Wakesurf Gear: 19 Essentials for Getting Started with Wakesurfing

As you probably already know, wakesurf boats come with built-in ballast tanks that can be filled with water to weight the boat down. This is what creates the powerful wave off the back. However, to make that wave even bigger and more powerful, many wakesurfers put fat sacs in their stern storage compartments. These are essentially large, heavy-duty bags that can be filled with water when needed to add additional weight. Alternatively, some people use ballast weight bags, which are typically filled with metal or another heavy material. However, if you plan to use your boat for things other than wakesurfing, then it’s advantageous to use fat sacs because you can empty out the additional weight. When it comes to purchasing the right fat sacs for your boat, it is crucial to confirm that you get ones that are compatible with your boat. This means in terms of the volume of space they take up, as well as the additional weight capacity for which your boat is rated.

A wakesurf shaper – also known as a wakesurf wedge – is not always a necessary piece of wakesurf gear, but it can really improve the quality of your wave in many cases. Essentially, a wakesurf shaper is a removable flange that suctions onto the hull of your boat, on the opposite side of the surfer. This disrupts and weakens the flow of water on that side, in turn cleaning up and strengthening the flow of water that’s feeding the wave. I wrote a whole other article about how to shop for and use a wakesurf shaper. I’d recommend trying out your boat without a wakesurf shaper to start, and then adding it to your setup later on if you think your wave could be better. The Mission Delta has worked magically for us. 

Safety first! Life jackets or life vests are non-negotiable pieces of wakesurf gear. Doesn’t matter how strong a swimmer you are, you should always surf with a life jacket. Not only is it the law in most places, but the board could hit you in the head when you wipe out, knocking you out. For that reason, always jacket up! Thankfully, there are lots of very sleek, minimalist life vests on the market these days.

Wake boats will typically have multiple tow rope attachment points. For wakesurfing, you want to attach the rope at the highest point, to give the surfer the leverage they need to get out of the water.

Even though they’re not required everywhere, safety flags are a smart piece of wakesurf gear to have. Having someone hold up the safety flag while you go to pick up a fallen surfer signals to other nearby boats there there is a person in the water and to proceed with caution. This is especially important in areas where there is a lot of boat traffic.

Still rocking those freebie shades from last summer’s music festival? Might be time to upgrade. High-quality sunglasses make a big difference! Protect your eyes and enjoy watching all the action on the water with eyewear from Smith Optics or Oakley.  

You wouldn’t be the first one to have their sunglasses knocked off by the tow rope or the in-boat action. Keep the stoke high by protecting your sunnies and make your dad proud with these croakies. 

A piece of wisdom straight from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – always know where your towel is. Towels are wakesurfing essentials on cooler days to keep the surfers happy and the session going longer.

Let’s be honest wakesurfing is always better when the tunes are bumping. If your boat doesn’t have a built-in Bluetooth connection, a waterproof speaker like the Bose Micro Soundlink is a wakesurfing essential.

Look cool and keep your drinks even cooler with a Yeti Hopper Flip Cooler. Keeping hydrated is crucial on hot days and will keep the surf sesh going as long as possible. And remember, water on the water, beer on the pier!

Bringing your phone onboard is key to capturing epic rides and iconic wipeouts. But keeping track of your device can be kinda hectic when the boat’s rocking and rolling in the waves and gear’s getting tossed around everywhere. Keep your valuable secure and achieve peace of mind by storing them in a Yeti Hopper Sidekick. Because there’s no quicker buzzkill than losing your keys, wallet, phone, or Chipotle loyalty card overboard.

These aren’t your grandfather’s koozies…although those are still cool af. Once you discover Yeti Rambler Colsters you’ll have a hard time drinking from anything else. Keep your drink icy cold without chilling your hand. Like everything Yeti makes, these bad boys are indestructible.

Make docking a breeze and avoid the previously inevitable “Why did you let the boat hit??” by getting some sleek fenders like the Mission Icon Fenders. These universal, easy-to-set-up, unobtrusive fenders will take docking from stressful to blissful.

Because your friends won’t believe that you actually stuck that 360…

There are all kinds of cool angles you can capture while wakesurfing with a GoPro, both in the boat and on the wave. Since the wide angle camera of a GoPro does its best work up close to the subject, having a GoPro pole attachment is key to getting right up in the surfer’s grill. This leads to some epic footage and images. Trust me, you’ll be extremely disappointed if you don’t capture dad’s legendary nosedive.

Flying a drone behind the boat definitely takes some practice, but can lead to some unbelievable footage. Our recommendation is to have the drone operator fly from the dock, as trying to fly (and ultimately land) while in a rocking, moving boat proves to be very challenging. Thankfully, drones like the DJI Mavic Pro 2 have excellent follow-me modes that will help create buttery smooth footage.