Equipment
Rope / tow rope
The short, low-stretch line used to pull the rider up and into the wave before they drop it; wakesurf ropes are much shorter than wakeboard ropes.
The tow rope is what gets a wakesurfer up and positioned in the wake before they drop it. Wakesurf-specific ropes are short, often around 15-20 feet to the handle, far shorter than wakeboard or ski ropes, because the rider only needs to reach the pocket close behind the boat. They are made of low-stretch material and usually have knots or segments so the rider can pull themselves up the wave to find the sweet spot.
Keeping the right rope length is part of safe setup: it places the rider in the push but no closer to the propeller and exhaust than necessary, and unused tow lines should be pulled into the boat.