To get a clearer picture of Clear Lake’s colorful past, we spoke with some of the pros who currently call it home, as well as a few other experts. Current residents include Erik Ruck, Shane Bonifay, Jimmy ­LaRiche, Jeff Langley, Marc ­Rossiter and Collin Harrington (who ­recently moved out in January after living there for 14 years), and experts like former editor of WBM ­Kevin ­Michael, wakeskater Aaron Reed, and photographer Joey Meddock have spent countless hours on its water. The stories are hilarious, but the sentiment remains the same across the board: Living on Clear Lake has a certain vibe unlike any other lake in Orlando, or any other lake in the world, for that matter.

Jeff Langley

THE RESIDENTS

What makes living on Clear Lake particularly unique is the neighborhood built around it and the sense of community that neighborhood gives the riders who call it home. Much of the lake’s residential area is comprised of a series of canals that connect to the lake. From above, the canals look just like streets of water, giving residents backyard access to the main body. By boat or by land, if you live on Clear Lake, your neighbors are literally around the corner. For nearly 20 years a lot of riders have called those canals home — so many, in fact, that naming them all is probably impossible. But when you get a directory as long as Clear Lake’s past and present pros, it’s bound to have a significant impact on the sports.

Erik Ruck

ERIK RUCK:

“I’ve lived on Clear Lake for over 15 years now, and I think one of the coolest things about it is that it’s always been a worldwide refugee camp for wakeboarding and wakeskating misfits. A lot of dues have been paid, and a lot of guys have worked really hard to push themselves and the sport. It’s been really cool for me to watch; I’ve gone from a young rider pushing things myself, to a lake regulator trying to make sure guys are following the rules and staying in their lanes, to an elder statesman enjoying the show. The best part, though, is that everybody living here in the ’hood has always had each other’s backs, and we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.”

Jimmy LaRiche

JIMMY LARICHE:

“It’s pretty crazy to see how generations have come and gone over the years. Even Adam Errington has moved out now and on to other things. Younger guys are starting to move in too. When I first moved to Clear Lake, I was intimidated about doing it because of the pros who’d been living there before me. I was looking at buying one of Daniel Watkins’ old houses, but before I bought it, I called Ruck to basically ask if it was cool if I moved onto the lake. He was the leader of Clear Lake at the time, and I didn’t want to piss him off by being the new kid in town poaching his turf. It was definitely funny going from living in Rusty Malinoski’s pool house in the country to living on Clear Lake. That’s how I learned about wakesurfing and lake parties!”

SHANE BONIFAY:

“I think I’ve lived here 13 years. … Sometimes I lose track — I spent a few in Clermont with Parks — but Clear Lake is part of who I am. The friends I’ve made and the sense of community that is here can’t be replaced or duplicated. Everybody is friends, and wakeboarding is only a phone call away. Or you do what I do and just drive your Jet Ski out to Jimmy’s G23 and make him pull you whenever you see his boat out on the lake.”

Marc Rossiter

THE ‘HOOD

One of the defining characteristics of Clear Lake has more to do with where it’s located rather than who lives there. Just south of downtown Orlando, the main residential area of Clear Lake is less than 1 mile from the Orange County Jail, and much of the surrounding neighborhood is affectionately called “the ’hood.” While we’ve never heard stories of riders feeling totally unsafe or sketched out, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to get lost finding your way to Clear Lake at late hours of the night.

COLLIN HARRINGTON:

“Your view of Clear Lake all depends on which way you come into the Isle of Catalina where most of the houses are on the canals. You either come in the main entrance off the main road, and everything seems fine, or you come in off a side street and you pass some really sketchy gas stations and shops, and you feel like you’re in the middle of the ghetto.”

JIMMY LARICHE:

“If you ever have any industry people over to Clear Lake for the first time, like at Surf Expo or anything, they can get pretty wigged out. It’s funny, ’cause on one side you’ve got the ghetto, and on the other, just a few minutes away, is one of the nicest malls in Orlando with a bunch of great restaurants. The worst part is that Carl (Jimmy’s yellow Lab) howls at police sirens, and we hear those a lot …”

Tony Carroll

THE LIFE

Because of the structure of Clear Lake’s neighborhood on the canals, life there for the riders is tight-knit and fun-loving. There are always guys to hang out with, and there is always something to do. But beyond hanging out and neighborhood vibes, Clear Lake is famous (and infamous) for some of its extracurricular activities. Much of the shenanigans in recent years have been documented via social media but, truth be told, the parties of today don’t hold a candle to those of yesteryear.

KEVIN MICHAEL:

“Clear Lake is notorious for its parties, more so than any of the other Orlando lakes with multiple riders living on them. Shane Bonifay has had at least 40 birthday parties on Clear Lake. He’s not even 40, but he’s had at least 40 parties.”

SHANE BONIFAY:

“My birthday has always been the kickoff party of the season, of sorts. And it’s somehow become legendary. I don’t even invite or ask people to come anymore, it just happens every April 4. It’s my ­favorite things all combined in one day: Clear Lake, ­wakeboarding, friends, sun and partying.”

ERIK RUCK:

“The early days of Clear Lake are lucky there wasn’t social media to document the shit show. I’m glad that we can just keep those as memories. But there have been some epic get-togethers out here. Feet on Fire was an annual barefoot contest Dan-O used to host when he lived with me. He and Watkins would get athletes from the wake, water-ski and show-ski worlds to come out, compete and have fun. Everybody looked forward to them, and it created a cool sense of community. And the after parties — and during parties — were pretty all-time.”

JIMMY LARICHE:

“My favorite party ever anywhere was the goodbye party we threw for Daniel Watkins when he and his family were moving back to Australia full-time. He was a legend in wakeboarding, obviously, but also a huge part of the Clear Lake community. We wanted to surprise him, so I had 50 or 60 people come hang out at my house while a couple guys took him out on a pontoon boat for ‘one last hangout cruise.’ Of course, the pontoon broke down while they were on the lake, and he arrived at my house two hours later than planned, so everybody there was already in full party mode, but when he came in, he was so surprised and started crying. We had a hell of a celebration that night. I’ll never forget it.”

THE RIDING

What it always comes back to for our sports, though, is the riding, and Clear Lake has seen more than most. In fact, it could easily be argued that Clear Lake has more media coverage than any other body of water. From covers of magazines to video sections to dumb ­Instagram posts of bass fishing by riders not riding, Clear Lake has been part of everything. In fact, Clear Lake has played a more important role than most casual fans probably realize.

AARON REED:

“Thomas Horrell was the first rider to move onto Clear Lake, and that was right as Cassette was getting started and growing in the early 2000s. We spent a lot of time out there. The majority of ­Sfumato was filmed on Clear Lake, and a lot of firsts went down there, so there is a lot of wakeskating history there. Danny Hampson did the first frontside flip, Thomas did the first frontside big spin, I did the first backside big spin — all the lines in the video, all on Clear Lake. What was funny looking back is that was right when all the Pointless guys were in their heyday too. They’d all come out onto the lake to party and wakesurf and send rollers everywhere. Thomas would get so fired up, and in typical Thomas fashion, it was pretty comical.”

SHANE BONIFAY:

“A lot has gone down on Clear Lake over the years. All the rails, all the photo shoots; there’s too much to list. But two things that stand out to me are Parks’ Double or Nothing and filming for Box of Fun. Double or Nothing was right at a time when guys were really charging off double-ups and doing cool stuff. That contest was fun and really progressive. And Box of Fun was just like it sounds. Making that video with all the Clear Lake crew was a blast.”

There are a lot of factors that come together to make Clear Lake the special, weird, iconic, fun-loving, ghettoish place it is. From its location and construction, to the riders who have ridden on it for the past 20 years, Clear Lake has seen a lot and provided even more for the progression and fun of wakeboarding and wakeskating. While generations of superstars and grind-it-out riders come and go, one thing will never change, and that is the lake itself and the sense of opportunity it provides for those looking to chase a dream in the Mecca of wakeboarding.

ERIK RUCK:

“Clear Lake can do two things for your career: It can either catapult it quickly, or it can trap you in the downtown scene. From there, you have a choice about what you want to do. Some guys have chosen wisely. Others, not so much.”

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Filmed and Edited by Spencer Norris

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Keep ‘Em Separated

We all know you’re champing at the bit to land your first 540, but before you get too ahead of yourself here, let’s talk about your 360s. Yeah, maybe you can land them, but if your technique isn’t sound, then those flaws can creep into your 540 — significantly lengthening the learning process and leaving them inconsistent at best.

To be clear, we’re assuming that you’ve already landed either a heelside frontside 360, a toeside frontside 360 or both, and that you are comfortable enough with them to start attempting frontside 540s. If that’s the case, let’s take a quick look at your frontside 360s. You should be able to land your heelside frontside 360 easily, landing one-handed, with your eyes looking back toward the wake. You should not be landing two-handed with your eyes looking back at the boat. This will blur the line between the 360 and the 540, reinforcing your tendency to overrotate the 540 when you start trying them. Likewise, this principle should be applied to your toeside frontside 360s. To keep the 360 and 540 distinct, you should land your 360s blind, with one hand on the handle at impact. You may get cuffed or pass the handle only after the initial impact.

This is an important distinction because these frontside 540s have different breaks in momentum than your 360s do. When you are learning these 540s, you can’t think of them like a 360 plus a 180. They don’t function that way. Instead, their tempo is more like a 180 plus a 360. This is why an experienced rider will usually stop at 180 if the takeoff doesn’t feel right.

A few other prerequisites that are nice to have in your bag of tricks — but are not required — are grabbed and switch-stance variations of both 360s. These will give you complete control over the rotation and additional dexterity for the handle pass.

Heelside Frontside 540 with Jimmy LaRiche

As we just discussed, the tempo of a frontside 540 is a 180 plus a 360. So in the heelside frontside 540’s case, it would be a heelside frontside 180 plus a switch toeside backside 360. That’s the tricky part. You’ve probably never really thought about learning a switch toeside backside 360 before — but don’t worry, you won’t need to do this wake to wake yet. Ideally, though, you should experience it at some level — surface slide, ollie, one-wake or inside-out.

To break the ice, begin with a simple surface slide and start in the switch cuffed position. The key is to travel laterally across the middle of the wakes when you practice this slide. Be sure to overexaggerate, continuing your traveling direction over your toes when you finish. Jimmy LaRiche says, “Practicing these surface drills really helps you get the feel for the mechanics of the spin before you take it wake to wake.”

Pitching over onto your toes will make or break your landing. Whether you realize it or not, when you push off of the wake for a 180, you actually pitch your weight over in the air in anticipation of landing on your switch toeside edge. To practice pitching over onto your toes for the landing, Jimmy points out, “If you can do big 180s into the flats — or even a little past the wake — and land over your toes, then 540s should come easy.”

When you’re ready to take the 540 wake to wake, “Make sure you hold onto the handle with two hands all the way up the wake. You’ll also want to make sure you have completely left the wake before you start spinning; otherwise the rope will pull you out the front,” says Jimmy. “Once you are in the air and you’ve pitched over properly, you’ll want to spin a little faster than you did on your 360, and make sure when you come around to absorb the landing with your legs and keep your chest toward the shore.”

Toeside Frontside 540 with Shane Bonifay

Like with your heelside 540, the tempo of the toeside 540 should be broken into two parts: a toeside frontside 180 and a switch heelside backside 360. Practicing these pieces individually in a lower-risk environment will noticeably expedite the learning process.

The easiest way to get a few switch backside 360s under your belt is to first practice some inside-out switch backside 360s at slow surface sliding speeds. Start with an inside-out handle pass backside 180 that immediately flows into another 180 on the surface without pause. Then start landing later and later into the trick — impact at 270 and slide the remaining 90 degrees, and so on — and you’ll be landing inside-out switch heelside backside 360s before you know it.

Once that rotation feels comfortable, it’s time to try some toeside 540s wake to wake. Shane Bonifay says, “The mind-set I’m in during my approach is to make sure I’m coming into the wake with a smooth edge. Not too aggressive or wild, just smooth and progressive to keep the handle pass consistent. If you are jerking the rope around while edging in, the handle will get yanked around when you try to pass it.”

At the wake, stand tall by bringing your hips forward and pushing all of the bend out of your legs. Keep two hands on the handle all the way through your takeoff, and avoid the tendency to start spinning too early. Shane says, “Don’t think toeside 540; think big, clean toeside 180 followed by a handle pass and — bam! — 540.” Once you reach 180 at the apex of the trick, continue that momentum into the handle pass. At this point it should feel just like your inside-out switch heelside backside 180s. After you pass the handle, the trick should come around naturally. Shane says, “Spot your landing when you come around and before you know it, you’re landing and riding away from your first toeside 540.”

Grab It Like You Mean It with Josh Twelker

Once your frontside 540s are consistent and comfortable, it’s time to start grabbing them. For this section, we decided to bring in of one of our favorite 540 grabbers, Josh Twelker, and let him enlighten you on the mechanics of grabbing your board properly. “Before trying to grab on a 540, you should practice the grab on a 180 and 360,” says Josh. “Once it becomes instinctive, and you have found the most comfortable way to grab your board, it should naturally carry over to your 540.”

Sometimes riders can get a little anxious and unintentionally alter their axis. To avoid this, Josh says, “I like to tell people to bring the grab to you. Do this by bringing your knees into your chest rather than breaking at the waist to reach for the grab. Don’t rush it either. Rushing the spin can oftentimes throw off your axis, making the grab hard to get. Think: Pop first, then grab, then complete your rotation on the way down.”

To keep it all proper, Josh explains, “Grabbing properly means avoiding what is easy. Grabbing the corners or around the boot might be easier, but is definitely not as legit. Concentrate on keeping your hand either in between your feet or in the center of the tip or tail. It makes the trick look so much cleaner. Once you are comfortable grabbing the board in the right place, try adding some creativity by poking it out.”

Once you can grab it properly, switching up the timing of the grab can dramatically affect the look and style of the trick. Josh says, “Grabbing late, after the handle pass, is definitely a cool variation, but it can be much harder than early grabs. The key to getting a good late grab and poke is to advance your hips and body toward the boat. This creates some slack in the line, making it easier to get the late grab right after the first 360.”

Armed with all of this knowledge, you should be able to take to the water and produce the most legit 540s on the lake. Get to it!

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2. Hyperlite – Franchise

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3. Hyperlite – AJ Boot (Air Jim)

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4. Hyperlite – System Binding

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6. Hyperlite – Franchise Vest

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7. Hyperlite – Franchise Handle

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8. Fox Head – Boardshorts

Prices Vary

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7. GoPro 4 w/ GoPole

GoPro 4 Black: $500 (gopro.com)

GoPole Reach: $55 (gopole.com)

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Toeside Frontside 540 with Shane Bonifay

Like with your heelside 540, the tempo of the toeside 540 should be broken into two parts: a toeside frontside 180 and a switch heelside backside 360. Practicing these pieces individually in a lower-risk environment will noticeably expedite the learning process.

The easiest way to get a few switch backside 360s under your belt is to first practice some inside-out switch backside 360s at slow surface sliding speeds. Start with an inside-out handle pass backside 180 that immediately flows into another 180 on the surface without pause. Then start landing later and later into the trick — impact at 270 and slide the remaining 90 degrees, and so on — and you’ll be landing inside-out switch heelside backside 360s before you know it.

Once that rotation feels comfortable, it’s time to try some toeside 540s wake to wake. Shane Bonifay says, “The mind-set I’m in during my approach is to make sure I’m coming into the wake with a smooth edge. Not too aggressive or wild, just smooth and progressive to keep the handle pass consistent. If you are jerking the rope around while edging in, the handle will get yanked around when you try to pass it.”

At the wake, stand tall by bringing your hips forward and pushing all of the bend out of your legs. Keep two hands on the handle all the way through your takeoff, and avoid the tendency to start spinning too early. Shane says, “Don’t think toeside 540; think big, clean toeside 180 followed by a handle pass and — bam! — 540.” Once you reach 180 at the apex of the trick, continue that momentum into the handle pass. At this point it should feel just like your inside-out switch heelside backside 180s. After you pass the handle, the trick should come around naturally. Shane says, “Spot your landing when you come around and before you know it, you’re landing and riding away from your first toeside 540.”

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Ahhhh…wakeboard vests. We all wear them; we all love them. Not only can you look like your favorite pro rider while you’re on the water, but you can be safe out there too. While we advise you to stay privy to the laws of the waterway you ride on in terms of picking a competition (comp) wakeboard vest versus USCGA vest, also be sure to choose a vest that keeps you afloat and your head out of the water if something were to go wrong. Every body type is different, so get out there and try a few wakeboard vests on to find out which vest style and size works best for you. Remember, when trying on wakeboard vests, the tighter the better! Any little gaps of air between the vest and your skin will undoubtedly cause the vest to rise up from your shoulders when you’re in the water. Happy hunting for your new wakeboard vest this year, and stay safe!

For more wakeboard vests, check out our page on how to choose a wakeboard vest.

Comp Vests

Billabong Slice

Body Glove Malinoski/Rockstar Comp Wakeboard Vest

CWB Team Vest

Hyperlite Franchise Blue Camo

JetPilot Chris O’Shea Signature Wakeboard Vest

Liquid Force Watson Comp vest

Ronix Parks black/volcano Impact vest

Slingshot Impact Vest

CGA Vests

Billabong Slice CGA vest

CWB Reverb CGA vest

Hyperlite Team CGA vest

JetPilot Shawn Murray CGA vest

Liquid Force Reflex CGA vest

Ronix One Capella CGA vest

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