Hi all, currently facing a bit of inner turmoil and hoping the hive can help. I’ve just moved to the tropics in West Aus. Looking to start foiling to get me out on the water having been a lifelong surfer. The goal is to eventually be able to downwind capably, and move on to a DW sup when conditions align.
Conditions are a bit variable up here, winds are W (onshore) SW during the wet season avg 15 knots and swell 0.5-1m usually wind swells. During the dry season E (offshore) SE avg 15 knots and no swell.
I have been learning to foil behind a boat thus far. I like the idea of the midlength wind/parawind boards and code foils.
The question I have is what will be the quickest way to progress on foil and then learn to DW - parawing or wind? Thanks
Unless you’re a kite jedi, wing first I reckon.
Then when youre getting solid time up on foil, take the parawing for a spin when the conditions are decent for the para - clean 15-20 and calm water.
No need to make the learning curve steeper than it already is, or spending more time than necessary livebaiting for crocs
I’ve spent plenty time foiling in northern WA. I would absolutely go for the wing first and become a competent foiler before parawing or DW sup at least a year later. For winter (no wind) I’d also get a foil drive, or prone foil if you have a strong short board background
If you truly want to get to DW foiling. You may as well just go all in on SUP foil.
A: It’s very fun in the surf, which will be your best practice for DW foiling.
B: You’ll get reward right away. Being able to see gains immediately in balance and then riding waves very quickly is quite rewarding. Your first double dip is a milestone.
C: You won’t be reliant on wind. You can use a paddle whether there is wind or not. You can’t do a wind sport without wind. When you first get into wind sports as a surfer you will quickly realize. All those times you cursed the wind for ruining a session. That wasn’t useable wind.
That being said. Just like I said above. Wing is the easiest wind sport.
I’d get an enormous board, and plan on downsizing. Better to have a stupidly large board for a year, and then sell it to the next guy learning, than to flail around for a year on a board that’s too small.
I love the idea of a big downwind board for SUPfoil DW, SUPfoil Surfing, and light-wind (or daily-driver) WingFoil. But a narrow DW board might be better as a second board?
Especially if original poster has no background in foiling or wind sports?
For a first board, I recommend an inflatable. Just a huge one, like a Gong HIPE Learn 7’3" x 32". Nobody complains that their first wingfoil board was “too stable”. Cheaper. Harder to damage the board, harder to injure yourself when you fall on it. But inflatable boards are definitely lower performance (stiffness and rail shape), so you’ll look forward to upgrading to a rigid MidLength or DW board.
Yeah, one time I swapped boards with an instructor trying to teach on this big inflatable and I could barely get it off the water. Then the foil was so crappy I could barely fly it.
Hdip is on the money. The only way to leant to balance on a narrow board is to paddle one. I started DW just before the narrow boards came and i can tell you the boards Hdip has recommended will do the job nicely. I found it much easier to stand on these boards than the previous generations anyway but it did involve starting flat water paddling first. If you can’t learn to balance those boards you won’t be able to learn to DW sup foil so don’t waste time on wide fat equipment.
You can wing these boards in light wind and that also gets you more time standing on a narrow board. SUP foil them in tiny mostly unbroken waves is a blast. Again more time on the board. Its a tough journey but with time and persistence on the right path it can be surprisingly quick for those with the time.
First paddle sessions will be in a smooth lake and you just work your way from there.
