Water Skiing

Water skiing is a sport which I have previously enjoyed many times. It involves being towed behind a boat at 20 miles an hour and above, right up to 100 miles an hour in professional racing! Water skiing is a sport which can be done by almost anyone – I have seen 5 year old kids standing up skiing behind a boat. Water skiing is done usually in lakes, dams and rivers. Ideally, the water is very calm, because it becomes difficult to ski when there is a lot of chop (or it’s rough).

Water skiing can be done on two skis, or a single ski (known as single skiing). Single skiing is considerably harder, and also takes a more powerful boat to pull the rider up.  Skiing is done by powerful outboard or inboard boats, and if you really start to get serious about it, then behind a ski boat. Water skiing also tends to include wakeboarding, knee boarding, trick boarding, discs, biscuits, bananas and anything else that you can stand or sit on behind a boat. Water skiing is one of many watersports which are great fun for everyone!

Another advanced type of skiing is known as bare foot. This is literally as it sounds – being towed behind a boat at a fast speed standing on your feet! This takes a fair amount of skill, a quick boat and a lot of repetition to learn. It also means a lot of water up your nose! You can actually get towed on top of the water on your knees, bottom and stomach, but this takes a lot of practice. Everyone seems to think that water is soft when you land in it, but when you are going over 20 miles an hour, it can actually be quite painful. Many people wear helmets and protection when water skiing, because of the damage that can be done if you do happen to fall off.

A life jacket is the most important piece of safety equipment that you should be wearing at all times when you go skiing. If you do get knocked unconscious, the jacket is able to keep you afloat and hopefully save your life. They are not that expensive, and will definitely pay off. Not to mention in most places of the world they are compulsory!

Water skiing can be done behind cheap fishing boats or expensive ski boats and either way it’s great fun. It’s important to learn the rules of boating, and to learn your boating safety. Water skiing provides a great day out for the family, and you can even hire a boat for the day. It is a sport which only a minimal amount of people get to enjoy, so get out there and give it a go!