Riding swell

Surfing Swell – on a lake or the open sea.

When wingfoiling, you can use wind waves to surf a tiny wave without wind propulsion. Even the small difference in height between the top of the wave and the surface is sufficient to stay on the wave in a continuous downhill ride. Foiling makes it possible and riding wind waves is actually one of the most fun things about foiling.

Wind waves are created by the wind hitting the surface of the body of water. The larger this surface (fetch) is, the higher the waves get. In strong winds, waves can form on lakes, and these can be ridden while wing foiling. This is a perfect way to practise riding larger waves at sea.

Riding wind waves (riding wind swell) is also known as a downwinder. To get back to the starting point, you have to sail upwind.

When riding wind waves, hold the wing neutrally by the front tube handle (leading edge handle) and pump actively to support foiling in flatter sections of the wave.

You can also use the breeze to stay on the wave during flat sections. To do this, pull up the wing to generate a brief burst of propulsion. This is also helpful if you ride too deep into the wave trough after a jibe and need to accelerate again.

Always remember: when the wing is flown neutrally next to the body, the pressure of the wind decreases when travelling downwind. Especially on downwind courses, it can happen that the wind no longer carries the wing and the rear wing tip sinks. The only thing that helps is to actively pull the wing, either in the direction of travel or to the neutral position above the head.

Here in the ‘Riding Swell’ video tutorial, you can see how Stefan Spiessberger rides very small wind waves downwind while still having the wing in a neutral position.

Waves Riding Swell Level ★★★☆ Rider: Stefan Spiessberger Text: Jürgen Schall Photos/Videos: Duotone DE

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