Tags: Extreme Sports, Outdoor Sports, Water Sports and Activities
By Gino Antioquia
PILI, CAMARINES SUR–Hanging on for your dear life and repeatedly getting slammed face first may seem like the last thing you want to do for fun, but that was exactly I did when I went wakeboarding at the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) last July.
There couldn’t have been any better place to get initiated into wakeboarding because CWC have world-class facilities, having hosted several international competitions.
The first thing I saw when I arrived at CWC was the cable park. It has a six-point cable ski system, with ramps and obstacles for doing tricks. It was quite intimidating seeing the more skilled boarders jumping off ramps and landing perfectly. But it was also encouraging to also see beginners who fall off their boards a second after they hit the water.
As a first-timer, I had no pretentions that I will fall off my board a lot.
There are different park fees, depending if you want to pay by the hour, half a day, or a full day. It was already lunch when I got there so I paid the half day fee of P460, which already includes the life vest and helmet rental fee.
There’s also a P500 deposit, which is refundable when you check out and return your gear. Make sure to check all the straps and buckles on your vest and helmet, because you wouldn’t want them flying off when you take a nasty spill on the water.
As soon as I got my gear, I headed straight to the beginner’s Winch Park, which is just a small rectangular lake without any ramps. At the Winch Park, you can practice staying on the board until you reach one end of the lake. The best part about the winch park is that there are instructors wading in the water to teach you the basics.
Luckily, there were hardly any people in the winch park so it didn’t take long for me to try again. My second try wasn’t much different although I think I stayed on the board a minute longer. Thankfully, the instructors were just too keen in teaching newbies like me.
One instructor told me that I should not lean back while I was pulling on the cable. It took me about a dozen tries until I made it halfway to the other side.
After about four hours, I felt confident enough to try jumping a bit with my board, but a few painful wipeouts convinced me to just practice turning instead. When the time was up, I could almost make a U-turn on my board. Not bad for my first session, I told myself.
Here are some wakeboarding basics I learned from the instructors:
1. Pay attention to other wakeboarders in the park who know what they are doing. Observe how they keep their balance on the board.
2. While you are sitting and waiting for the cable to tug you, rest the handle on your knee and the board should be floating on the water parallel to your shoulders.
3. Don’t stand up too early and wait until you feel the tug on the cable. Standing up to early will make you lose your balance.
4. Once you are towed by the cable, twist the board sideways by leading with one foot forward. It might take a few tries to find out which foot you are comfortable leading with. Don’t forget to keep your shoulders squared forward, along the path of the cable.
5. Keep your knees bent and distribute your weight evenly over the board while you are riding. You should be squatting instead of standing up.
Despite aching muscles for the next three days due to my four hours of consecutive wakeboarding, it was all worth the adrenaline-rush and I couldn’t wait to do it again!
How to get there:
Camsur Watersports Complex Office is located at the Provincial Capitol Complex, Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur. Contact them via +63(54) 4773344 / 4773347 and infocamsur@gmail.com. From the Naga airport, take a taxi to Camsur Watersports Complex. There is also a free shuttle going to CWC ready to pick up tourists arriving at the airport.
About the author
As an environmental consultant, Gino Antioquia travels a lot for work and enjoys seeing what he can, when he can. During his spare time, he joins bird watching trips to see the 200 endemic avian species in the country.
(Photos by Gino Antioquia)
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