Surf Cat

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Around 100 riders from all over the world are descending on a private lake in south Lake County ahead of this weekend’s MotoSurf World Cup Finals and Motosurf America Finals. 

It’s all happening at JetSurf Orlando Academy’s facility, located on Cook Road in Clermont.

The sport utilizes JetSurf boards, which loosely resemble wake boards and surf boards and are motorized. Instead of waiting for a wave or being towed by a boat, JetSurf puts the power in your hand. 

Mark Andrews flew down from Toronto for this week’s races.

“Compared to other sports, it takes some aspects of snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding and kind of mashes them all together so it’s unlike anything but feels like a lot of things,” Andrews said. “In a short matter of time, our lakes are going to be frozen [in Canada], so there’s no place I’d rather be than right here in Clermont.”

Cliff Huff is the co-founder of JetSurf Academy Orlando, which opened last year, and helps introduce those new to the sport through lessons and rentals.

“It’s an incredible workout,” he said. “You can ride an hour on a tank of fuel. You’ll be worn out way before then.”

The cost for a JetSurf board can start around $10,000 and go up from there.

With a GoPro attached to his helmet, Evan Evans might look like an expert, but he’s still relatively new to JetSurf. 

“I grew up windsurfing, kite surfing, wake boarding, whitewater kayaking, so I’ve had my hands in water sports my entire adult life,” he said. “I’m always trying the latest and greatest and this is the latest and greatest, and I had to buy one.”  

Motosurf America Continental Cup races continue Wednesday at JetSurf Academy Orlando, with World Cup races set for Oct.18-20. It is free for spectators to attend.

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