Although Bellingham hosts a bountiful number of lakes, watersports have still been inaccessible to many students and residents. To combat this issue, local watersport teams and businesses promote inclusive practices and opportunities to broaden access to the activity.
“Sailing is very rich, white, male-dominated,” said Spencer Won, boat house attendant at Western’s Lakewood Waterfront Facility. “The mission of Lakewood is to make water sports accessible to students and community members.”
The costs associated with watersports can be a deterrent for those who want to participate.
“You have to have a truck, you have to have a place to store the boat, you have to have the money to be able to buy the boat, buy the gear, and you have to know how to operate it, you need to know how to maintain it,” said Travis Wade, owner and founder of Whatcom Wake Sports.
Whatcom Wake Sports opened for business in the spring of 2025, with its mission to make water sports more accessible to everyone, Wade said.
“We have a variety of sport options, a variety of gear, whether it's water skis, wake surfers, wakeboards or kneeboards,” Wade said. “Definitely, regardless of your level of skill, we can get you on the water and experience a water sport.”
The business is open daily from May through October with an array of private lessons and charters available. Additionally, they host group lessons called special nights, promoting a cost-effective, low-pressure environment for people of all skill levels.
The business dedicates specific days of the week to their special nights such as Men's Night, Teen’s Night, Women on Water, Couple’s Nights and Senior Sunrise Fridays, Wade said.
According to Won, Western has also been making efforts to make watersports available for its students, including the Lakewood Waterfront facility, located on Lake Whatcom, and offering beginner-friendly lessons and equipment for students to take advantage of.
“We have our sailing classes, but if you're not super experienced and you come down, there's an instructor on staff who can just talk you through stuff,” Won said. “Most of our equipment is forgiving enough that you can just go out there.”
Western’s Water Ski Team, one of the only teams in the Pacific Northwest, is a student-led club that practices during the week out on Lake Samish. With about 30 members, it’s a tight-knit community with players of varying experience, said Ellie Witulski, president of the WWU Water Ski Team.
“Most people who join our team have had either little or no experience of water skiing before they come to Western,” Witulski said.
The team hosts tryout days twice a year, out on Lake Samish, to gather interest for the club and all people are welcome to join the team, regardless of skill level and experience, Witulski said.
“We're all from different backgrounds of skiing, and it's just super encouraging to watch everyone on your team who you've gotten so close with just really progress in the sport,” Witulski said.
Creating more opportunities in watersports is not only an equitable practice, but has also filled a community need in the outdoor space for Bellingham residents, said Wade.
“It's really exciting that the community is behind us, and every time someone comes out, they just can't help but want to come back,” Wade said. “Everybody who came out was like, ‘I'm so glad that this exists in Bellingham now’, and it just makes Bellingham a more rounded place.”
Katherine Konicke-Dunlop (she/her) is a Sports and Recreation reporter for The Front. She is in her second year at Western, majoring in News and Editorial Journalism. Katherine can be spotted out hiking or with her eyes glued to a book in her spare time. You can reach her at katherinekonickedunlop.thefront@gmail.com.
