques from all three and is relatively quick to pick up.
So what better way to spend an afternoon on the beach than with jets of sea spray foaming behind you as you carve up the bay.
A wakeboard looks a lot like a snowboard but is shorter and wider.
It is also buoyant, that is, it can float. The sport is similar in its acrobatic elements, so you will get the same adrenaline fix as you would do on snow, but of course, it’s water based so you’ll have the thrill of seawater fizzing up around your feet as you cruise along.
Once you’re ready to go, remember to relax because the calmer you are the more your body will want to balance, making you the watersports pro that everyone will be admiring from the beach!
You’ll be traveling at speeds of 18 – 24mph (multiply by 1.6 for kph), so it’s slightly slower than water skiing.
The boat that pulls you is specialised and has a rope mounted tower above the water line. This enables the person riding the board to gain height for tricks without being limited by the cable.
Once you’ve mastered standing up and gliding along the bay with the Red Sea breeze in your hair, you can move onto some core skills.
These will set your pulse racing, so are suitable for those looking for thrills. You can start with ‘carving’, this is a technique where you slice up the water in different directions.
Or try a more challenging ‘ollie’. This is similar to the type of flip you would do on a skateboard.
As with many freestyle sports such as snowboarding and surfing, there is almost a separate language of terms to describe various tricks (Off-axis, Tantrum, Elephant, Whirlybird, Slob 360, etc).
Professionals on large boards can jump 25 feet above the water. One of the most impressive moves in the sport is the ‘1080’, which involves executing three full 360 degree flips in the air.
So if you pull this one off at Sharks Bay Beach you’ll be quite a local celebrity, the maneuver has only ever been caught once on camera in America!
This fledgling sport is rapidly growing in popularity, especially with young Sharmers.
To have such a large proportion of competitors on the Egyptian team is testament to that.
In general, wakeboarding is most popular with 13-25 year olds, of both genders.
There is a strong movement among the sport many enthusiasts have a dream to make it an Olympic Event, in view of the fact that it has increased in popularity, especially over the last 5 years.
So, if you love watersports and want to try something new or you’re an aspiring x-games nut, this could be just the ticket.
If you’ve surfed, snowboarded or skateboarded, you’ll probably pick it up really quickly.
Here in Sharm, courses are mainly taken in the harbor of Sharm el Maya, near Old Market, where the glassy still water is well suited to this kind of activity.
Not only is it fun but it also offers you a full body workout, it strengthens your arm and leg muscles, improves flexibility in the hands and feet, improves your reaction times and is great for relieving stress.
A great place for lessons is with Nader Salem who is based over at Terrazzina Beach, Sharm El Maya.
He can guide beginners and is able to assist with any questions.
Feel free to give Nader a call on +20 10 900 77380.
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