Wakesurfing, spearfishing and stand-up paddleboarding are all the rage this season, Arkansas marine experts say. But the selection of water sports perfect for lake-goers in Arkansas doesn’t stop there. Families can go scuba diving, wakeboarding, tubing, snorkeling, kneeboarding, sailing and skiing—now considered an old-school classic, by the way. Here are eight water sports that will make a splash on your family’s next lake day.

The Classics

Skiing, Tubing, Wakeboarding

Justin Mishler, assistant manager of the marina at Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa on Lake Ouachita, says guests can rent ski boats for $600 a day, plus tax and fuel.

The boats come with a rope and a set of skis. But “a lot of people aren’t skiing anymore. Little kids want to get on a tube behind the boat,” says Mishler. “The older kids, they’re wanting to wakeboard or kneeboard… [Wakeboarding is] a little bit more fast-paced than skiing. I know there’s a lot of younger kids that like to do the tricks and stuff you can do on a wakeboard that you can’t do on skis.”

The Trends

Wakesurfing, Kayaking, Stand-Up Paddleboarding

Dru Edmonds, chief interpreter at the DeGray Lake Resort State Park, says wakesurfing—where participants don’t hold onto a rope but instead stay behind a boat and in front of a wave created by the boat—has also taken off. “I think it’s just a sign of the times, people wanting to do something new,” Edmonds says.

He’s also seen a recent surge in kayaking: “It’s a low-cost activity that is healthy. It’s good exercise. After investing in a boat, a paddle and a life jacket, you have equipment that you can take with you across the state.”

Edmonds adds that the DeGray Lake park offers over 1,000 programs—snorkeling tours, swimming tours and kayaking lessons among them—that 30,000 plus people participate in each year. “The lake is our chief resource here in the park, so any opportunity we have to show guests how to experience it, we’re all about it. We very much look forward to this time of the year, when people are out and about, excited about being in the water, near the water.”

Another recent trend has been stand-up paddleboarding, according to Mona Thompson, assistant manager at Fairfield Bay Marina on Greers Ferry Lake. A stand-up paddleboard “looks like a giant surfboard and you literally stand up on it and paddle yourself,” she explains. Doing so takes a lot of core power and balance. In addition to getting a good workout, enthusiasts also relax on and even fish from the stand-up paddleboards. Rental prices for those and single or tandem (two-person) kayaks start at $10 for half an hour or $65 for the whole day.

Thompson believes that people enjoy water sports because they’re “somewhat of a workout, but also relaxing. You know, you’re not in a gym. You’re out on a lake, which offers an awesome view.”

The Extreme

Spearfishing, Scuba Diving

Edmonds at Degray Lake notes that spearfishing has also become popular and the season runs through the fall. “Spearfishing is where you take a spear gun, you dive down and shoot the fish with the spear instead of fishing the more traditional way, with rod and reel,” Edmonds explains. To see where to fish, spearfishing regulations, boating information, fishing reports and more, visit the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission’s website.

Also at Lake DeGray, Frank Rippeto, owner of the Caddo Valley Landing dive shop offers bait and tackle, boating supplies and kayaks. It’s a five-star Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) shop, meaning customers who earn their scuba diving certification there are certified to go scuba diving anywhere in the world.

Rippeto says certification requires about eight hours in a classroom, hands-on instruction in a confined water environment, like a swimming pool, and check-out dives on the lake when participants demonstrate they’ve learned the necessary skills. Many certification companies encourage the whole family to get involved, too. For example, Rick’s Dive N’ Travel Center in Little Rock offers scuba classes for kids as young as 10 years old.

Rippeto says certification to dive 60 feet in open water while unsupervised could run from $250-$400, and gear costs $1,400-$1,500 for a beginner set. Caddo Valley Landing rents full sets, too, for $55-$100 a day.

“What’s fun about it? Oh man, everything. It basically enhances all of your vacation time because you get to see things that other people, other regular tourists, don’t get to see,” Rippeto says, noting that some lakes in Arkansas even have submerged towns for scuba divers to view.