My name is Oleksandr Fedyunin, I am the Product Lead of the Sportmaster 3.0 online store team. In my free time, I enjoy water sports: wakeboarding and diving. And today I would like to share the experience of mastering these sports, curious cases and advice for beginners.

How I came to my hobbies

You can say that I am a water person. My first acquaintance with big water happened when I was one year old, when my parents brought me to the sea, to the Crimea, where my grandparents lived. And so later I learned to swim quite well. At the age of 10-11, he joined the swimming sports section and reached the first adult division. But in high school, the swimmer’s career stopped under the influence of two factors: I was preparing for the institute and my wonderful coach moved to another city.

Nevertheless, in one form or another, I continued to seek myself in the water element. Tried to ride a banana and surf. I still think surfing is a really cool thing to get the feeling of flying over the water, especially when you learn to control the wind. But in my case, this enthusiasm did not lead to anything – I live in Lipetsk, and we have very few opportunities to surf.

Then I decided to try a wakeboard, but it didn’t work out for me: I didn’t understand anything at all, although the sensations were interesting. And quickly dropped it.

A few years later we built a good wake center and I decided to shake off the old days and try to wakeboard again, especially since it was 20 minutes away from home. In terms of physical exertion, it was incredibly difficult at first, but then, when the technique had already developed a little, I again caught the feeling of flying over water. Little by little, he began to do simple exercises and figures, then moved to the ring, trying springboards and sliders. I did not reach serious leaps then – it was a bad year.

Then I also took up diving. Knowing about my water hobbies, my brother had been persuading me to try scuba diving for a long time. I usually waved it off, because I thought that when it came to diving, it was somewhere in the Caribbean, and here we don’t have much to look at.

Two years ago, I still decided to try diving in Gelendzhik as a tourist attraction. I liked the format, when the instructors show basic techniques so that you don’t float anywhere and don’t panic, take your hand underwater to interesting places, pull them out and take them back to change clothes. And it just so happened that we went to rest in the same place for several years in a row, and I visited this base every time. It had locations of different levels of difficulty. I learned a little and got an amateur diving certificate, which allows you to go down to 3.5 meters. More serious training that meets GOSTs failed for me.

I also tried aquajet, also a cool thing. The only thing is that you still need to be a little prepared and know what water is and how to handle it. If you are more of a beginner in the water, I advise you to try paired with an instructor: he will hold, and you will catch your balance and understand the mechanics on your own. Mistakes will inevitably happen and they usually end either by falling into the water or by diving where you don’t really want to. Therefore, you need to be experienced enough, not to be afraid to fill your nose and ears. In general, this is a separate type of very interesting entertainment.

Of the three sports, wakeboarding was the most difficult for me. It has an important sense of balance, and in general, the mechanics of this action appear to be one, but in fact are different. It seems that the rope you are holding on to is a lifeline, you can hang on to it and hold on. But until I understood that it is needed to just pull you forward, and everything else you have to do yourself exactly as the instructor says, until you feel how it all works, it was difficult.

At first, all the muscles were very sore, it felt as if you were being beaten with spikes. If you rode for 15 minutes, which is a lot for a beginner, you are simply out of strength, because it seems that in order not to fall, you need to strain every muscle. In fact, it is enough to understand the basic laws of physics that apply in wakeboarding in order to start relaxing and enjoying the process.

About the season

I usually open the wakeboarding season no earlier than the beginning of May, when the water temperature reaches 14-15 degrees. For those who are just starting out, I would recommend going out on the water later, because at this stage, you often fall and get up, you get winded, and you can freeze. The season officially closes in October, but I finish sometime in September.

Unfortunately, last season I rode a wakeboard literally two or three times. The active phase was in dock-like times, when I exercised three or four times a week. That is, weekends for sure, and usually both. And after work he could stop by for an hour or two or during a lunch break for 20-30 minutes.

Hazards and injuries

I consider diving to be the most dangerous hobby of the three. The main thing, especially at first, is to listen carefully to the instruction, repeat and memorize it. I was usually lucky with the instructors: they sensitively looked after their wards and helped to quell panic.

In order for the dive to go without incident, it is important to carefully monitor the current, the state of the sea and the equipment, how much oxygen is left, who is around you, who you are paired with. I had no injuries as such: the fish bit me once and I cut myself a little on the shell. Once I took a deep dive, got very cold, and then I realized that I should not wear a nice short wetsuit, but a long and tight one. In diving, the price of a mistake is higher, so you need to be careful there.

There are fewer fatal risks on a wakeboard, but you have to remember that the water is really hard. I will give an analogy: in snowboarding, there is such a concept as “hitting the edge” – when you cling to the edge of the snow, you flip over and hit the snow. In a similar way, you can turn over on a wakeboard – here it is called “catch the mop”. I also caught her several times. Therefore, it is important to observe safety techniques, wear a helmet and a vest.

In general, you can get injured anywhere. When starting to master a sport, you are afraid to do something wrong, you are careful, and at this stage injuries are minimal. When something comes out, it begins to seem that you are the master of water, and this is the most dangerous moment.

My injuries came around the time I learned some basics and started to relax on the board instead of straining to keep from falling. I twisted my leg, fell and hit my head hard, but there were no serious stories.

Where to ride?

Above, I wrote about the Lipetsk Wake Park and, to be honest, I don’t see much sense in going anywhere else. People come to our club from St. Petersburg and Moscow, who confirm that it is cool.

The main plus for me is the party. It reminds me of the House of Pioneers – everyone knows each other, the cleaning lady can threaten you with a rag so that you don’t walk around unwashed, and treat you to a pie. It’s the same here: everyone gets to know each other, shares news, cheers for each other. Even the wolf mothers who do the triple somersault, watch you try to jump on the slider for the first time and fall off it, come up and explain how you can do it better. People communicate on the subject of eyelashes and many others.

The club has a cafe, a bathhouse, and exercise machines, both ordinary and specific, that help train balance. There are small houses – you can come from another city and live there for weeks. Festivals and camps for children are organized. Sometimes I just go there for dinner and a chat without even riding.

The atmosphere of the club in general and the instructors in particular are very friendly. There is no “you pay the money, then I’ll talk to you” relationship. When I had a series of regular visits, I naturally paid the instructor. But if you just want to go for a ride, they will tell you everything. Newcomers who just come to the club adapt quickly enough and feel like they belong.

There is another nice club located on a lake near Foros towards Sevastopol. I used to go there, but due to lack of time it was not possible to go for a ride. Therefore, I promised myself to definitely return and try as soon as such an opportunity arises. There are several winches, a ring and wonderful nature around: mountains, vineyards, etc.

If we talk about diving, I dived only in the Russian south. I liked it most at the diving center in Gelendzhik. There is a specially equipped playground near the shore that is suitable for beginners. And they take a boat out to the open sea, where you can explore the grottoes. It was there that I received my 16.2 meter diving certificate.

Stories and curious cases

I remember the first jump from a springboard on a wakeboard the most vividly. At first, the instructor explained for a long time how to approach it correctly, and tried several times. Then, climbing on the springboard, I fell off it many times, and the guys from the club started sharing various life hacks for overcoming difficulties. As a result, one of the tips worked, and after a long struggle, I finally managed to fly up the ramp, land, not fall and roll on. This case became a valuable experience and a pleasant memory for me.

If we talk about diving, I got vivid impressions after exploring the Museum of Anchors – an underwater platform, or rather a half grotto, in which the organizers collected various anchors and decorated the surrounding space with mannequins. The place is rather touristic for mass entertainment, but it left pleasant memories.

It was not without adventures. Once, my son and I decided to dive with an instructor and explore the through caves. The diving plan was discussed on the shore: first we go to the maximum depth, while there is a maximum of oxygen in the cylinders and no one has had time to freeze, we pass through the grotto, take a photo for memory, without stopping anywhere in particular, and then we move at a free pace to a simpler grotto. we explore it and head towards an open area where you can simply swim.

It was a great plan that we successfully executed, although the impression of its implementation was spoiled towards the end. The instructor suddenly sounded the alarm about an urgent ascent – my son and I ran out of oxygen. We began to climb quickly, but the instructor showed that we needed to go even faster. And it was no longer possible. It felt like we were climbing forever, although in fact we had to overcome no more than 12 meters. Having already found myself above the surface of the water, I realized that there was nothing for me to breathe, but there was no panic. I was more worried about my son – he had run out of oxygen earlier, and he and the instructor were swimming on their last two breaths. But in general, everything ended well.

Achievement

On the subject of diving, one of my personal achievements was when, on one of the group dives, the instructor allowed me to teach the beginners the basic rules and safety techniques. After my story, he confirmed that everything was so and, making sure that everyone understood, already added a few subtleties. And, of course, our passage through the underground rock: the nerves tickle incredibly! At the beginning, the situation and experience are completely unlike anything else, and then – from different thoughts that increase the already considerable dose of adrenaline in the blood.

As for the eyelash, it is of course the little baggage of figures that I managed to master. By the way, just a few weeks ago I learned a few more new elements for me. And this state, when you get something from what we usually see in cool and spectacular videos, is also a result of your achievements.

Regarding future plans. I dream of riding a boat in the open sea. He organized such an event several times, but every time it was canceled: either the weather, or a technical malfunction, or the “mare driver” fell ill. It’s a shame, but I’m not sad. And, of course, I want to take part in competitions: there are many amateur categories that would be great to conquer. I am sure that I will succeed, I have positive experience for this.

Tips for beginners

I would like to give one piece of advice for beginners of varying degrees of readiness – try it! All these “I won’t succeed”, “I don’t have time”, “I’m too old for all this…” have no reason to prove the opposite. But I can say from experience, if it really warms your soul, then there will be time and skill and everything else will come. And, of course, I am happy to give any advice or share some of my experience with anyone who wants to. Well, the most important thing is, of course, safety equipment and equipment. Take care of yourself for new achievements and for your loved ones.