Canon......Canon.....Canon
j/k
haha. I had to throw that in there. I haven't messed with Nikon that much but I've heard some good things on the d40. I have messed around with the d300 and it's really nice. If you aren't stuck on Nikon, I would maybe look at the Canon 40D. I have that as my back up camera and use it on the water more than my 5D Mark II because of the 6.5 fps. It's actually been discontinued and you can probably find a great deal on one of these. I've got some killer pics with it.I agree with Alan too, 18-200 is a great starter lens too, especially for wake shots. Keep us posted on what you decide to go with. Look forward to seeing some shots!!