Waboba Surf Ball (Colors May Vary)

The media could not be loaded. I just cannot understand the negative reviews here.To the person who drops it into a bucket of water: it doesn't bounce in that way. It skips over the water the same way a flat stone skips over the water except that it skips higher and requires no skill. Just throw it at an angle - the height it skips depends on how hard it is thrown and at what angle.To the people who say that it doesn't last and that the cover comes off: you have to tell your kids that they should not bounce it off anything except water. It says that clearly on the box. If you bounce it off the sidewalk or off the sand or off the side of the pool it's not going to last. I throw it out into a pond and my dog loves to swim out after it. She won't swim out after any ball but this one (and the other Waboba balls we have). It also says on the box that it's not a dog toy, and if your dog likes to chew hard on his toys then this is not the toy for you. My dog chews lightly and gently on it as she brings it back and it has held up well.To those who say that it won’t bounce: you must not have been using the Waboba Surf. There are a couple of other Waboba balls. They have different sizes, but the main difference is that the Surf is a lot squishier and it bounces higher and farther than the others when thrown at slower speeds over shorter distances. I guess the additional squishiness flattens better against the water at slower speeds. Conversely, the other balls are faster and would be better if you are looking for speed or distance but they have to be thrown very hard and I have had unsatisfactory experiences with them. Also, if you throw the ball with an arc, or with no force, so that when it reaches the water it is basically coming from almost straight up, then it will not bounce. Throw it at an angle, hard enough to make it flatten against the water, and it will bounce very well.One time when my dog was standing on a dock I bounced the ball to her and she caught it in her mouth. She loved that game so much that she spontaneously brought it back to me and ran back to the dock for another. (See the short video of this that I added above. Click your right mouse button on it as it is running and choose "Show all controls." Then there is a button to expand it to full screen and another for slow motion.) The Surf is perfect for this but the Extreme and the Pro balls are unsuitable. I think it just requires standard reflexes and an alert dog. It also can be done across a swimming pool. For some reason it seems to be easier for her to catch it that way, even when thrown hard, than it is for her to catch it when thrown through the air. Anyway, it's a great toy. Just use the Surf, don't give it to your dog to chew on and don't bounce it off anything but water.If you use this ball to play with your dog the cover is eventually going to come off, especially if you play in an area where other dogs get ahold of it once in a while. The good news is that you don't have to throw it away at that point. It still does what it's supposed to do, although the inner rubbery material feels a bit slimy when wet, making it harder to catch. In fact it bounces truer without its cover than it does with a cover frayed and half-way off. Waboba has come out with a version for use with dogs: Waboba Fetch Dog Pool Ball. However, that ball does not bounce nearly as high/far as this one and costs 35% more. Jury is still out on how much more durable it is.

We go swimming once a week to an indoor pool in the winter to stay active. First, my husband and son do laps.. then the real fun begins. They love to play catch in the pool if there are no other swimmers there. This last week we took this new water ball and to our surprise, no one was there. They had a blast throwing this ball. It is smaller in size than some of our other water balls. It’s a dense yet squishy ball that although has a fabric like cover on it, doesn’t retain water. A quick dry off of the cloth exterior and back in their gym back it went. Floats well and had a decent skip motion on the water. Pleased with this little ball. May purchase a couple more to have in case this one gets left behind. Small size was nice, especially would be good with little hands.

We saw some kids playing with one of these balls at Good Harbor beach last year and immediately ran over to find out what this amazing thing was -- and more important, where to get one! We now have a couple of these fantastic balls on the go at once, and a stash in the cupboard for gifts and in case we lose one of ours. These are amazing fun, for kids of all ages: little kids can just bounce them on the water, big kids can skip them and really make them zoom around. Great fun in fresh water and salt water. Lifeguards don't scold you for them (vs. beach balls) as they aren't floating toys, and they don't blow away in the wind either. Great fun in a pool too but much more fun in a larger area. Long lasting too. One of the very best water toys we've ever had -- in fact probably the THE best.

Better than the PRO in my opinion! I have both the Waboba Surf and Wabona Pro and prefer the surf.They are basically the same size with the PRO being a little heavier. The PRO is a denser gel material and skips further than the surf. If you want pure distance get the PRO.What I like about the Surf is that it is more forgiving on skip angle. If you try to skip the PRO at a steep angle it often splash and stall in place. The Surf will almost always skip unless you throw it perpendicular to the water.We often try to catch it while diving off the float at camp and the Surf gets more height.Overall the Surf is more fun and easier to use, especially for younger kids.

This is a great toy, and will provided a ton of fun at the beach/pool. I purchased this to play with my wife on our honeymoon. We enjoyed it for a little bit, but it wasn't till a trip last summer, when I got to really enjoy it. My brother and I tossed this thing for hours. We eventually came up with our own rules, and we were winging it so fast that we had to stand at least 100 feet apart. Not to mention my arm was killing me afterwards.Overall, great product, and it really really works! The downside and reason for 4 stars, is that the casing began to unstitch and eventually the inside ball came loose in the casing. The ball still worked, but didn't keep its round shape. I eventually bought a second one to replace it.I recommend this to anyone looking for a fun activity out in the water. My wife with weak upper arm strength from an athletic perspective was able to bounce it, but not every time, though anyone can use it.

There are three Waboba surf balls that are under the size of a tennis ball. This is the smallest. Then the orange and grey one is in the middle, then the "Pro" which is black and red is the largest. I have all three. So far as I can tell they're all made of the same materials, and hold up equally well. They're remarkably novel, and quite fun to play with, so I recommend them highly. This is the smallest of the three, and the easiest for kids to toss around, while still being fun for adults to play with. The pro is noticeably heftier... imagine throwing an apricot vs throwing an apple - the pro is the apple, and suitable for anyone who would be comfortable throwing a baseball a decent distance, while this little guy is the apricot, and more suitable for children.