What Is Wing Surfing, and What Is Wingfoiling?
Wing surfing is the watersport where you stand on a board with an inflatable wing in your hands. The wind fills the wing, and the way you angle it decides where you go and how fast you get there.
Put a hydrofoil under that board and the sport becomes wingfoiling. The foil lifts the board out of the water, drag shrinks to almost nothing, and your speed climbs noticeably. You are no longer riding on the water; you “float” above it. That combination is what makes wingfoiling one of the most exciting modern watersports.
Wingfoiling: Pros and Cons
No rig, no lines
Pump it up and go
Lightweight gear
The wing weighs next to nothing
Works in moderate wind
Rideable from about 16 knots
Easy to transport
Packs small, goes anywhere
Foil experience needed
Learning to foil first pays off
Needs steady wind
Nothing happens in a lull
Learning curve in waves
Much harder once swell builds
Light wind means no ride
At least 16 knots required
Wing and Board: The Gear
The wing's big selling point: no rig, no lines. Pump it up, pick it up, ride. On the water you adjust the wing's position constantly, depending on where the wind is coming from and where you want to go. Common sizes sit around 4 m², and because a wing weighs so little, you can carry it to the water under one arm.
Every wing needs a wrist leash, so it can't drift away when you crash. For the board, the beginner rule is simple: pick the biggest board you can get. It sits steadier on the water, and standing up gets a lot easier. A high-volume board floats you better, which frees up more of your attention for working the wing.
How Do You Get Started?
Wingfoiling takes at least 20 knots of wind. Riders who already feel secure on a foil can get going in 16. For your first attempts, find smooth water without waves: chop makes balancing and wing control needlessly difficult.
Make sure you wear protective gear: a helmet, a flotation vest, and neoprene booties. The foil has sharp edges, and you can hurt yourself on them in a fall.
Wing surfing comes much easier once you have already tried foiling without a wing. Ideal preparation: a few sessions of surf foiling or SUP foiling, or some time on an eFoil. Windsurfers pick it up especially fast, since controlling the wing works on much the same principles as a sail.