There’s no question that wake surfing is wreaking havoc on Lake Waramaug. Over 60 people tell us just how . . .
In 2024, a questionnaire was sent out as part of a study commissioned by Washington, Warren and Kent to access the impact of wake surfing on Lake Waramaug. Here’s what people using the lake had to say:
The long, large waves caused by the wake boats do not make for safety in swimming and kayacking. They create less visibility of swimmers from the boats. I also think that the surface disturbance extending out to the shore from the wake boats may be adding to the mass of weeds.
As you know, these boats are designed to create a huge wake and I think our lake is way too small to accommodate them.
Wakeboards create waves too big of waves that knock people off of paddleboards and small boats. The wakeboards also create outsized waves that have broken down the shoreline on our property making it more muddy. The water quality in the lake has decreased over the past 5 years.
Wake boats, even boating within a reasonable distance of me fishing in a kayak, throw so much wake I need to orient the nose of my craft into the wake to avoid rolling over. Creating conditions that make fishing or just paddling in my kayak unsafe. It seems like more owners of wake throwing boats are not aware of the wake they create, which is in violation of boating licensing that states; According to the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS), boat owners are liable for any damages caused by boat wakes. Liability for damages is independent of where the damage occurred; in no-wake zones or in open water, boat owners are on the hook if their wakes cause the damage or loss of another vessel or structure. Lake Waramaug should be as it has been in the past, a benchmark for safe, respectful, responsible boating.
Large high breaking waves similar to ocean surf hit the shore, even when the boat is far out from thee shore. This is both a safety and environmental impact. Silt is churned to the surface and plant bits are fragmented and float over a wide area. Floats bounce and become unstable and destabilize occupants and chairs on the docks.
As a water skier and paddle boarder, if I am in tow or paddling, the wake boats should be respectful and move in another direction since they cause a disturbance but that has not been the case. The waves impact my safety.
I have observed the newer wakeboard boats and I believe they cost upward of $200k creating a wake so large when they go by my dock, my dock barely stays attached.
Many boaters go far too fast within 100’ of shoreline which is dangerous. Most concerning however are the wakeboard boats operating in surf mode which create extremely choppy conditions in the water which causes other vessels to rock uncomfortably and generally toss paddle boarders into the water unless they sit which interrupts their activity. And I am very concerned about the impacts of these boats’ wave action on the shorelines.
Large wakes causing damage to shoreline and balance issues for paddleboards, swimmers, docks. plus kayaks and canoes.
Aggressive wake boat activity endangering others and shoreline and waterside equipment damage. Noise pollution.
Wake board boats in surf mode causing large waves rocking docks and paddle boards back and forth.
Wake board boats cause waves that can affect kayaking and shore erosion.
Excessive shore line surf.
Environmental impact on crumbling lake edge stone walls. Safety impact on children being tossed around in shallow water when waves come ashore. Oceanlike.
Our boat was directly damaged by wake surfing two summers ago. The waves were so powerful that they snapped our whip and the boat smashed into our dock. We were unable to have the boat in the water last summer. We are looking into a mooring in order to have it in the water this summer. In summary, wake surfing has cost us money in damages and the investment in a mooring.
Wake surfing has completely destroyed the sort of quiet enjoyment of the lake that I so fondly remembered from childhood. I cannot sit on my dock, I cannot go for a swim or paddleboard in the middle of the day, and I have had several close calls where the boats were within 10 yards of my dock (while swimming with my seven and five year old niece and nephew). Not to mention, water skiing is basically an impossibility after 9am. The zoned areas of allowable Wake Surfing is essentially the entire lake, so the "restriction" doesn't do anything and people are consistently driving far too close to the shoreline. The boats are the ones with the ballasts. Unsure exactly which they are but most boat owners have them now.
Wake from wake board boat capsizing canoe.
We've observed both wake board and water skiing disrupting the lake for people who are kayaking, etc. In addition, it obviously creates waves that reach the shoreline and rock docks.
Safety concerns about wake boats in surf mode that weighs down the stern and raises up the bow to the point where the operator cannot see what may be right in front of him but below his field of view on the water, e.g. kayaks, sculls, and canoes (a great many more of these small non-motorized watercraft are in use on the lake than ever before).
Environmental impacts of wake boats in surf mode creating very large waves and causing erosion and very turbid water all along my lakeshore.
I have seen how the waves affect the shore line. Some of them are quite strong
On any summer day, there are a minimum of 12 MasterCraft brand high performance boats moored on the Lake. This is a small body of water for the unregulated (voluntary or otherwise) use of these and many other performance water craft that populate the lake.
Large waves rocking docks and causing turbidity on the shoreline.
Wake boarding boats create a nuisance both to people relaxing on shore and for people on paddle boards or canoes trying to passively (not using gas engines) use the lake.
Wake board boats generate extremely large wakes that are dangerous to self-propelled crafts as well as the lake’s shoreline, docks, and those sitting on their docks.
Wake board boats, and motor boats to a lesser degree, make waves that make paddle boarding and canoeing unsafe. The water quality has also gone down in the past few years since the wake boards became popular.
I have observed wave boats on the lake. The 4' wave comes over my landing and is damaging my shoreline. I cannot use the lake when these boats are out there.
High bow angle of boats in surf mode make driver visibility difficult. Boats attempting to navigate the "blind" corners of the lake are especially hazardous as Lake Waramaug does not have a designated traffic pattern. Our family no longer feels safe tubing and skiing on the weekends during the summer for this reason.
Our wooden electric boat is often "swamped" by the wake of wake boats. Ours is a craft fairly low to the water and the wake wave crashes over the side and into the boat. I don't suppose it's dangerous but it is unpleasant.
While kayaking I have observed the excessive wave effect created by boats in “surf mode”. While concerning due to the erosion and resulting effect on water quality, it is also highly disruptive to kayakers and paddle boarders
Wake boats seem to be the biggest nuisance on the lake … little regard for kayaks, paddle boards or even other people waterskiing.
Wake board boats: 1.Cause our dock and boats to pitch excessively. To the point many times we need to sit down or hold on, otherwise we can be thrown. This is especially true with our grandchildren. Our boats can get swamped and it puts excessive pressure on our lines and whips. Do we all have to buy expensive lifts just to keep our boats safe from huge waves? 2. Waves from said boats can crash violently into our shore rock embankments. At some point I expect dislodging. 3. There is a marked loss of clarity to the water all over the lake, not only on the shoreline. This is very distressing!! 4. We used to have at least 30 fish nests every year on our shoreline. Summer 2023, we had a major decline in numbers to less than 5. Along with a lack of water clarity, I would be curious to hear what the fishermen say about the quality of fishing. Has it gone down since the influx of all the surf boats? 5. Wildly bouncing floating docks - can toss people and equipment into the water; shoreline damage from huge waves; danger to rowers of all types from rogue waves that ricochet around the lake (including those not directly trailing the wake boats - these waves persist, interact and amplify in our small lake.
While kayaking, forced to alter course to avoid being swamped by wakes from wake boats e.g. same for high horsepower boats towing skiers.
Wake board boats are especially noisy as they are running at high power and low rpm’s. Total noise pollution. I have been affected by this many times. The waves are a hazard to - and an unfair taking of the enjoyment of the lake from - kayakers, swimmers, canoers, paddle boarders, etc. My lake front has been disturbed and vegetation and shore damaged by incessant waves from wake board boats.
The waves from wake boats create such significant troughs for a (flat bottomed) ski boat that the ski boat will crash hard while traversing the wake. It is not always possible to adjust speed and direction to safely cross those big wakes, particularly when towing a water skier.
Wake boats cause huge crossing waves that nearly capsized our 14 foot sailboat. We had to hold on for dear life as the boom shot from side to side and we lost control of our boat. We were lucky to escape injury. The wake boats were oblivious to what they did to us.
I saw a wake board boat nearly sink a pontoon boat. Pontoon boat was nearly at capacity however. I have lost a fishing net over the side of boat due to large wake by wake board boats.
I have observed (many times) wake board boats within 50 - 75 feet of shore, without observers. I have had the chains on my floating dock broken by the force of the wave. I have had wakeboard boats on several occasions ignore the rules of right of way and cut off other vessels (including myself) illegally and without consequences.
Wake boats operating in surf mode cause my dock to bounce wildly, causing real damage. They also endanger me when I swim, which I do often, and when I stand on the dock. I don't personally see the environmental impacts, but there is abundant evidence that they are many and that they are negative.
Wake board boats causing extreme waves, unsettling my dock, making it unswimmable in our cove.
I have been swamped in my kayak and almost knocked off my dock by the waves generated by the wake surfing boats. They also create a danger for family members who row on the lake and cause erosion along the shoreline.
Boat in wake board surfing mode creating large waves that have moved rocks in seawalls. These boats come too close to shore.
Wake boats in surf mode create a wake way too big, creating safety concerns for kayaks and swimming.
Wake board boats in surf mode create very large and unnatural waves that break onto our shore, shake our dock and disturb the wildlife on the dock and shore. We love to swim in the lake but large waves from wake boats in surf mode make this activity unsafe because of the big and unexpected waves. We are also bird lovers and have seen cormorants and great blue herons on our dock have their hunting and resting disturbed by the wake boats in surf mode.
Wake board boats causing large waves which, in turn, cause docks to move more violently and stronger waves hitting the shore.
My dock on West Shore Road was damaged by the surf created by passing wake board boats in surf mode -- the ladder was ripped from the dock and the connections between the dock and the shore were damaged. My safety is endangered when I stand on the dock and wake boats pass by, even far away -- the surf is so big that I am thrown around on the dock and risk serious injury. The current guidelines regarding distance from shore don't meaningfully lessen the impact of wake boats operating in surf mode because the wake travels so far and is so strong. The surf they generate makes swimming difficult. Finally, the damage to the shoreline and wildlife is tremendous. Fish hatching areas are disturbed and much more. Wake boats are a threat to everything else that uses the lake and that surrounds the lake -- the shoreline, the docks, the other boats, the swimmers, and the wildlife.
Wake boats creating large waves that hit the shore and disturb the shoreline. Sediment entering the water from wave action, very disruptive wave action on the dock, unstable and unsafe for people.
As an avid kayaker, the wakes created by wake boats are a danger to me when I paddle out on the water.
Wake boarding boats in wake boarding mode coming too close to shore causing unsafe conditions on docks and to people in the water. Have caused damage to our dock (i.e. attachment to base on land had to be strengthened).
Repeatedly witnessed docks and smaller watercraft negatively impacted by wakes thrown by wake boats in surf mode. Damage at relatives’ dock, both to the dock itself and the boat moored there. General lack of awareness and concern often witnessed by wake boat operators as they operate close to docks, other crafts and shoreline.
I have observed the deep waves created by wake board boats in surf mode pummeling the shoreline and causing erosion, as well as the effect of these waves on floating docks vs stationary. The docks literally rock from side to side with the first part of the wave and then the second part when it bounces off the shoreline. These waves also make it very difficult, if not dangerous for paddle boarders, kayaks and small canoes.
Wake board boats in surf mode causing enormous waves that knock out items and people on nearby docks, swamping other boats (either in motion or docked nearby), and dislodging rocks in retaining walls.
I was knocked off my board because a wave from a wake boat came up from behind. I generally stay close to the shore and the boat was in the middle of the lake.
Wake boats make it difficult for rowers to safely row in the morning impacting use by other activities.
Distracted operators in loud, overloaded, poor visibility forward, due to high bow angle boats producing wakes that limit the safe use of the lake for smaller craft damage the shoreline and property and churn up the lake. The DEEP safe boating class teaches "You are responsible for your wake". Wake boating is irresponsible abusive and excessive.
The size of wake wave makes kayak/canoeing difficult and the wave action along the shore is eroding our rock wall.
Wake surf boats surfing too close to shore and creating damage to docks.
Erosion has increased and to maintain those barriers costs money and extensive permitting from the town, burdens that must be taken on by the property owner and not the owners of the vessels that are seemingly making the problems worse. It is also difficult to manage self-propelled vessels when wake boarders are nearby and requires self-protective measures to avoid capsizing.
Wake boat causing unnaturally violent wave action negatively affecting boats, docks, beaches and shorelines.
Wake boats with wake surfers causing dangerously high waves even when the boat is moving slowly in the middle of the lake. When the waves come to swimmers and paddlers, it creates hazardous water conditions. When the waves crash into our docks and shorelines it damages both. The operators of these boats frequent the same areas for lengthy periods of time starting and stopping often for the amateur surfers falling off over and over again.
Our dock gets kicked about so much like it was the seven seas in bad weather. Throwing our docked boat around causing damage.
Wake board boat with surfer very close to the shore causing extreme waves and people on the dock forced to squat down so they are not knocked off the dock.
The wakeboard boats in wake mode make it impossible to be on the dock or swim near the shore or tow a skier nearby. I get it, they are soooo much fun. But the wake affects too many aspects of the lake, which is why large boats (that could make that same wake) aren't allowed in the first place.
We do some water skiing and the wake ski boats create so many waves that it makes skiing difficult.
Sea planes- in the past there was one that used the lake. Hopefully, it hasn't been seen because of current regulations. Definitely a safety issue.
Mostly disturbed shoreline which is very annoying to beach users and some boat owners
Wake surfing boats cause such giant wakes that our seawall is being degraded and we had to install a lift to take our wooden electric powered boat out of the water because the waves were so big it was constantly being banged against the dock, even with bumpers and tight tie lines.
Our dock is on a narrower part of the lake and it is often dangerous to be on our dock when a wake surfer passes our dock - even when inside the allowable zone - but when boats come closer to our dock than that (I believe 75 feet), it’s really dangerous and we have come close to serious falls. We have to take extreme caution when bringer young children or elderly people on the dock. It used to be pleasurable and peaceful to sunbathe or relax on our dock - whether lying on towels or sitting in sturdy Adirondack chairs, but that is no longer the case.
Wakes are too large for such a small lake when other boats are nearby -- especially for skiers and tubers in other vessels and for kayakers. Creating a wake and causing others in a canoe to capsize, creating wake and land erosion.