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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." Muhammad Ali

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Comments Off on First 5 tricks to learn Wakeboarding – in order – TIPS

One very common question I get asked is ‘what trick should I learn next?’.

Naturally this completely depends on what level you’re at. The other variable is that there isn’t a strict order of wakeboard progression – it’s more about what feels good for you.

In my opinion, if I was teaching someone I would advise the following order:

1. Toeside Backroll
2. Tantrum
3. Heelside Backroll
4. 360
5. Scarecrow.

There are more tricks, and this isn’t set in stone for everyone, but this is what I find helps people. More

Comments Off on Cycling 700 Km across Ireland – Part 2

Part two of our journey from Malin Head to Mizen Head in order to raise money for two charities.

Please Donate if you can:
Spinal Injuries Ireland https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/Dav…
Breast Cancer Research Institute https://breastcancerresearch.enthuse….

This is part two and I really thought this wouldn’t be tough, but I stand corrected!!! It certainly is! From big hills, to lots of rain and even full blown storms.

Cycling is no joke, and I now respect the pros more than ever. More

Comments Off on Fundraiser – 625k cycle
20 September 2023

Fundraiser – 625k cycle

 

Two friends and I have decided to cycle from Malin Head (the most Northerly place in Ireland), to Mizen Head (the most Southerly place in Ireland) all in order to raise money for two charities.

Please Donate if you can:
Spinal Injuries Ireland https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/Dav…
Breast Cancer Research Institute https://breastcancerresearch.enthuse….

This is our first few days captured in a documentary style. Over these two short days we encountered punctures, falls and more. More

Comments Off on 100 KM Wakeboarding Challenge – 200 laps of the wakepark….

One things I’ve wanted to accomplish for years, is to see how far I can wakeboard.

It sounds crazy as usually wakeboarding is about tricks but it’s always something I’ve been intrigued by. Challenge No.1 is to see if I can wakeboard 100 kilometres. It’s basically a wakeboard marathon!!

The wakepark runs at about 30km/h so on this basis I should be able to do it in less than 4 hours. I also work out that each lap is about 0.5km, so it adds up to over 200 laps!! More

Comments Off on Adaptive Wakeboarding & Waterskiing

 

We worked with Spinal Injuries Ireland to gather 4 people who have unfortunately suffered spinal injuries. Our goal was to introduce them to the sports of wakeboarding and waterskiing and hopefully get their hearts racing.

Here’s a link to donate https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/Dav… Any amount small or large goes a huge way.

This video is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I’m delighted that with the support of the Irish Waterski & Wakeboard Federation, Spinal Injuries Ireland and Wake N Ski we were able to make it happen! Not to mention Eamonn, who is a world class (and champion) water-skier! More

Comments Off on How to 360 on a Wakeboard – Tutorial

 

This is a concise tutorial on how to do a 360 on a wakeboard behind the boat.

You need to be able to do the fundamentals which include:

1. Wake To Wake
2. Heelside 180
3. Surface 360.

Then it’s time to give the trick an attempt. Here’s a step by step guide:

1. Cut out nice and wide.
2. Use the progressive edge to cut back towards the wake.
3. Get your pop first, then initiate the spin.
4. To spin, pull you back hip up to the handle (with two hands).
5. Reach around for the handle.
6. Look back to the shore you came from and bend your knees. More

Comments Off on The Cheapest E92 M3 – High Mileage – My First V8

 

After daily driving my Nissan 350z for a little over a year, I hadn’t too many plans to change it as my friend Tim and I had put so much hard graft getting the 350z perfect that I grew an attachment to it.

Then this high mileage M3 came up for sale and whilst it wasn’t perfect, it did tick so many boxes:

4 seats
cruise control
heated seats
original Irish car (no rust)
full documented service history.

After this I took it for a test drive and decided it was worth a punt. More

Comments Off on Wakeboarding on the Wild Atlantic Ocean (Ireland) goes horribly wrong…..

We headed west to wakeboard somewhere I’ve never ridden before – the Atlantic ocean.

I thought it would be good fun and it’s been on my bucket list as a place to wakeboard for years.

We loaded up the rib, and headed out to sea, however unfortunately our luck took a very quick and bad turn.

Despite all this, it was great to wakeboard on the sea even if it was rough, choppy, windy and expensive……

I hope you enjoy the video, and thanks so much for watching. More

Comments Off on Cable Wakeboarding Ireland – Big Wipeout at Let’s Go Hydro

I woke up today and decided – I want to do some wakeboarding. Unfortunately Louis was busy and I only had a DJI Action Cam (Like a GoPro) but I decided I would do a little filming in a very raw way. I hope you enjoyed the video and the AMAZING riding hahah. Thanks for watching.

David

Comments Off on My Biggest Challenge yet – Cycling the length of Ireland

For a complete change of content, myself and 3 friends are planning to cycle. from Malin head, all the way down to Mizen Head. It’s from the most northerly point, to the most southerly point on our Irish Island.

No doubt for a top level cyclist this would be an easy feat, however, for us complete amateurs it’s going to be a serious challenge.

Whilst I’m very active, I do almost zero cardiovascular activity, and so cycling isn’t easy at all! More

Comments Off on Learning to Slalom Ski like the Pros – Progress!

As it was requested, here’s an update on my ‘professional water skiing’ journey.

What started out as a fun session during a photoshoot has become a serious hobby – and who knows, maybe down the line I’ll compete!

When I first got home to Ireland with the ski, I was running the course at 46km/h however I’ve managed to up it to 52km/h. Today my goal is to learn how to run the course at 55km/h and maybe even try the competition speed of 58km/h! More

Comments Off on Biggest Wake Comp of 2023 – Red Bull Duel Layout – 313 Wake Park

I’m over here in Lithuania at 313 Cable Park for the biggest wakeboarding event of 2023. It’s called Red Bull Wake Duel and it’s going to be insane. The best part is that the livestream is going to be hosted here on my YouTube channel this Saturday – so make sure to join us from 11am-5.30pm (local time).

We have some of the greatest riders on hand including Dom Hernler, @dominikguhrs1383 , @ThePeacockBrothers , amongst many more. @DaveAv and @domliek will be flying the drone to give you that up close and personal angle. More

Comments Off on Wakeboard Slalom – How Fast Can I Run The Course?

As some of you may know, I’ve been slalom skiing a lot lately and really enjoying it.

Naturally my brain began to think – can I run the slalom course on a wakeboard, and if I can, how quickly can I do it? Plus, can I add a few flips in there too?

I think if my board had a little more rocker, I could probably go quicker.

All in all, a great challenge and experiment, and maybe a whole new sport?

Thanks so much for watching.

David

Comments Off on Small Wake – what is possible? Wakeboarding Challenge

We all know I LOVE a big wake! I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last 5 years riding lots of Centurion Ri237s, Ri230 and lots of the Fi range too.

However, every now and then (when I’m home in Ireland), I ride this little small Glastron 205 GT. It’s got a V6 Volvo Penta engine and a tiny Pylon.

In this video, I decided to push myself and see just how much I can do on a tiny wake.

The goal was to do a whirly 5, but some of the basic mobes would be great too, not to mention maybe a big spin? More

Comments Off on How many flips are possible in 1 minute – Wakeboard challenge!

Today I set out to break the Guinness Book of World Record for the most wakeboarding flips in under one minute! It’s not an easy task as you need the perfect conditions, an averagely small wake (not too small though) and a serious amount of stamina! I shortened my rope to 55ft, Tim put the throttle down and I gave it a go. Unfortunately I came up short and failed on the first attempt, so I took 10 minutes to catch my breath and went again!! I hope you enjoy this video, and thanks so much for watching. David

Comments Off on Best place in the world to Wakeboard – my favourite location!

My home stomping ground in Cavan, Ireland. This is where I’ve learnt about 80% of the tricks I can do! I started skiing here at 5 years old and then took to wakeboarding at 10 years old. Fast forward over 15 years and it’s still my favourite place to ride.

The wake is small, however when the sun is out, and the water is flat, I can’t think of a better place to strap on a board and go for a shred.

I try and see how many tricks I can get on the small wake, including a tantrum to blind, whirly, tootsie, skeezer and even a slim chance! More

Comments Off on learning to Slalom Ski – running the full course

I decided to hang up the wakeboard for the day, and give slalom skiing a proper go! It’s something I haven’t done properly in about 15 years, and even back then I was only a kid doing it for fun.

I actually think this is the first time I’ve run the whole course. Yes, I’m going quite slowly, and I’m on a long rope, but I’m buzzing to get into it a little more.

Who knows, maybe I’ll bring the ski home!?!

Thankyou so much for watching.

Comments Off on Wakeboarding in Ireland 2023 – cold, windy and small wake!

 

Well, the 2023 season has officially kick started and I’m absolutely delighted to be back on the water in Ireland.

The lesson we learn in today’s video is “A bad day wakeboarding is better than no day wakeboarding”.

It was choppy, quite cold and the boat barely started! However, we persevered and made it happen.

The highlight for me was watching my new videographer on the board – he was so surprisingly good!

I hope you enjoy the video, and thanks for watching. More

Comments Off on Getting my tricks back! | Wakeboarding Dubai | Big Wake | Paradise

 

For my second big wake ride of the year, I decided to load up the ramfill on the Centurion Ri237 and go for it. I had a trickles on hand and I made my way through it one by one. These included

All the basic 540s
– HS FS540
– TS FS540
– Switch of both

All basic mobes
– Whirly
– Crowmobe/skeezer
– Tantrum to blind
– Tootsie
– Slim chance
– Backmobe

Spins
Toeside bs 540
Toe 7

Whirly 5

Most tricks came back pretty easily, however the backmobe, toeside 720 and whirly 5 were a little more tough work, but we got there! More

Comments Off on Boat Wakeboarding in Dubai on the Centurion Ri237

It m wasy first ride on the boat in a long long time – so I decided to ease myself back into it.

Luckily the guys at Wake Dubai (https://wake-dubai.com) have a Centurion Ri237 which is one off my favourite wake boats of all time (after the Ri230).

For my first session back I took it easy, didn’t fill the ballast or any extra weight as it would make life too easy for me – and I wanted to get my technique and timing correct.

All in all it worked out really well, and whilst I wasn’t doing the world’s hardest tricks – I’m buzzing with what I was able to do. More

Comments Off on Wakeboarding in Abu Dhabi

 

After quite a while off the water, I was only delighted to be back in the sunshine wakeboarding.

First stop was Al Forsan Watersports in Abu Dhabi. It’s relatively close to Europe and an awesome Wake Park. It’s got some new obstacle, and most importantly, glassy calm conditions.

Thanks so much for watching.

Dave

Comments Off on Tricks you must learn | Wakeboarding | Tutorial

So as the Zero to Hero series comes to an end (for now), I noticed there were a couple of tricks I left out and so I decided the best thing to do would be to make a video about these intermediate level fundamentals.

The first is the Ollie, which I have done a full tutorial on before, the second is an ollie 180 (bunnyhop) and the last is riding cuffed/blind.

These are all essential for progress, whether it’s for more advanced tricks, competitions or anything else. More

Comments Off on How to 360 on a Wakeboard | Top Tips to get the handlepass

I hope these tips help you to land that 360!
Dave

00:00 intro
00:30 the 360
01:15 explained
01:33 shorten rope
01:44 approach
02:05 take off
02:12 spin
02:23 handle pass
02:32 common mistakes
02:55 video explainer
03:30 top tips
04:17 toeside 360

Comments Off on How to Frontroll on a Wakeboard – the secret to not butt-checking!

So, this isn’t necessarily the 4th flip you should learn – it might be the 15th or the first, but hopefully this tutorial helps you learn the toeside front roll.

A big thing to pay attention to is the piece about looking at the far shore. So many people under flip these and so that should help massively!

00:00 intro
00:30 explanation
01:03 basics
01:25 approach
01:49 take off
02:20 landing
02:35 secret
03:30 video explanation

Comments Off on Wakeboarding – Tantrum Tutorial

Welcome back to another basic invert tutorial. Today we’re learning one of the most popular out there – the Tantrum!

The Tantrum is a heelside back summersault. It’s not easy, however, if you have learnt every step along the way so far, then this should be okay and safe to learn!

Unfortunately you can’t really learn it one wake, and so your best option is to maybe just slow the boat down a little and shorten your rope 5ft.

Hopefully this video helps, and good luck! More