Downwind Foiling Explained: The Fastest Growing Watersport

The word 'Downwinding' might be new to you, and god knows the foil world has been obsessed by it for a few years now so you're probably seeing it everywhere. Hopefully, we can explain exactly what 'downwinding' is and why it's being thrown around so much these days.

Let's start by putting it as simply as we can.

In windsports—think sailing, kitesurfing, winging etc.—we travel perpendicular to or 'across' the wind's direction, left and right of it. With your back to the wind, you're facing downwind. If you bear off and ride that direction, you're going downwind. If you edge against your kite or wing, you'll head 'upwind'.

Maintaining an upwind position and being able to ride to and from one spot can be tricky at times. This is especially true if you're lacking power, or if you're trying to ride waves and keep finding yourself miles downwind and having to slog back to your initial spot.

A 'normal' wing or kitesurf session would usually see you rock up at the beach in your car. You'll begin to ride from the car park and aim to finish there too—how else will you get home, right? Although not entirely an accurate description of the riding style itself, a true downwind hydrofoil session will often see riders shuttling cars up and down the coast so they can ride point A to point B.

Certain hot spots around the world lend themselves perfectly to riding in this way. Historically, kitesurfers and the like have done big, long, adventurous runs down coastlines where the wind blows perfectly cross-shore for miles and roads run close to the beach, keeping logistics easy. Think Western Australia, Brazil, and Egypt.

Why Does Downwinding Work So Well With Foiling?

When hydrofoils came about, suddenly we were able to utilise weaker, lighter conditions on the water. We didn't need huge amounts of power like kitesurfing and windsurfing to get 'planing' and have fun.

Foils are massively efficient, and they can keep up with unbroken swell lines out at sea as opposed to breaking waves on the beach. There is a tonne of these unbroken swell lines running down even our coastlines here in the UK.

Imagine riding waves endlessly—that's the end goal of almost every session, isn't it? Usually, we have to peel off a wave before we end up too far downwind, and we have to sheet in on our sails to make sure we don't get too far from the car. Factor in some shuttling with friends or public transport, and downwind foiling allows us to ride swell lines endlessly. Simple.

Is Downwind Foiling Hard?

The short answer? Yes.

The main discipline that has gripped the foiling world over the past few years has been SUP foil downwind riding—and this is genuinely hard. Long-distance island crossings have glamorised the discipline. The slow realisation that we get great swell conditions right here in Northern Europe means this discipline has been jumped on by a lot of advanced riders looking for their next big challenge.

However, the gear is highly specialised:

• The Boards: SUP downwind boards have developed into highly efficient shapes which are inevitably very long and very slim in width. That makes them incredibly tipsy and hard to stand on. Factor in a rolling sea state with big swell, and you only amplify the difficulty. This has not been an easy learning process for anybody, us included—and a lot of downwind boards were bought and sold not too long afterwards once that realisation was made! 

 

• The Paddle vs. The Parawing: Using a paddle picked up in popularity because a paddle weighs so little compared to a wing, and it isn't affected by the wind when you're up and riding. Hands-free riding was the ultimate goal. Paddle skills were needed, though, and most folks wanting to get involved in the UK were wind sports participants who didn't have a huge amount of SUP paddle experience. 

Enter the Parawing

This is where Parawinging changes the game. The parawing solves the entry barrier by being a compact, stashable wing. It allows the rider to get up and going with a wind-based item they are already used to, but gives them the ability to stash it away completely once on the foil for that true, hands-free downwind experience. 

Is Downwind Foiling Safe?

It’s definitely a discipline that has people asking questions and making much more considered decisions before heading out. In short: yes, it’s safe enough—as long as you stay within your level of comfort and ability. Problems arise if you start pushing outside of those boundaries, as the open ocean doesn't give you much leeway.

Some coastlines work brilliantly for it, with wind running straight down the coast and the swell sitting relatively close in. Good straight road networks along the coast help massively when sorting out your car shuttles.

Very few of those luxuries exist consistently here in the UK. It is well worth considering where you actually have access to, as our UK coastlines vary massively from county to county. Our road networks can make logistics tough—nobody wants to spend 3 hours on a round trip in a car for a 30-minute downwind run!

Essential Downwind Safety Checklist:

• Take a phone or VHF radio: Keep it in a reliable waterproof pouch inside your impact vest.

   

• Share your plan: Always let loved ones or a shore contact know your exact launch point, take-out point, and expected timings.

• Wear high-vis gear: A bright helmet or rash vest makes a massive difference if someone needs to spot you in rolling swell.

How Do I Go About Getting Into It?

You don't need to jump straight into the deep end with a 7-foot needle board and a paddle in a 25-knot gale. Here is the best roadmap to transition into downwinding without losing your mind:

1. Master the Foil Fetch (The 'Taxi' Drill)

Before attempting a point-to-point ocean run, practice taxiing downwind using your standard wing foil gear. Go out on a windy day, flag your wing out, and practice pumping the board downwind using just the energy of the bumps. If you drop off the foil, you still have the wing to pull you back up or get you home.

2. Try Parawinging First

If you come from a winging or kiting background, skipping the paddle and opting for a parawing is the fastest, most fun way to experience endless hands-free swell riding without the steep learning curve of a SUP paddle up. It might not be the absolute core effort - but in the right conditions you get the same feeling of riding untamed, ocean bumps

3. Just Go for it

Go steady to begin with. Go SUP Foiling at your local wave spot - get to grips with the feel of the kit. Find a local crew - there are facebook groups galore with UK and foreign downwind groups of likeminded folks. Give a small run a go - maybe even 2km down your local beach in the right conditions.