Wake surfing has become a popular sport on Wisconsin lakes, but not everyone agrees on how the activity should be regulated as concerns about environmental impact grow.
The boating season has begun and Chip Turner is ready with his wake boat on Pewaukee Lake.
"They're fun toys," Turner said.
Turner, a Pewaukee Lake homeowner, took a TMJ4 crew out on his wake boat to demonstrate wake surfing.
Hunter Perock teaches wake surfing to anyone who wants to learn and is passionate about the sport.
"It's really all around fun for everybody," Perock said.
To understand the wake surfing debate, there are a few key factors to consider, starting with the boat's ballast. Turner's boat holds 5,500 pounds of water.
Watch: Wake surfing debate creates waves on Wisconsin lakes
"The way these boats work is you fill up with water, that's what makes the wave," Turner said.
The surfer is pulled out of the water with a rope as the boat pitches about 30 degrees and reaches speeds around 11 mph. This creates the perfect wave for surfers like Perock.
While Perock makes it look easy, finding the sweet spot on a wave that can reach 3 to 4 feet high is a skill.
It's these waves or wakes and what happens beneath the water surface that has sparked debate among lake residents and environmental advocates.
"The problem we're finding with the wake boats is it's not what you can see, but what you can't see," Hans Meyer, a member of Lakes at Stake Wisconsin, said.
Meyer, who lives on Pewaukee Lake, worries wake boats operating too close to the shoreline could cause damage, and wake surfing in water less than 30 feet deep disrupts the lake bottom.
He has created a map to guide wake boats to deeper areas of Pewaukee Lake while also being mindful of smaller watercraft like kayaks, sailing and fishing boats.
"There is suitable distance from shore and suitable depth for these boats to operate without causing any damage and being separated from other uses on the lake, which is excellent," Meyer said.
Richard Phillips has been monitoring the growing use of wake surfing boats on Wisconsin lakes for years through his organization, Last Wilderness Alliance.
"It is the entire ecosystem that we're worried about," Phillips said.
His group educates and advocates about wake surfing issues with the goal of establishing appropriate regulations based on lake size.
"Wake surfing looks like a great sport, as long as you've got a lake that's big enough and deep enough and you sterilize those ballast tanks," Phillips said.
That means lakes should be 50 acres or larger and 30 feet or deeper, with waves kept at least 700 feet from shore, according to the alliance.
For Perock at Surf Lake Country, it's about finding the perfect wave while respecting others on the water.
"Common courtesy is just be respectful on the water and have fun," Perock said.
Currently, regulation of wake surfing is left to local lake authorities.
More than 300 Wisconsin lakes have ordinances that prohibit or restrict wake surfing, according to Last Wilderness Alliance.
A lawsuit filed in May by wake boat owners challenges the ban on four lakes in Burnett County as unconstitutional.
The outcome will likely influence what other lakes can or cannot do regarding wake surfing regulations.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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