WING SURFING: GET STARTED

I first saw someone ‘wing surfing’ around four years ago, with a video of a bronzed Hawaiian racing around a Pacific atoll with what looked like a kite-surfing set-up but without the lines. This is essentially what wing surfing is

– an inflatable wing with handles you hold onto. The simplicity and pure fun of the concept makes it perfect for places like Portland Harbour, where the unique geography creates a place with strong winds and calm seas.

The advantage of wing surfing is its accessibility to beginners. Instead of kitesurfing, which is difficult to learn with a network of lines to get tangled around, wing surfing has a single leash that you strap to your wrist and then you’re ready to go. To start, it’s recommended to use a big board like a paddleboard or windsurf board, but as you progress you can upgrade to a hydrofoil which raises the board out of the water to make it feel like you are flying, increasing speeds so you can do jumps and even flips in the air.

For most of us, tricks are a long way off and getting used to the wing on dry land is advisable. The first thing to learn is how to ‘de-power’ as a safety brake, and this can be done simply by letting go of your ‘downwind’ arm so air flows evenly around the wing, reducing any forces that create a forward motion. Once you have mastered this, hold on with both hands and try angling the wing up and down, left and right, to feel the different motions of air around it. After 10 minutes of this you should be ready to hit the water, making sure to keep the wing ‘downwind’ of you so it does not blow into you or the board, causing damage.

In the water, the best way to start is by staying on your knees and experimenting with how the angle of the wing changes the direction you go. Try doing a circle. Once you have achieved this, you are ready to progress to standing – lift your front foot first, then the back. The board will by now be gliding along the water. If you are on a hydrofoil, pump your legs when a gust comes; this will exert a force on your hydrofoil and it should lift the board up into the air. You’re flying!

Next month, William will explore the characteristics of reefs.

F-ONE is your one-stop-shop for all things Wing Surfing. It provides high quality kit (shown in the photograph, opposite) with everything you need to get started, including a wing (the swing 5’0), board (inflatable ‘rocket’) and hydrofoil (Gravity 1800). Browse at f-one.world.