Wakeboarding on Lake Kariba

Wakeboarding and Zambia Safari on Lake Kariba

Wakeboarding on Lake Kariba, Siavonga

The beautiful lake of Kariba provides fish and holiday resorts. Its dam supplies electricity to Zambia and Zimbabwe including other countries in the region. But water sports are might popular too!

Siavonga is a resort town on the lakeshore of an inland sea – Lake Kariba . And water sports are growing in numbers. About three years ago Maurice Diamond (22) started wakeboarding.

Setting up the sport is easy. It only requires a board (fiberglass or wood) on which a person stands while holding a towline pulled by a speeding boat. The board is towed along the wake the boat leaves behind. It’s just like water skiing!

Maurice enjoys his water sport so much. In fact he’s turned his passion into a kind of school. He teaches people a myriad of tricks and feats that he has perfected. He’s enthusiasm is so infectious that you’d want to join him. Well, I have seen water sports people watch him with growing interest. He would grasp a towline handle, duck and spin behind a boat speeding at 60km per hour.

During lessons Maurice ensures safety is in place. For instance his students wear a lifejacket to keep them afloat if they drop into water. Swimming skills are not an important factor in learning wakeboarding.

Wakeboarding is a relatively new spot in the world. It started just about ten years ago. But in Siavonga it’s only three years old, thanks to Maurice. A truly adventure travel man.