Date: 10/27/00
Author: Evelyn Zerr
Photos: David Williams

Evelyn Zerr

While in Southern California for the Wakeboarding World Championships, I had the pleasure of trying out something I had never seen before - The Wave House in San Diego. I had seen a post on the Wake List from Dave Williams about this contraption and then, while staying at his house the weekend before Worlds, saw some footage of pro surfers, snowboarders and skaters competing on this man made perpetual wave. However, no wakeboarders were present on the show despite the fact that this sport resembled wakeboarding more than any of the above. Dave and I both pondered as to why. Certainly a wakeboarder could kill it on this thing. We decided that we'd just have to go try it out and show some people up.

Local ripper at the Wave House

It was a Sunday and we arrived at the Wave House at Mission Beach at about 4:00 in the afternoon. There were some real rippers out there. A couple of guys could pull off a back roll-esque maneuver and another could whip around a surface 360. There were also some stylish grabs being thrown. These guys made it look incredibly easy. They must have been employees or, perhaps, season-pass holders, if there is such a thing. You could certainly tell who the beginners were. The large crowd of spectators that surrounded The Wave cheered for their nearly immediate wipeouts almost as much as for the seasoned veterans' smooth moves.

Evelyn Zerr looking for balance

With only an inch or two of water being shot out over a soft wave-shaped surface at 27 miles per hour, it was easy to see why the beginners were having such trouble staying atop their boards. The boards themselves were another obstacle. Shaped kind of like a long skateboard and made of foam similar to that in a body board, these things were squirrelly. No fins, no channels, no sharp edges, nothing to keep you from spinning out and wiping out.

Hard falls were handed out generously

The impact of falling is softened by the foam material that is used to construct this huge wave. However, when you wiped out you were flushed up the wave, sometimes rolled in the barrel and forcefully dumped into a pool to the side. The pool looked to be the most treacherous part of the whole experience. You know what it's like to be pounded by the wave and held down under the water when you're surfing? Well, this was very similar except the water never stopped pounding you down. I suppose it only makes sense that a perpetual wave would perpetually hold you under.

Carrie handles the wave with ease

After seeing all of this, we decided to head to the ticket office. Alas, there was only one spot left open for the 5 o'clock hour! We also discovered that this would be the final hour of the last day of the 2000 season. They would be tearing this wave down, shipping it off to Australia and building a new one for next year. After some encouragement from Dave and his wife, I decided to take the plunge (no pun intended) and try my hand at the wave known as Bruticus Maximus.

I had noticed that almost everyone riding The Wave was wearing a wetsuit, so I asked if this was a requirement. A kind young lady, Carrie, in line in front of me replied, "No, but you'll at least need a rashguard or you'll lose your top! There's no question about it. It will happen." Apparently, I was very unprepared because all I had was my swimsuit. I thanked her profusely for this little gem of advice. Later Carrie would give me some more valuable advice on conquering The Wave.

A precursor to the art of standing

Admission to The Wave was pretty steep, I thought. $30 for an hour. Actually, it was $20 for an hour, but a one-time membership fee of $10. I tried to get out of the membership fee, since I'm from Texas and would probably not make it back to The Wave House any time soon, but they insisted. Thirty bucks later I had signed my liability release and was donning a five o'clock wristband.

When the time came, I was happy to see that there was a very nice young man helping all the beginners out, holding the boards for them and even holding their hands as they stood precariously on their tiny little boards. I told the guy that this was my first time, but that I wakeboarded, and had even surfed behind the boat. He advised me to try the body board first just to get the feel of the wave. I tried it, fairly successfully, but quite honestly, lying down on my stomach on a board was very awkward. I decided to trash that and go for it.

Evelyn getting her start with a little help

Carrie and I were the only girls on The Wave and the crowd showed their appreciation. It was nice to hear everyone cheering even though I knew I must look like a complete dork. I was able to stand on the board and even cross the wave a little, but my rides were all very short. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get on edge on this little board. I felt very out of control. I noticed that the guys who were ripping were all on boards that had sandal strap bindings and I thought for sure that that would help me out tremendously. Unfortunately, to get on one of those boards, you had to rent them for an additional $20 per hour and sign an agreement stating that if you broke it, you had to pay them $400. No thanks.

Eventually getting the hang of it

The hour was up before I knew it. My new friend Carrie, whose hour was cut short when she injured her shoulder, told me that I had done great for my first time. However, I still couldn't help wanting to get out there and try some more to prove that I could stand on that little board for longer than eight seconds. It was really fun, if not a little humbling. Next time I may invest in the board with the bindings just to see how much that helps. That's right, I said next time. Got to make use of that $10 membership fee.

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