The 2026 BC Wakesurf Provincial Championships presented by SWS Marine Group were held over the weekend at Lake Koocanusa.

“What a fantastic event this year.  We had the top pro riders in Canada attending and a huge number of first-time competitors across all the divisions.  Watching everyone cheering each other on and sharing the stoke for the sport was incredible,” said Waterski and Wake Sport BC Wake Surf Committee member Loree Duczek.

“I also want to thank all the family, friends and spectators that came down to watch the riders.  We had a number of people lining the course on shore and several boats cheering riders on from the water, which was amazing.”

 The Provincial Championships were held on Saturday, August 15 at Koocanusa Village.  Over 50 athletes competed in several different divisions including Juniors, Amateur, Masters, and Pro with riders coming from as close as Koocanusa Village to as far away as Victoria and parts of Alberta.

A number of local East Kootenay riders stepped onto the podium, including in the Pro Divisions, with Fernie’s Caroline Villeneuve taking third place in Pro Women’s Skim and Koocanusa-based surfer Emily Agate taking second in Pro Women’s Surf.

In Pro Men’s, it was once again a battle of the bros as Cranbrook’s Ryder and Dagen Duczek threw down alongside Kerry Williams and Noah Goulding of Calgary. In the end, Dagen took first place just edging past Ryder who took second. Williams rounded out the Men’s Pro podium in third.

Other East Kootenay podium finishes went to Cranbrook’s Hudson Tily, who took home second in the Grom Boys Division and Fernie’s Oliver Pogubila who took third in Outlaw Men’s.

It was a throw down in the Masters Men’s Skim Division with Isaac Hockley of Moyie taking first place and Keith Weber of Invermere taking second ahead of Justin Wharton of Alberta.

 The competition course included two one-minute passes between the designated buoys. There were also games on the beach, a food truck on site and live announcing throughout the day.

The event title sponsor, SWS Marine Group, also brought demonstration boats for members of the public to check out some of the new models in the Malibu and Barletta Pontoon line up throughout the event at Koocanusa Village.

“We’d like to thank all the sponsors and volunteers who stepped up to make the day possible. We couldn’t have done it without them,” added Duczek.

The next competitive action for local riders will be the Alberta Wakesurf Provincials and Canadian Nationals, which are being held August 29 and 30 respectively at Gleniffer Lake, Alberta.

Lead image: A group shot of all the riders. Nick Nault photos

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