Crossing waves

Foiling to the outside at a surf spot

A tutorial for crossing waves that have not yet broken. At every surf spot you have to cross waves on the way out. Here you can see the technique.

Crossing waves is not a problem in small surf, but the higher and steeper the waves get, the more the technique has to be right.

This video from the Duotone Academy shows the basic technique for waves that have not yet been broken. In theory, the wingfoil board must always be positioned parallel to the surface of the water so that the foil does not break the surface of the water when passing over the wave (which would lead to a so-called stall = the foil loses the hydrodynamic flow and sinks).

When approaching the waves face, it is best to fly halfway up on the foil and position the board slightly upwards. Shortly before the peak, you can lower the foil a little and bend your knees. Right at the top of the wave, the front foot must be loaded in order to push the nose down, because now it goes downhill on the back of the wave.

This is relatively easy with flat waves, but the steeper and bigger a wave gets, the trickier it becomes to overcome the wave peak. At the peak, a strong bounce with your knees also helps, so you can better adapt the board to the inclination on the back of the wave by stretching your legs.

Also note that the wave changes the wind. Depending on the wind direction, you will feel less wind behind the wave than on top. In cross-onshore winds there is real turbulence when crossing the peak of the wave and shortly behind it there is also a zone with very light wind.

Here in the tutorial you can see the crossing of waves under nearly perfect conditions. At many spots the wave pattern looks more chaotic. Short wave intervals, choppy water between the waves and lots of white water dominate many spots in windy areas. Waves come one after the other and you have to react more quickly. Therefore, start with small waves until you feel confident.

You can also avoid waves that are too steep: either go downwind, upwind or even jibe in front of them (chicken jibe).

Waves Crossing waves Level ★★☆☆ Rider: Klaas Voget Text: Jürgen Schall Photos/Videos: Duotone Photos/Videos: Jürgen Schall DE

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