OK, I’m late to the party. But, binge-watching beckons!

Bonifay Banter, a podcast by Parks Bonifay and Shane Bonifay, is a unique and engaging program. It’s a show produced by wakesports insiders, about wakesports insiders, and all the exciting, and sometimes insane, things that they experience.

It’s not all about grabs and inverts, though that ground is certainly covered. Instead, the reason to tune-in to Bonifay Banter is that the Brothers Bonifay get real with their guests. There’s laughter and seriousness and true stars of the sport showing their true selves.

Eight episodes in, the guest list reads like a Who’s Who of wake: Massi Piffaretti, Danny Amir, Brian Grubb, Joey Meddock, Danny Harf, Erick Ruck and let’s not forget the Parkses Uncle Paul! The show lives up to its tagline of: “Talking Epic Times with Legendary Guests.”

Other reasons to subscribe: where else can you learn how to land a helicopter, deal with alligators, speak Italian and more.

Some of the episodes run over two hours. 

Great is the history and backstory about the sport that is revealed during a Bonifay Banter podcast. It is truly interesting and I am glad, and it is good, that these things are being said, and preserved and passed on to the world.

Bonifay Banter launches new episodes every Thursday (“for now,” or so says its Instagram). Bonifay Banter is worth your viewing time.

The post Bonifay Banter Podcast Review appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

In many places, there are those seeking to limit, or even eliminate the right to wakeboard and wakesurf. While most wake boat owners are responsible and operate safely and courteously, there are a few that act with disregard for other boaters. These people are a big part of this challenge we face.

Please watch this video from the Watersports Industry Association (WSIA). Take its message to heart. Then share it with other boat owners and riders. The future of your sport may depend on it. Acting with the principles of Wake Responsibly in mind is actually a way you can fight for your–and everyone’s–right to ride.

See the full Wake Responsibly video, here.

The post Wake Responsibly in July 2025 and All the Time appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

This is a great film, produced and edited by Sean Kilgus, of BFY Action Films and Media. It shows how foiling can be pursued and enjoyed on almost any day, regardless of conditions, and stars the sports premier athletes. Watch it to see Brian Grubb, Noah Flegel, Austin Tovey, Gordon Harrison and Sam Langley. 

I am proud to present to you on the basis of the above alone. That said, there’s more to this story. 

Read Next: How to Set Up Your Boat for Foiling with Noah Flegel

Behind the wakes, the waves and the wings; aside from the grabs and inverts and crazy lines; there are the relationships. The ties that bind fellow athletes, friends, even parents and children, are threads that run through this tapestry shot, edited and orchestrated by Kilgus and featuring not just top athletes, but top people.

Like I said: I am proud of it. Please enjoy it. 

The post Foiling Everywhere: The Wingmen Drops appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

The 2025 Pro Wakeboard Tour Stop 2 happens next week, June 20-21, in Acworth, Georgia. 

Stop 1, in Texas, was action-packed. As anticipation builds for next week’s PWT action, view this video interview with Thomas Herman, produced by PWT. In it, you’ll get into the head of one of the sport’s foremost professionals. Plus, you’ll get a hint of the action you can expect at Stop 2.

If you can’t make it to Acworth, you can still catch the action via livestream on PWT’s YouTube channel. 

Finally, if you want to learn more about, and from, Thomas Herman check out his YouTube channel: youtube.com/@thomasherman_.

The post Thomas Herman Interview by Pro Wakeboard Tour appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Thomas Herman, Supra Boats pro rider, features in a new video by the Sea Tow Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting boating safety, about the dangers of driving a boat while not sober. In this episode of the “Sober Skipper: Why It Matters” series, released in conjunction with National Safe Boating Week, the new video highlights the critical role of a Sober Skipper in ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience on the water. 

The video series is part of the Foundation’s ongoing campaign to eliminate accidents and fatalities due to Boating Under the Influence (BUI). The campaign targets men ages 24-50, the group identified by U.S. Coast Guard statistics as most at risk for BUI-related incidents. As a professional athlete, Herman shares why staying sober on the water is essential – for safety and for peak performance. He emphasizes the importance of having a Sober Skipper behind the wheel, ensuring that wakeboarders, water sports enthusiasts and recreational boaters alike can focus on their time on the water without worrying about unnecessary risks.

National Safe Boating Week is held the week prior to Memorial Day weekend (May 17-23, 2025) to reach and educate boaters at the start of the summer boating season. This year, the Sea Tow Foundation is amplifying the Sober Skipper message with the launch of the video.

Read Next: World Champ Dallas Friday Rides Dry and Drives Dry

“Wakeboarding, like all water sports, requires focus, control and quick decision-making,” said Gail R. Kulp, Executive Director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “National Safe Boating Week is the perfect time to remind all boaters and water sports enthusiasts that responsible choices—like designating a Sober Skipper—can prevent tragedies and make every boating experience safer and more enjoyable. Thomas Herman’s message reinforces the importance of making safety a priority on the water.”

Watch and listen to what Thomas has to say.

The post Thomas Herman Advocates for Sober Skippers appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Spend a day on the lake with Gunner Daft, as I once had the privilege of doing, and you realize this pro wakeboarder is as passionate and thoughtful about the sport as they come. 

In this video, hear Gunner Daft describe how wakeboarding inspires him and how he uses it as a means of personal expression. Watch Gunner ride behind his own Montara Boats Surf Boss as he philosophizes on the physics, and the metaphysics, of the sport we all love. 

Watch this video, and you’ll get to see Gunner airborne, executing a number of tricks. You’ll also get to hear why he loves wakeboarding and what makes it so special to him. I know those words will resonate with wakeboarders, other watersports enthusiasts, and, in my view, anyone who pursues excellence in any endeavor, on or off the water.

The post Gunner Daft on the Meaning of Wakeboarding appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

In this video, watch professional wakeboarder and Centurion Boats team rider, Taylor McCullough, in action. She is a Wakeboard World Series champion. The footage shows McCullough performing at top level, executing grabs, 180s and inverts behind a Centurion Ri230.

Read Next: Learn More About Centurion’s Ri230, Like the One McCullough Rides Behind

According to the Centurion Boats website: “Taylor McCullough started wakeboarding at 3 1/2 years old in Centralia, IL. Her favorite place to ride is on the Murray River in Yarrawonga, Victoria, AUS. Taylor’s favorite trick is an indy tantrum or indy backroll. Prior to competing, Taylor employs the power of music, embracing diverse genres to find solace and calm her nerves, ensuring she performs at her absolute best.”

The post Taylor McCullough in Action! appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

In this video, Montara Boats rider Gunner Daft displays his awesome skill. Watch as Daft wakeboards behind his own Montara Boats Surf Boss 2.0…a Boating Boat of the Year. 

Excellent riding is captured as this long-time pro exhibits the style, precision and ability that only a world-class wakeboarder such as Gunner Daft can perform. Enjoy this montage of Gunner Daft riding and check out our other videos featuring Gunner Daft, and other pro riders, who share their tips and advice for you.

The post Gunner Daft Montage appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

In this video, world-renowned, multi-discipline athlete, Brian Grubb dishes about the evolution of watersports. Having been riding for team @malibuboats  for over 20 years, Grubb started waterskiing, transitioned to wakeskating, performs at top levels at wakeboarding and wakesurfing, and now may be best known for his exploits riding foils. Check out what Brian Grubb has to say, and enjoy some great footage of Grubb doing what he does best.

The post Brian Grubb on the Evolution of Watersports appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Like a lot of aspiring watersports athletes, Brian Grubb traded water skis for a wakeboard in the late ’90s, but it was a picture of a pro riding skateboard-style that would prompt him to trade bindings for sneakers and grip tape. Grubb would go on to be a driving force behind the burgeoning sport of wakeskating, capturing National and World Championships in his rookie year on tour and forging a career that would last for decades. It’s his relationship with Red Bull, however, that’s thrust the now 43-year-old into the national spotlight. Grubb’s recent drone-towed wakeskate session across the rooftop infinity pool of a Dubai skyscraper—followed by a 77-story BASE jump to the beach below— has become the energy drink behemoth’s all-time most viewed clip on Instagram.

Why wakeskating?

I grew up water-skiing and wakeboarding in Florida. I saw some shots in the mags of (wake pioneer) Scott Byerly riding with no bindings and had to try it. I loved the freedom of it and hitting rails and kickers was super fun for me. It was such a new sport that we were doing tricks no one had ever done and that was very rewarding.

Still, it was a pretty niche sport. How did you attract Red Bull?

I got connected with Red Bull back in 2001 with some help from my friend Parks Bonifay who was already on the team. I was getting a lot of exposure in the mags and doing pretty good competing in wakeboard rail contests on my wakeskate. It was a new sport, but Red Bull took a chance with me and together we helped grow wakeskating into what is it today. Red Bull is the best sponsor in action sports and goes above and beyond to help its athletes achieve their dreams.

Your career has lasted longer than most. How have you managed to stay popular?

I’ve dedicated my whole life to watersports, and it has been very good to me in return. I’m always trying to do new things and ride in places no one ever has. I’ve had some amazing opportunities to do this with the help of Red Bull and my other sponsors. I don’t turn down opportunities and am always on the move. I have a friend group that also lives like I do and we are always chasing the next adventure.

The latest stunt in Dubai was crazy. How do you dream up something like that, and what goes into making it happen?

The wakeBASE was my dream project. It was just a wild idea for a while, but started really coming together after we built the drone and now had a way to tow it. Red Bull has an amazing team that helped with the logistics in Dubai and with the Address Beach Resort. It’s a 79-story building and the pool is the highest infinity-edge pool in the world at 965 feet. It’s an awesome BASE jump with about 7 seconds of free fall.

Read Next: Brian Grubb and Cleopatra’s Pool

So what’s next?

I’m always looking for the next adventure and traveling around the world to find it. Lately I’ve been chasing big waves on the e-Foil and looking forward to going on the road this summer with Malibu Boats on the Just Ride Tour.

The post The Brian Grubb Interview appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.