WOKA

Wave Description

Wave Description

WOKA Whitewater Park is a large whitewater and river surfing park on the Illinois River near Watts, Oklahoma, just west of Siloam Springs, Arkansas. It’s a bit over an hour east of Tulsa, and about 45 west of the NWA Metroplex. WOKA stands for Waters of Oklahoma and Arkansas. The park opened to the public in 2023 and was designed by McLaughlin Whitewater, now part of Merrick. More information is available on the WOKA About page. It is not in the area of Tahlequah which is famous for canoe trips on the Illinois.

photo credit : Tylerr Harris

The park is in a side channel, similar to Tulsa, but different than most parks. It consists of a roughly 1,200-foot-long side channel with eight whitewater features. Four of the features are specifically optimized for river surfing, although which waves work best changes with river flow and how the adjustable features are set. See the WOKA River Surfing guide.

Illinois River near Watts, OK

  • Temperature: 73.22 ° F
  • Streamflow: 185 ft³/s
  • Gage height: 2.07 ft
USGS


It is a good destination wave since it offers rentals. It could be a good spot for a learner as there are official lessons and you can do fun laps with SUPs or tubes. The good news is that it is a little more organized, the bad news is that it is a little more formal. You have to pay $10 for parking, and spots are limited, but that is rarely an issue. You must fill out a waiver for board or other rentals.

For surfers, Drop 3 is the primary attraction. WOKA describes it as a roughly 24-foot-wide green wave that can be surfed with a variety of boards. The entrance gates at Drop 1 can also be adjusted to create a surf wave, while Drop 4 tends to be foamier and better suited to higher-volume boards. Best flow ranges are still being worked out as it had some adjustments. Similar to Tulsa, WOKA can control how much water is coming off the main river and into the park, and wave 3 also has the adjustable WaveShaper.

WOKA does have live wave cameras, so checking the actual shape of the waves before driving to the park is recommended.

I’ve heard cell phone coverage can be weak in the area.

Helmets and PFDs are required, and leashes are prohibited.