Water Sports is about having fun on the water with skis or a wakeboard while staying safe. You will learn safety rules, signals, and skills for getting up and recovering after a fall. All of this is done with trained adults, a boat driver, and an observer.
Why it's worth it
Getting up on water skis or a wakeboard for the first time is a moment you won't forget. Water Sports teaches you to do it safely, as part of a team with the boat driver and observer, and to read the water, signal clearly, and fall without getting hurt. Those skills open up summer days at the lake, camp aquatics programs, and maybe a job someday as an instructor or boat driver.
Start this week
- Learn the basic skier hand signals, like thumbs up for faster, thumbs down for slower, and a pat on the head to return to the dock, and practice them with a buddy.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Water Sports counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Check whether you've passed the Scouting America swimmer test, and if not, find out when you can take it.
- Ask your leaders whether your council camp or a nearby lake program offers waterskiing or wakeboarding with trained staff.
Plan ahead: You need to pass the swimmer test in requirement 3 before towed activities. Get it done first so you're ready when boat time is available.
Stay safe
- Follow Safety Afloat: always wear a life jacket rated for water sports, and only ski with a qualified driver and a separate observer in the boat.
- Stay far from the boat's propeller, and hold up a ski or board after a fall so other boats can see you.
Requirements · 6
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Safety and first aid
Tips for this section: Learn the main hazards of towed water sports and how Safety Afloat applies.
Example for this section: Talk through hazards like getting hit by the skis or board, colliding with docks or other boats, cold water, and the propeller. For each, explain prevention and first aid, and how Safety Afloat applies to towed activities.
- Requirement 1a
Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to face in water sports and how to anticipate, help prevent, reduce, and respond to them
- Requirement 1b
Review how to prevent, recognize, and give first aid for water sports injuries and illnesses: sunburn, blisters, dehydration, heat illnesses, cold-water shock and hypothermia, sprains and strains, spinal injury, concussions and head trauma, and minor cuts and bruises
- Requirement 1c
Review Scouting America's Safety Afloat policy and explain how it applies to water sports
- Requirement 2
Life jackets and the safety code
Tips for this section: Try on life jackets made for water sports and go over the safety code with your counselor.
Example for this section: Try on a few life jackets made for water sports and show how one should fit snugly. Then go through the Water Sports Safety Code with an example for each point, like always having an observer in the boat.
- Requirement 2a
Discuss with your counselor which life jacket features are best for water sports and why one must always be worn for waterskiing or wakeboarding. Show how to choose and fit one
- Requirement 2b
Go over the Water Sports Safety Code and discuss it with your counselor, promising to obey it during all water activities for this badge. Review the safety steps a boat operator must take when towing skiers and wakeboarders
- Requirement 3
Pass the Scouting America swimmer test (see the Swimming merit badge pamphlet) before starting requirements 4-6
Tip: Practice at a pool with a lifeguard, then ask aquatics staff when you can take the swimmer test.
- Requirement 4
Show the boat's safety observer these skier signals: faster, slower, turns, skier safe, skier in water, cut motor, and back to dock
Tip: Practice hand signals on land with a buddy before you get in the water.
For example: Practice the signals on land with a buddy playing the observer: faster, slower, turns, skier safe, skier in water, cut motor, and back to dock. Then use them on the water.
- Requirement 5
Skills on skis or a wakeboard, with reasonable control
Tips for this section: Start in calm water with an experienced driver and observer. Learn to fall safely before trying wake crossings.
Example for this section: In calm water, crouch with knees bent, arms straight, and ski or board tips up, and let the boat pull you up. Practice falling by letting go of the handle and falling backward or to the side before you try crossing the wake.
- Requirement 5a
From a boat, get into the water and make a deepwater start without help
- Requirement 5b
Starting outside the wakes, cross both wakes four times without falling, coming back to wake center after each crossing
- Requirement 5c
Show how to fall correctly to avoid an obstacle, and how to drop the handle and glide to a stop without losing balance
- Requirement 6
On shore, show how to adjust your ski or wakeboard bindings to fit you, then do it again in deep water. Recover and put back on a ski or wakeboard that came off in a fall
Tip: Have an instructor show you how to adjust bindings, then practice recovering in deep water.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A council camp or lake with a water sports program
Trained staff, proper boats, and observers make it the safest place to learn.
How: Have your leaders sign the troop up for water sports during summer camp or a waterfront weekend, and confirm qualified supervision.
A water ski club or tournament
You can watch experienced skiers and ask how they train and stay safe.
How: Have a parent look up a local water ski club through the national water ski association and ask about spectator days or youth clinics.
Where it can lead
- Water ski or wakeboard instructorTeaches at camps, clubs, and resorts during the summer.
- Marine mechanicA skilled trade that repairs and maintains boat engines.
- Aquatics directorRuns camp or community waterfronts and keeps programs safe.
- Conservation or boating officerPatrols lakes and rivers and enforces boating safety laws.
Ask yourself
- What was going through your head the first time you tried to get up?
- How did you, the driver, and the observer work together as a team?
- What did you learn from your falls?
- Which skill still needs more practice, and how will you get it?
- What other water adventures would you like to try?
Good questions to ask your counselor or a water ski instructor
- What's the most common mistake beginners make when getting up?
- How do you decide whether the water is too rough to ski?
- What does a good boat driver do differently from an average one?
- How do you choose between skis and a wakeboard?
- How did you learn, and how long did it take to feel comfortable?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Make sure an experienced boat driver and observer are present for all towed activities.
- Plan water sports time at a camp or lake with certified aquatics staff.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Council camp waterfront staff — Trained staff can teach water sports safety.
- American Red Cross (opens in a new tab) — Swimming and water safety courses.
- USA Water Ski and Wake Sports (opens in a new tab) — Learn-to-ski tips, safety, and clubs near you.
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety (opens in a new tab) — Life jackets and boating rules for towed sports.
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.