New 16 foot depth Wakeboat Testing Video

New 16 foot depth Wakeboat Testing Video

Happy 4th of July!

As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, many of us are also witnessing the harm that wake boats are causing on our pristine Wisconsin lakes. Lakes at Stake Wisconsin will continue the fight with extensive lobbying efforts in Madison, supporting scientific research, producing underwater videography and preserving the ability for townships to control and protect their waterways.

Today we are releasing a bottom impact video from wakeboat field testing we conducted in May and June of 2026. This is part one of a series of videos that will be coming out over the summer from this testing. Future videos will show bottom impacts at shallower and deeper depths along with underwater video of how wakesurf waves scrub the bottom of lakes as they come ashore.

The fight to protect Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers is happening right now. If you believe this work matters, please make a donation today by clicking the button below. We cannot continue this effort without your support. Every dollar helps us defend our lakes, advance science-based protections, and stand up to powerful special interests.

Let’s Go!

We encourage you to watch the three-minute video above before reading further. If possible, view it on a large screen so you can fully appreciate some of the remarkable footage captured during our 2026 field testing.

When it comes to the science surrounding wakesurfing impacts, the industry has often resembled the emperor with no clothes. Rather than addressing the growing body of independent research, industry advocates typically rely on two familiar arguments:

1) They cite a 2022 industry produced computer simulation study that says wakesurfing 200 feet from shore and in ten foot water depth has more or less the same impact as all other boats.

2) The Industry dismisses virtually every independent field study for one obscure reason or another. At times, the criticisms seem almost absurd—as if the problem was that the wakeboat’s flux capacitor wasn’t properly engaged, or that the researchers neglected to test children riding an inner tube behind a 42-foot Hatteras Yacht.

Wisconsin residents know that wakesurf boats ARE different. We have all experienced the massive waves and many damages inflicted on our lakes and rivers. We see it with our own eyes.

We want to thank a team of approximately 20 volunteers who helped to facilitate this field testing earlier this year. More video footage will be coming in the weeks ahead!

Please share this newsletter and video with friends and family. While we all see the large surface waves from wakesurfing, few are able to see what is really going on beneath the surface of the water. Future videos from this field testing will help you understand what is happening to the bottom of our glacial lakes. Stay tuned for more!

Have a fantastic and safe 4th of July!

Every time a wakeboat issue has gone to a public vote, the outcome has been overwhelmingly in favor of protecting our lakes. With each passing month our side gains momentum. It is not our goal to ban wakesurfing, but rather to ensure the sport takes place on lakes large enough and deep enough so that shorelines, lake bottoms and other lake users are not negatively impacted.

LAKES AT STAKE WISCONSIN

We deeply appreciate your support in protecting our glacial lakes. As a bipartisan volunteer group, your donations fund our educational efforts statewide and our lobbying in Madison. Visit lakesatstake.org to learn more.