For most people, Labor Day is a holiday that celebrates the end of summer and the start of the school year leading into the cooler autumn season.
However, this past Labor Day weekend in areas throughout Utah, vacationers experienced some serious warmth and sunshine. This means that boaters are still out, and people are getting their time in the water while the weather is still nice.
There are lots of great watering holes near SUU, and more throughout Utah, but for the adventure seeker there are a lot of thrilling water sport activities to take advantage of, so much as you know someone with a boat.
An increasingly popular water sport is wake surfing, which is a little slower-paced from wake boarding. It offers smoother rides that can be done freely standing on the board and without the aid of a tow rope.
Lakes and reservoirs are starting to see more and more specially designed watercraft that create a long, curling wave to accommodate wake surfing. The propeller is also placed under the boat, rather on the back, for safety.
Wake surfers have different board options that allow them to take long, smooth rides or to carve up the wave and attempt tricks such as 360 spins and flips, according to skill and experience.
Other boat-assisted watersports include kneeboarding, water skiing, air chair/wake foil, and tubing. Of course, some places have restrictions on motorboats, but kayaks, canoes, rafts, and standup paddle boards (for which SUU Outdoors has several trips planned) are welcome to explore some of the lesser-reached water wonders.
For SUU students, a selection of non-motorized watercraft are available to rent at the SUU Outdoors Center, including rafts, inflatable kayaks, and inflatable standup paddle boards.
Story and Photos by: Reyce Knutson
outdoors@suunews.net
