Catch your first wave

Catch a wave and ride down the wave face

Foiling on a wave is all about riding down the front side of the wave. Or to put it even more simply: staying on the wave face and always riding downhill. At the beginning only straight ahead, then in slight serpentines and later as a real ride with front and backside turns.

But let's start with the basics first: as long as you foil on the wave and don't ride into the flat water in front of the wave, the power of the wave is enough to keep the foil flying without the help of the wing.

This effect is already noticeable when the wind creates windswell on a large lake. Even small wind waves with a height of half a meter can be used to stay on track without using the wing. Simply ride diagonally along the frontside of a wave and always stay halfway up the waves face.

To do this, either position the wing neutrally over your head or let it drift downwind with just one hand on the front handle (also known as flagging). Instead of using the wing, you can pump with the foil if you get too slow.

Foiling in ocean waves: On the sea, you should start in non-breaking swell waves and only ride them outside the surf zone. Or select just small and round waves in the surf that don't break. These waves are enough to keep you foiling.

When riding a wave, start at medium foil height and apply load to the front foot. Important: The wave face is like a downhill slope, so the nose must also be pushed downwards. Therefore, when riding on a wavee, bend your knees a little and make sure that the board always adapts to the inclination of the wave to avoid breaking with the foil.

You can keep the wing neutral over your head or just flag it. As long as you stay on the wave, the wave will push you and keep the foil flying.

Waves Riding waves Level ★★☆☆ Rider: Clement Roseyro Text: Jürgen Schall Photos/Videos: Duotone DE

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