Wakesurf Winona Offers Wake Surfing & Tours On Winona Lake
Wakesurf Winona Offers Wake Surfing & Tours On Winona Lake
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Wakesurf Winona Offers Wake Surfing & Tours On Winona LakeWINONA LAKE - If you’ve ever wanted to try wakesurfing on or take a tour of Winona Lake, then you’ll want to contact Wakesurf Winona.
Jack Mayer, co-founder, lead instructor and operator of Wakesurf Winona, said his business “allows people to have an experience and to have the ability to come out on the lake and enjoy a wakesurf boat and participate in wakesurfing itself. Even if you’ve never tried it before, we’ll have operators on the boat that can instruct you and help you learn how to actually do the sport.”
He said they’re doing boat tours, too, so if a family just wants to go out on the boat on the lake for a nice ride and enjoy the sunset, they offer that, too.
“For a lot of people in this community, they’ve never been on Winona Lake, so for a lot of people it will be their first time. There’s a lot of rich history here in our city, so I’m able to share some of that with the people that come out if they’ve never been here before. A lot of tourists come through here, so being able to share with them what this town is about and the rich history of this town, and the lake itself, they’re able to come out and see where everything is. Everything on the lake looks different from on the water, compared to being off the water,” he said.
The tours will give everyone a new experience of the area.
“We’re here to offer good company and offer a good experience on the lake,” Mayer said.
The boat holds up to 18 people, but Wakesurf Winona is only taking a maximum of six out at a time. It is a 2023 Supra SE tow boat, 24-1/2 feet long and is a dedicate wakesurf boat. The Supra SE has a ballast inside the boat to create waves, so all the water sports one can think of - wakeboarding, wakesurfing, skiing - can all be done with the boat.
“But the one thing we’re specializing in is wakesurfing because it’s the thing my friends and I do as a hobby every single summer, so I decided to make a business,” Mayer stated.
Wakesurfing is the “easiest” wake sport a person can do, he said. “The boat is only going 10 mph and you’re right behind the boat, and the boat actually creats a wave that you can surf without a rope, so it’s literally like you’re ocean surfing on a lake here in Indiana.”
Mayer said he’s taught everyone from 6-year-olds to 60-year-old dads how to wakesurf, often on their first try.
“So it’s really dependent on the person, but the more you try, the better you’ll get. We believe that we can get you up just using our simple methods and our instruction. I believe we can do it,” he said.
Rates begin at $200 for an hour-long wakesurfing session, $300 for a two-hour session and $400 for three hours, which they call a full day. If anyone wants to go out for more than that, Mayer said they can “discount you at a great price. We’re actually offering it way cheaper than what you’ll find anywhere else, and we’re actually the only business in the area that’s offering a service like this.”
For the tours, Mayer said the cost is about half of those prices because wakesurfing with the boat requires more gas and more power to the boat.
“Expenses overall, the main thing is gas. Other than that, everything is included, so you’ll get all the equipment, we’ll have a cooler full of snacks and water basically to help accommodate you to make the best day possible,” he said.
Wakesurf Winona will be open Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays. The boat can be booked between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The website at wakesurfwinona.com allows for easy booking, or Mayer said his contact information also is on the website if someone wants to talk to him to schedule time out on the boat.
Opening date is May 30 and the season could go into October, depending on the weather.
Mayer, 20, said he’s been on the lake his whole life. He’s been surfing for over 10 years and has taken “every single boating course you could possibly take as a 19-year-old kid.”
A Grace College student, he is studying business and will be a junior this fall.
“What better way to practice what I’m studying than actually put it in operation and make something of my own? So I’m spending my summer days on the lake, I was like, ‘You know what? Why not make this experience available to everybody and share my passion and my hobbies with everybody else?’” Mayer stated.
He promised that the boating experience will be a good time and one that you’ll not forget.
The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Wakesurf Winona on Wednesday.
