Getting Started, equipment
First of all I would like to say something that I feel very important
Do not wakeboard because you must. Because then you start to concentrate on it not because you like it because you have to.
This will ruin the fun in wakeboarding. The whole point of wakeboarding is to get away from everything else, have your own time on the water, when you wakeboard you forget any problems you may have had before.
The Wakeboard
A very essential part of the wakeboarding is of course the actual wakeboard. Here we have the wakeboard. The binding where you place your feet inside is placed in the middle for balance. Bindings are made so your feet stay inside when riding BUT they must be able to release as well if you fall because otherwise you fall at 30Km/h and your board makes you stop completely at that speed and it may result in sprained or even broken ankles. Also the board is bent upwards at both ends so that water goes under the board instead of on top. This would make your board dive and you would end up doing a face slam. Also on the bottom of your board there are thin pieces of plastic attached to the bottom, these are called fins which guide your board through the water making it easier to turn and ride forward otherwise your board would be slipping and sliding across the water, which is very hard to ride with and feels very uncomfortable.
Also a tip some bindings are very hard to get your feet into with this I recommend that you first put the board in the water and then rub in soap into the inside of the bindings as a lubricant to get your feet inside easier. Hopefully you can get some environmentally friendly soap as it will then go off your bindings into the water.
The Wetsuit
The wetsuit is not necessary but it just makes you feel better when you are wakeboarding in cold water which will happen from time to time. Wetsuits are made tight so that water does not enter inside. They are made so they absorb water but the least amount of water touches your body keeping you warm.
Although if you have the option of going without and it's warm water I would recommend going without because this makes you feel more free and sometimes wetsuits can be restricting on leg and arm movements so getting it off will give more arm and leg movements.
The life vest
Very important. Not only for safety, but also that when you lie behind a boat to get pulled up you don't want to have to struggle to stay on top of the water this is what the life vest does it keeps you in place over the water. Also when you fall and you are waiting for the boat to bring the line back you don't want to have to struggle to stay up, you can just lay there and wait.
The boat
Of course also very important is the boat. You can you all kinds of boats but I would recommend a wakeboard boat such as the one in the picture. This is because they are made for wakeboarding like I said, normal try to pump out water. These boats are made to keep water inside the boat making it heavier, creating bigger wakes (this what I and many others call the waves behind the boat). Also they have a massive engine giving it very fast acceleration so that you don't have to struggle to get out of the water.
All these kind of boats come with a tower (the bar going across the top of the boat) which you attach the wakeboard line to. This is also made for a reason, when you lift off from a wake the line does not pull you down as it would if would be if the line was attached at the bottom. This also creating a larger air time.
Also the tower will usually have a stereo system attached to it which all wakeboarders appreciate. This is why it is also such a relaxed sport you can listen to your favorite tunes will doing flips and what not across the wakes. Also the tower comes with a wakeboard rack so if you have more then one wakeboard they don't have to be in the way.
All wakeboards all come with a little platform at the back which you can mount on your wakeboard and jump off from. This makes it a lot easier then trying to jump off the side of the boat with a wakeboard stuck to your feet.
Some people like to use jet ski's as a form of boat but I would recommend to use a boat instead because if there is but one other boat or jet ski then the whole point has been defeated of the jet ski at the speeds you require for wakeboard the jet ski will be flying across waves, also it creates smaller wakes then a wakeboard boat.
The wakeboard line
The wakeboard line which is well also very important nothing in wakeboarding is not important for the sport. The wakeboarding line look however you want as long as it's comfortable for you and does not give scars or blisters. Also the little covering on the handlebar which you hold, which you see in the picture, is very important this stops the handle from being wet, otherwise you could halfway through a trick and the handle bar slips from your hands.
When you start wakeboarding I would shorten the line a bit to what feels right to you. mostly close so that there is less space betweens wakes in the jump. Then when you got all the basics you can lengthen the line most people ride on lengths of 24-26 meters.
The helmet, safety
When you are learning to wakeboard you will not need a helmet which is awkward because most sports require a helmet before you become good. But in wakeboard when you start you are not doing things which put you in places where you may need a helmet but as you become better and start to do flips you start to go up in speed to get more air, then falling at these speeds and heights can be dangerous so I recommend a helmet at those levels.