A waveski, known to many South Africans as a paddle-ski, is a buoyant, paddle-powered watercraft for one person. It is usually hollow fibreglass, or foam-filled and fibreglass construction. Primarily designed for surfing on waves, it can be used anywhere for just paddling around. The rider sits on top of the waveski in shaped indentations for feet and bum. Footstraps hold the rider's feet in place and an optional seatbelt across the lap keeps the rider firmly attached to the board. Unlike a canoe, it cannot be swamped as it is a closed buoyant board and with some practice can be rolled back up in the event of a capsize (Eskimo roll).

A typical board is about 7-8 foot (about 2.25m) long and 25 inches (65cm) wide. Custom boards are shaped to rider's specifications out of lightweight polystyrene with epoxy and fibreglass skin.

Surfing on waves while sitting on waveski. Waveski surfing manoeuvres are very similar to those of conventional (stand-up) surfers. The extra power generated by the paddles enables riders to catch waves more easily - a sore point with some stand-ups. Waveski surfing has evolved into a competitive sport enjoying international status, but is just as readily enjoyed by novices who surf purely for fun. Although high-tech boards are more difficult to handle, standard boards are stable, easy to use and offer the perfect vehicle for easy access to the waves and the thrill of surfing waves.

Something very important about waveski is that it's one of the few wave-riding sports that makes the timeless thrill of surfing accessible to the physically challenged - because you're sitting down, all you need is pair of arms, some sense of balance, a dash of common-sense, and most importantly - the desire to SURF. The South African scene has seen a physically-challenged rider become one of the first Springbok waveskiers. An amputee WP member regularly thrashed the rest at competitions - think about it - if they could do it, so can you!

Choose a board suitable for your weight and skill. Second-hand boards are a good place to start, if selected carefully - look for structural damage that may have weakened the board. Too many decals on a board may be disguising some "dings" (surf-speak for damage to board) so look carefully for signs of cracks or holes. Paddles are fairly standard, as are the fins (skegs) which provide the board with directional stability. A seatbelt is recommended, but make sure you know how to release it quickly.

Take the waveski to a calm area of water and practice paddling it around to get your balance sorted out. When you're comfortable with paddling the board, take it to the nearest surfspot with mellow waves and start riding waves. Try catching the small white-water waves in front at first and then move to the backline where you can catch breaking waves. Ride along the face of the wave, away from the white water. Once you've got this far, you're ready to try turns, cutbacks and re-entries.

Second-hand sources are good place for newcomers to the sport with limited budgets. Good deals are on offer from most surfshops and sports chainstores. More advanced riders may want to order a custom-shape epoxy board. Visit South Africa's largest waveski manufacturer 's website to see a table listing the specifications of their range of standard production boards to give you an idea of what is available. A good rule-of-thumb is that you should choose a board with a weight-carrying capacity at least 10 kilograms more than your own weight.

The minimum requirements: A waveski with footstraps (which are standard) A two-blade paddle (wood, aluminium or glass-fibre shaft) 1 or 3 Fins (depending on the model of waveski - count the slots on the bottom) Suggested extras Paddle-leash (rubber bungi-cord attaching paddle to waveski to prevent it getting lost) Seatbelt (strongly recommended, enable you to learn the Eskimo Roll technique) Buttpad (Foam seatpad to make the seat more comfortable and minimise slipping) Wetsuit to keep you warm

Definitely!

Waveski surfers are just one more group of surfers sharing the waves - there are some basic rules that apply to EVERYONE. They're not even rules, they're just common sense and decency. If you're going to surf, PLEASE check them out (Do's & Don'ts for waveriding - Click Here!) and make the beach a nicer place for all of us.

Competitive surfers have a competition rulebook, based heavily on the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) rulebook used on the professional surfing circuit. During his tenure as South African Contest Director, Wayne James formulated a South African version of the ASP Rulebook especially for waveski and it seems that this will become a standard for international events. SAWSA Competition Rules - Click Here!) For a RTF version of this document SAWSA Competition Rules RTF Format- Click Here!)

Anything a surfer can do we can do! We also do better and more extreme aerial manoeuvres because of the seatbelt keeping us in place. The Waveski surfing manoeuvres page shows a selection of moves with a short description of each and animated diagrams of how to do them - Check them out before you hit the surf!

"Dings", or to the uninitiated - "damage to my board!" - relax, they're a fact of life...... Surfing can be rough at times, rocks leap out in front of you, the other guy never gets out of the way fast enough, it happens. While waveskis are fairly durable, nothing can prevent the board suffering some damage somewhere along the way. Most surfshops offer a Ding-repair service, or have a contact who does it for them. Quite a few back-yard repairs places can be tracked down by asking around at the beach - the old hands usually have a favourite who's kept their boards in shape.

The adventurous could try their hand at doing their own repairs, but get some advice before starting.

The most common dings suffered by novice riders are nose-creases (or worst-case - broken off!) and cracked seams - both being common results of a "nose-dive into the ground while riding a wave in shallow water. Nose-dives usually happen while going straight toward the beach and can be avoided by leaning backwards if the nose digs in, or better yet avoided by surfing along the breaking wave and not "straight-lining" toward the beach. If it's any consolation even top riders suffer nose damage to their boards.