Wake boarding in Thailand

I have to tell you about one of my favourite places on this earth!

Tucked away in the middle of a eucalyptus forest (an experiment by the Thai government to keep the mozzies away - it works!), on the Dok Rai reservoir you'll find the Shambala resort. It's a wakeboarding camp, where you can get away from the hussle and bussle of daily life and do nothing except wakeboard with expert coaching from Deen Graves, who's one of the originators of the sport.

This little piece of heaven was set up by Deen and his wife Sarah, who are living their dream and inviting others to be a part of it - the stories they can tell you over a couple of beers are guaranteed to have you in hysterics.

Wakeboarding is something I've been doing for about three years now and I love it! To say it's become a passion of mine is a bit of an understatement.

The Shambala resort is like something out of Robinson Crusoe, with little rustic bungalows, a general gathering/eating area, with walkways out onto the water giving access to the boats. When you go there, it's like being part of an extended family, everyone is so welcoming and lovely. The food is to die for with Pah whipping up authentic Thai creations every day - I've never eaten so well. You can get the massage girls down to ease those aching muscles - trust me you'll need them after several tramp training and hard riding sessions!

The thing that gets me is the overwhelming enthusiasm for the sport. Whatever level you are, from complete beginning to a pro wanna-be who can throw big air tricks, Deen has something to teach everyone. I've come across good wakeboarders, who quite frankly are up their own backside and will say 'I don't need coaching' - everyone, no matter what level you are can learn something new. Pros in all sports have professional coaches, so why should boarding be any different?

I 'thought' I'd been getting better, until I realised that constantly riding with boys had taught me a lot of bad habits and that not necessarily having the pure strength that lads have to do things, it was going to be all about technique. So a few steps back and I was well on my way again. The thing about Deen is that he's constantly watching people and how the sport is progressing and altering the ride style and technique to cope with bigger wakes, new moves and more. At one point we realised that many people coaching now, are using techniques that he was teaching fifteen years ago - time to progress people!

A week is far too short and having been there twice now, I think my next stay is going to have to been a little bit longer. I have friends who originally went for a couple of weeks and ended up staying three months! That's how wonderful this place is! Word of mouth is also growing and I have so many friends who've now had the Deen and Sarah experience and all have had nothing but praise for this wonderful couple, their passion, hospitality, drive to help people get the most out of their experience.

So if you're into wakeoarding take a little look at http://www.wakeboardingthailand.com/ and I guarantee if you head over there you will not be disappointed.