A mixture of kayaking and surfing, waveski surfing uses a board that is larger than a surfboard, but has a seat, fins, foot straps and a seatbelt. As a result, riders can perform ‘eskimo rolls’ in the even that they are flipped over. In addition, participants use a double-ended paddle in order to manoeuvre themselves while on the waveski.

Like stand up surfing, competitions generally involve 20 minutes heats in which the riders’ performance on the waves is judged. High performance skis are custom made with EPS foam and epoxy resin. These skis weigh 6-8 kg and ensure that the waveskis are both strong and light. The recreational sport is good for any level of rider and a variety of waveskis are available from shorter and fatter Australian style skis (for high performance surfing) to American style skis like those of Steve Boehne’s Infinity Surfshop. Skegless skis are also available for tricks and stunts. There are also tandem skis for the loving couple. The most common ski shape now is the “Jbay” wave ski shape, which offers more flexibility for movement since riders stand further back on the skis.