Wake boarding and water skiing are entirely two different sports although there appears to be some similarity between the two.

The most obvious difference between the two sports is in the nature of the ride itself. Water skiing is a simple sport whereas wake boarding seems to be a combination of different sports. In water skiing a person uses skis to ride the waters while being pulled along by a moving speed boat. Wake boarding, though it adopts the same principle also includes skills derived from other sports like surfing, snow boarding and skate boarding.

Water skiing is generally a sport involving the simple pleasure of skiing on water. It is not concerned with jumping wakes and riding waves. It is more of a smooth sailing ride unlike wake boarding which is a rough riding sport . Wake boarders, like surfers, ride on waves or rather wakes left by the speed boat behind which it is towed and as such a major factor in wake boarding is the size of the wakes.

The different nature of the two sports is reflected in the individual sports gear as well. Water skiers ride the waters on water skis whereas the wakeboarding sport makes use of specially designed boards complete with foot straps and fins to help maintain the balance of the wake boarder. Depending on the type of skiing, water skiers may use either one or two skis while wakeboarding is done with both feet strapped onto a single board.

The speed boats used for these purposes also differ from each other. While the water skier may use any simple motor boat for skiing, the wakeboard boat is specially designed to create extra high waves as the thrill of wakeboarding (as in surfing) is to ride these waves without loosing one’s balance. The boats used for wakeboards have increased weight at the rear to create higher and steeper waves. The wake board boats have increased weight at the rear to create larger wakes. The lower the stern the higher the waves produced. Newer technologies are being used as manufacturers compete with each other to create boats with higher waves.

Ropes used in wake boarding again differ from the ones used in water skiing. While the ropes used in wakeboard belong to the non stretch variety, the water ski sports requires ropes with some stretch which helps to pull the skier back and forth as he rides along the curve.

OK, so much for the differences between water ski and wakeboarding.

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