Camp

Why wakesurfing is awesome

Wakesurfing takes summer camp activities to a new level.  It is innovative, collaborative, and adds elements of fun that other sports just cannot compete with.  Because of the need for a specialized boat and trained staff it is not offered widely at other camps (or anywhere else really).

Using our state of the art Centurion watercraft and a staff of watersports professionals we are proud to be one of the few camps to offer wakesurfing to participants.  Below are some highlights as to why wakesurfing is just so awesome that we had to make it available at Water Monkey Camp:

  1. Mash-up of other activities - Wakesurfing is relatively easy to start learning but requires you to hone a number of skills from other watersports in order to master.  Progression as a wakesurfer comes with the side effect of becoming a better surfer and wakeboarder.
  2. Conditions don't matter - Everyone knows that lakes sometimes get too choppy to enjoy skiing or wakeboarding.  Wakesurf capable boats eliminate this issue by pumping out a clean, perfect wave no matter what the conditions may be.
  3. Collaboration - No other boat sport allows riders to stay so close to the boat - literally only a few feet - and well within conversation range.  Riders can talk to instructors and friends on the boat, instantly taking in feedback and improving.  You can also listen to the music pumping from the boat stereo...added fun on the water.
  4. Versatile - There are limitless possibilities for wakesurf tricks and maneuvers.  You could spend an entire summer exploring the capabilities of a wakesurf boat and board without getting bored.

We hope that some day wakesurfing gets as popular and available at waterskiing or wakeboarding but, until then, join us at Water Monkey Camp to try out this amazing sport.

Gearing up for camp

It is April, which means summertime camp time is just a few months away.  This is the season where camp directors all over the country start working overtime to get things in order. Here at Water Monkey Camp we are in the midst of preparing for our first full-scale summer of operation and we could not be more pumped.  Campers have signed up and are expecting something great and we certainly will not disappoint.

The most exciting progress towards opening day has been our search for the perfect camp boat.  Being a wakeboard/waterski/wakesurf/wakeskate camp it is important that we have a high performance watercraft with some specific features.

  1. Inboard (powerful) engine - Outboards and inboard/outboards just will not suffice for our kind of use.  An inboard motor keeps the propeller sufficiently away from the rear of the boat so that there is no chance of anyone coming close to it at any time.  The power is important because day in and day out we will be working the engine to pull our campers around the lake; a weak engine just would not cut it.
  2. Tower - The tower is an essential piece of equipment for a wakeboard camp.  The higher the rope is attached, the bigger the air that riders can achieve.  The tower also gives us somewhere to attach some boomin' speakers for the boat sound system.
  3. Ballast System - Put simply, our boat needs to pump a huge wake.  A ballast system lets us control how much weight we can add to the rear of the boat in the form of tanks or bags of water, pre-installed into compartments on the boat.  The more water you pump in, the bigger the wake behind the boat.  This system is what makes wake surfing possible on the lake.  With the ballast filled up, the boat will create a perfect, clean wave to surf behind the boat without a rope.  So awesome.
  4. Sufficient seating - We want to be able to spread out in comfort all day on the lake; big cushy seats and benches are a must-have.

Once the boat is in our hands we will be sure to post some fun pictures.  Counting down the days until summer!

Paddleboarding

We love paddleboarding at camp, as do our campers.  On the lake it is a pretty relaxing sport, you just cruise around, sometimes catch the wake of a passing boat, and generally just soak up the sun and have fun.  Take these massive boards to the ocean, though, and it is a different story.

As you can see in the above picture, this wave is no tsunami.  Paddleboards are great on low swell days like these.  They are wide, long, and super stable so you do not really need the speed and consistency that surfing requires.  You can ride almost anything, use the long paddle to steer and propel, and laugh at the hardcore surfers on the beach who are waiting for the big waves to come while you are having all the fun.

 

 

Stop-motion drawing of "The Old Man and the Sea"

Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is one of my favorite books.  A combination of simple prose, brilliant narrative, and a compelling message make it a true classic (and the ocean setting should appeal to any water-lover). I stumbled upon the below video today on Vimeo in which an artists transposes the Old Man story (shark attacks included) into a series of pictures in stop motion.  The song in the background has been overused as of late in online videos but it fits so I'll overlook it.

Enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/39473645