Imagine gliding above the waves, almost as if you were flying over the ocean!
Stemming from Downwind practiced on SUP for about ten years, foil Downwind involves riding the swell while letting yourself be carried by the wind and wave trains while flying!
Downwind is the definition of freedom, set off with your board and your Paddle for flights that can last several hours depending on the spot you choose.
The idea in Downwind is not to go the fastest or carve the hardest possible, the objective is to glide as long as possible on the swell by using its energy to move forward.
Who can do foil Downwind?
Foil Downwind is accessible through different routes, some more difficult than others and requiring greater experience.
- The Wing option: Learning through Wing foil is the simplest, during your Wing navigations, find a wave train, take the Wing in Freefly and let yourself be carried by the wave. As you gain experience, you'll be able to start with the Paddle and thus do real Downwinds.
- Another option, for more experienced practitioners, is to dive straight in by starting with the Paddle to learn how to manage takeoff and trajectories.
Everyone can therefore practice Downwind at their own level, and with training, anything is possible.
1. Equipping yourself for SUP Downwind
By definition, Downwind consists of riding the swell, in our case with a board equipped with a Foil. It therefore seems obvious that the equipment can have a fundamental impact on Downwind practice and is therefore ultra important.
Choosing your Downwind board
The choice of board is paramount, it will allow the fastest possible takeoff. The longer and narrower your board, the better its glide and the easier it will be to foil up with poorly formed swell. But this also implies reduced stability that can cause falls. Opt for flat hulls or slightly with a double concave. Some brands offer round hulls but very unstable. Since the boards are not very wide, optimize stability to maximize your chances of flying, this is fundamental. This will also increase your useful practice time.
When starting out, it is important to choose a board with a minimum width (don't overestimate yourself) such as our DW 7'2W which is 22 inches wide.
As you progress, your balance improvements will allow you to take narrower boards and therefore less cumbersome in the air and especially with more glide such as our DW 7'2 which is 20 inches wide.
For those who want to fully commit 100% to Downwind, we launched the DW 8'3 range: board specific for Downwind with the Paddle. We have 4 sizes 8'3 x 17, 8'3 x 19, 8'3 x 21 and 8'3 x 23.
Last information to remember about the board. A shorter board will be more difficult with the Paddle because you will have row (when you Paddle to the right it goes left and vice versa).
So a 7'2 will be perfect if you want to do Wing foil and Downwind. On the other hand, if you want to optimize Downwind 100%, take larger boards like our DW 8'3 range
Choosing your Foil
The Mast:
The choice of Mast is paramount. The stiffness of a Mast is fundamental to have maximum control in your turns. The stiffer your Foil, the more precise you will be on your pressure points. If you have an aluminum Mast, a Mast beyond 17 cm will be necessary to accept large front wings. Conversely, in carbon you will need to have the best ratio between very thin and stiff Mast. Generally, a High Modulus Mast at 14mm (100% High Modulus M40J) will be perfect for Downwind. You will gain in glide, in flight finesse and thus you will be able to fly more with less effort.
Front wing size: This is the engine of the Foil, the size of your wing will influence your ability to turn as well as your ability to start early and connect by Pumping if necessary. A small wing will be more maneuverable but will have less power for Pumping. The choice of this wing is also influenced by weather conditions, when the swell is formed and powerful, the wing surface is reduced.
We launched a range specific to Downwind. It's the Downwind UHA range. A range of front wings with high aspect ratio to maximize glide.
To get started, we recommend starting with the 1260 UHA, the largest, to maximize takeoff and flight time. Then as your level, size and conditions progress, you can reduce the size of the front wing.
Fuselage: The length of the Fuselage affects the responsiveness of your Foil, this will free up the Foil in pitch. A shorter Fuselage will make the Foil more reactive, maneuverable and unstable. A longer Fuselage allows great stability. It is also possible to find a Fuselage where the Mast/Fuselage junction is set back to allow more effective Pumping.
The stabilizer: As its name suggests, the goal is to stabilize the Foil, thus, a large stabilizer will make your Foil more "docile" and a small one more lively. A smaller stabilizer will decrease drag and increase the speed of your Foil.
Carbon or Aluminum Foil: Both work very well, it's a matter of budget. An aluminum Foil will be cheaper and more solid on impacts. A carbon Foil will be faster and more maneuverable thanks to its reduced chord and thickness but it will be more expensive.
An example of an ideal Foil for Downwind practice at SROKA is the UHA 1260 cm² front wing with an 80 cm Mast and a standard Fuselage.
Choosing your Paddle
A carbon Paddle will clearly be more effective. To be most effective, you should opt for a carbon Paddle with a minimum of 50% carbon.
If you're not completely comfortable, wear a helmet and a flotation vest or impact vest, the goal is always to have fun and so it's better to avoid getting hurt.
Alternative to the Paddle
Recently, a solution seems to have emerged to use a small traction kite connected directly to a small bar to take off very early without needing to Paddle. This is called a Parawing. Concretely, instead of Paddling, inflate a small wing with the wind, and let yourself fly with this wing. When you want to, fold this wing into a small bag and fly effortlessly.
This alternative is intended for beginners or anyone who wants to discover the activity with a low technical Paddle level.
The ultimate advantage of this Parawing solution for Downwind is being able to take off even if you don't have the strength to Paddle (this can also be seen as a safety feature).
2. Choosing your spot
Don't overestimate yourself, choose a spot with few people to start and especially stay away from everyone to avoid colliding with another person.
Choose conditions where takeoff is easy but where the swell doesn't throw you off balance. Find a place where the swell is perfectly aligned with the wind.
Be careful at low tide where there is generally no bottom and where the swell can be less in certain places.
3. Learning balance and stability in foil Downwind
Before you launch on a wave, get used to the stability of the board. If you are a complete beginner, try first to Paddle on flat water to better understand how the board reacts. Practice Paddling always on the same side while trying to go as straight as possible. This exercise will help you progress on your Paddle technique.
4. Effective Paddling technique in Foil Downwind
The technique differs slightly with a short and long board. But the effectiveness of the Paddle is fundamental to take off easily. It's the explosiveness of your movement that will make you move forward quickly and allow you to gain speed and be propelled by the wave.
Practice like in the flat start video. (even if you can't do a flat start)
Once in the air, a few well-timed Paddle strokes allow you to save situations where you risk losing flight such as losing a wave train or losing balance.
If you've managed to generate enough lift to take off on flat water (or if you feel you're not far from taking off), it's time to choose a slope to help you with a wave.
5. Observing the swell and water surface and selecting the right slope.
In Downwind mode, a large part of your effectiveness will come from choosing the right "bump" to take off.
Observe the water surface and choose the right bump (deep enough) to try to fly.
Series of "bumps" generally work in 2, 3 or 4, and try to choose the biggest one to have maximum power to take off. Be as explosive as possible at that moment. You have 2 to 3 seconds to give it your all. If you've managed to synchronize the Paddle with the slope, you'll have enough power to take off.
Bonus! Safety and best practices in Downwind
We already mentioned this briefly earlier, the goal of these sports is purely recreational, no need to put yourself in danger to be able to say you're stronger or weaker than your neighbor. So if you go far from the board, opt for safety equipment. If you're close to shore, no need.
So if you go far, it is absolutely essential to equip yourself, the helmet and the impact vest are the minimum.
The best safety is to practice in a group and have everyone watch out for each other.
But to avoid problems, it's ideal to bring with you:
- a phone
- a GPS watch (Ultra 2)
- a fluorescent vest
- possibly distress flares
- a tow line
- A Secumar belt may be a solution. It's a belt that inflates with a CO2 cartridge and a distress flare.
If you have any further questions on this subject, or for any other request, don't hesitate to contact us!
