Curios to hear what are your favorite wave windfoiling conditions?

I foil on the great lakes so we sometimes get side offshore wind(NW) with fun long 2-3ft waves coming in from the SW. The image below shows the direction. I found you can have a lot of fun on the wave compared to onshore riding(what we normally get), because you can stay on the wave and get 4 or 5 turns on the same wave where as in onshore conditions when I cave it hard i usually end up off the wave or on a different one, still lots of fun but nice to mix things up once in a while.

I was riding port tack, I would get speed running down the wave, sheet in near the bottom of the wave then carve back heel side at the top, and keep trying to crank out top and bottom turns
Unfortunately didn't catch any video yesterday, I feel like bottom turns on the foil look not very aggressive since you can carry so much speed on the foil and you don't need as much input to turn like this. The top turns were the most fun especially when you time it right with the wave you can generate even more speed running back down the wave face.
The moses 799 front wing(1100cm2) has great glide and speed and can carve really smooth tight turns. Super stoked on this setup makes conditions like this feel like a head high windsurf session.

Side offshore conditions feels kinda weird at first since your riding down the wave on a 45 deg angle reaching upwind which is normally going downwind in onshore conditions.
More risky going out in these conditions if the wind switched straight offshore or picked up. I was on a 4.7m wave sail was kinda gusty 10-18kts. Lighter on the inside near shore. Ideal front wing something that is fast, not too low aspect as it needs good glide, has a thick enough profile to generate lift/ power, and stay in the air going slow(stall speed).


www.seabreeze.com.au/img/photos/windsurfing/18319717.jpg' />

I know we can be harsh here sometimes, but I think in your quest to avoid grass criticism, you have definitely over-fertilised that lawn.

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Mark _australia said..
I know we can be harsh here sometimes, but I think in your quest to avoid grass criticism, you have definitely over-fertilised that lawn.

Mark, it's just our white sand from the beach we get this time of year

Cant really answer than question as I have only windfoiled in bay swell, so I guess that is equivalent to onshore riding. I think the foil allows you to ride onshore swell much better than the fin as the ridable directions are much wider and the tolerable speed to stay on the foil is much wider than the tolerable speed to keep the fin board on the plane.

I can't believe 2 Canadians are chatting about WWF as I am getting ready to play Ice Hockey - still my favourite sport.
To answer your question I prefer the typical "reef" wave conditions with side to side on wind. However rather than riding down the line like on a wave board I do more of what the Wing and Surf foilers do. Usually linking downwind and upwind carves. I find I can get more aggressive up wind with heel side bottom turns and toe side "top" turns(not good enough to actually be at the top) as I have more apparent wind in the sail to pull on. What I also really enjoy in these conditions is jibing on the face of the wave to catch it. You actually come out faster than when you go in.

This is the only vid I have. Its hard to tell with all the wind swell but I am riding the reformed wave/swell inside of the reef about 90 degrees to the wind. So Much Fun!!

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Hess said..
I can't believe 2 Canadians are chatting about WWF as I am getting ready to play Ice Hockey - still my favourite sport.
To answer your question I prefer the typical "reef" wave conditions with side to side on wind. However rather than riding down the line like on a wave board I do more of what the Wing and Surf foilers do. Usually linking downwind and upwind carves. I find I can get more aggressive up wind with heel side bottom turns and toe side "top" turns(not good enough to actually be at the top) as I have more apparent wind in the sail to pull on. What I also really enjoy in these conditions is jibing on the face of the wave to catch it. You actually come out faster than when you go in.

This is the only vid I have. Its hard to tell with all the wind swell but I am riding the reformed wave/swell inside of the reef about 90 degrees to the wind. So Much Fun!!

Adrian, great swell rides. Looks awesome in Maui, fun swell and nice seeing that offshore wave spray from the pictures, I'll have to go one day. We do get that beautiful water like that in the summer on Lake Ontario, love being able to see the bottom at 50ft deep although sketches me out sometimes.
A lot of foilers here have taken to the waters during winter, loved playing hockey but the nice thing about foiling is you dont have to rely on our politician's to go foiling
Where do you foil back in Canada?

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CAN17 said..

Hess said..
I can't believe 2 Canadians are chatting about WWF as I am getting ready to play Ice Hockey - still my favourite sport.
To answer your question I prefer the typical "reef" wave conditions with side to side on wind. However rather than riding down the line like on a wave board I do more of what the Wing and Surf foilers do. Usually linking downwind and upwind carves. I find I can get more aggressive up wind with heel side bottom turns and toe side "top" turns(not good enough to actually be at the top) as I have more apparent wind in the sail to pull on. What I also really enjoy in these conditions is jibing on the face of the wave to catch it. You actually come out faster than when you go in.

This is the only vid I have. Its hard to tell with all the wind swell but I am riding the reformed wave/swell inside of the reef about 90 degrees to the wind. So Much Fun!!

Adrian, great swell rides. Looks awesome in Maui, fun swell and nice seeing that offshore wave spray from the pictures, I'll have to go one day. We do get that beautiful water like that in the summer on Lake Ontario, love being able to see the bottom at 50ft deep although sketches me out sometimes.
A lot of foilers here have taken to the waters during winter, loved playing hockey but the nice thing about foiling is you dont have to rely on our politician's to go foiling
Where do you foil back in Canada?

Thanks, I got into the WWF this trip to Maui basically trying to ride the same breaks the Wingers do and although I don't know what I am doing it sure was fun. I also explored the off shore downwinder type swell riding with the sail totally flagged which is also a blast but the waves are more disjointed so I prefer riding the small reef break.

If the reef waves were big I would stay on the inside and ride the reformed waves but a few times I got in the logo high plus waves by accident (coming in from the outside). To scared and not good enough to turn on the face so I would just ride them in a straight shot part way up the face with little to no power in the sail. My heart still starts pounding when I think about it don't know why its more exhilarating than on a fin

I lived in Newmarket and Sarnia years ago so I appreciate how good sailing on the great lakes can be. I live in Calgary so I rarely foil other than Maui. And if its less than 15C I am doing something else. Just saying you are a better man than me.

CAN17, good for you man getting out this late in the year....in Ontario! Be thankful for the swell you get. Being from the West I haven't been on a real swell in 2.5 years, maybe that will change in the Gorge this summer. It seems like the Lakes are pretty damn good for foiling!

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Windbot said..
CAN17, good for you man getting out this late in the year....in Ontario! Be thankful for the swell you get. Being from the West I haven't been on a real swell in 2.5 years, maybe that will change in the Gorge this summer. It seems like the Lakes are pretty damn good for foiling!

The great lakes are awesome this time of year whether it's 2ft or mast high. All you need is a low pressure system and you have waves. If its below freezing or there are waves or waves without any wind I am surf foiling.

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Thanks, I got into the WWF this trip to Maui basically trying to ride the same breaks the Wingers do and although I don't know what I am doing it sure was fun. I also explored the off shore downwinder type swell riding with the sail totally flagged which is also a blast but the waves are more disjointed so I prefer riding the small reef break.

If the reef waves were big I would stay on the inside and ride the reformed waves but a few times I got in the logo high plus waves by accident (coming in from the outside). To scared and not good enough to turn on the face so I would just ride them in a straight shot part way up the face with little to no power in the sail. My heart still starts pounding when I think about it don't know why its more exhilarating than on a fin

I lived in Newmarket and Sarnia years ago so I appreciate how good sailing on the great lakes can be. I live in Calgary so I rarely foil other than Maui. And if its less than 15C I am doing something else. Just saying you are a better man than me.

Wow logo high ocean waves would be a handful especially on a big front wing. Yeah your best just to run down those using the sail as a balance point , some guys over sheet the sail to depower and some flag out whatever works both kinda do the same thing. Nice that there is a variety of waves.
Is there any Shallow spots like where the reef breaks to watch out for with the long masts?

Southshore of L. Superior is my back or depending on perspective maybe front yard. Any direction. Each provides different conditions. But if having to choose one direction. ENE.

We always launch from the onshore side of the Bay or if NE to SE the beach outside of the Bay that runs for ~2nm between Houghton and Van Tasil's Pt. is an option. 2-6nm wide bay. Always choppy until you get close to the windward side. With one exception that took me a season to realize. Half way into the Bay there is a manmade lighthouse barrier that starts ~1/2 nm off shore and runs for ~1.5nm out into the Bay at ~30 degrees N of W. Real flat water. My first ever flat water foiling moment. Made for effortless foiling on the NNE day. Spent the 1st part of that session cranking upwind and "surfing" downwind on the swells. Then took a broad to downwind run to the lee side of the barrier and discovered flat water. Fun foiling day.

N to E. Long fetch = larger swells = "waves". Inside the Bay, the islands outside the Bay mellow down the swell. Relatively long bay at ~12nm, but the "waves" rarely break boom high. Hip high is a good day. Not really foiling on those days. Windy enough to go windsurfing. If E, we can launch off the beach outside the Bay for some real waves formed by the swell breaking on the sandbars. Too much shore break for me to launch a foil. pita launching a wave board. Plus the depth of water on the bottom side of our square waves can be a bit on the thin side.

I sail a small keel boat that draws ~110cm. There is an area N of Oak Pt peninsula and S of Chequamegon Pt peninsula that is flat relative to the rest of the Bay. Charts do show some areas around a meter in depth within couple hundred meters of shore. Have sailed into those areas and have yet to ground the boat. A couple moments of sh.... Thinking it would be primo flatter water foiling. But it's +4nm from our nearest launch and isolated. Real bad place to have a mechanical or physical breakdown.

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CAN17 said..
Curios to hear what are your favorite wave windfoiling conditions?

.....More risky going out in these conditions if the wind switched straight offshore or picked up. I was on a 4.7m wave sail was kinda gusty 10-18kts. Lighter on the inside ......

We always launch from onshore to side-on sites due to the risk factors and gusty, swirly wind if close to the windward shoreline. Cold water and you need to self rescue. Even sailing in the Bay (+50 sq nm) we lose sight of each other. Couple of us have had uni failures. I was able to swim my rig back to shore. Off shore. No way. The board ended up snagged on some real thick seaweed allowing me to swim out to retrieve it. Almost. Was within a couple of board length. Then a larger swell freed it and pushed it and me up onto the rocks. No real damage to board or body. Just the walk of shame back to the beach. Offshore. Good bye board.

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OldGuy3 said..
Southshore of L. Superior is my back or depending on perspective maybe front yard. Any direction. Each provides different conditions. But if having to choose one direction. ENE.

We always launch from the onshore side of the Bay or if NE to SE the beach outside of the Bay that runs for ~2nm between Houghton and Van Tasil's Pt. is an option. 2-6nm wide bay. Always choppy until you get close to the windward side. With one exception that took me a season to realize. Half way into the Bay there is a manmade lighthouse barrier that starts ~1/2 nm off shore and runs for ~1.5nm out into the Bay at ~30 degrees N of W. Real flat water. My first ever flat water foiling moment. Made for effortless foiling on the NNE day. Spent the 1st part of that session cranking upwind and "surfing" downwind on the swells. Then took a broad to downwind run to the lee side of the barrier and discovered flat water. Fun foiling day.

N to E. Long fetch = larger swells = "waves". Inside the Bay, the islands outside the Bay mellow down the swell. Relatively long bay at ~12nm, but the "waves" rarely break boom high. Hip high is a good day. Not really foiling on those days. Windy enough to go windsurfing. If E, we can launch off the beach outside the Bay for some real waves formed by the swell breaking on the sandbars. Too much shore break for me to launch a foil. pita launching a wave board. Plus the depth of water on the bottom side of our square waves can be a bit on the thin side.

I sail a small keel boat that draws ~110cm. There is an area N of Oak Pt peninsula and S of Chequamegon Pt peninsula that is flat relative to the rest of the Bay. Charts do show some areas around a meter in depth within couple hundred meters of shore. Have sailed into those areas and have yet to ground the boat. A couple moments of sh.... Thinking it would be primo flatter water foiling. But it's +4nm from our nearest launch and isolated. Real bad place to have a mechanical or physical breakdown.

Looks like a super fun place to foil. Yup gotta watch out for some Shallow spots in that bay. I see what your talking about long 200 nmi fetch on NE, I bet the waves get squeezed between madeline island and Chequamegon Pt ang get even bigger?
Like 8-12sec 20ft+ on a big day?
How often do you get NE. I bet NW still is fun if you go east of little girls point still have 60 nmi fetch which is like a SW at my home spot fun waves. Is that the most common direction you get now NW?
Must be beautiful around the island there, big sand beaches, not very developed yet either.


Longest fetch we get on lake Ontario is half that at sandbanks Prince Edward county. Still can get long 8-10sec waves double mast high. Epic foil conditions if you get some left over 15-20kt wind and head high to mast high waves I dream of that, just like Maui

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CAN17 said..

Windbot said..
CAN17, good for you man getting out this late in the year....in Ontario! Be thankful for the swell you get. Being from the West I haven't been on a real swell in 2.5 years, maybe that will change in the Gorge this summer. It seems like the Lakes are pretty damn good for foiling!

The great lakes are awesome this time of year whether it's 2ft or mast high. All you need is a low pressure system and you have waves. If its below freezing or there are waves or waves without any wind I am surf foiling.

Thanks, I got into the WWF this trip to Maui basically trying to ride the same breaks the Wingers do and although I don't know what I am doing it sure was fun. I also explored the off shore downwinder type swell riding with the sail totally flagged which is also a blast but the waves are more disjointed so I prefer riding the small reef break.

If the reef waves were big I would stay on the inside and ride the reformed waves but a few times I got in the logo high plus waves by accident (coming in from the outside). To scared and not good enough to turn on the face so I would just ride them in a straight shot part way up the face with little to no power in the sail. My heart still starts pounding when I think about it don't know why its more exhilarating than on a fin

I lived in Newmarket and Sarnia years ago so I appreciate how good sailing on the great lakes can be. I live in Calgary so I rarely foil other than Maui. And if its less than 15C I am doing something else. Just saying you are a better man than me.

Wow logo high ocean waves would be a handful especially on a big front wing. Yeah your best just to run down those using the sail as a balance point , some guys over sheet the sail to depower and some flag out whatever works both kinda do the same thing. Nice that there is a variety of waves.
Is there any Shallow spots like where the reef breaks to watch out for with the long masts?

My foils do have reef rash but the turtles usually cause the biggest damage. If you ride a 85cm mast you are usually fine, except for really low tide days. Also with bigger waves the water over the reef can also be sucked down very low between the waves. So I just don't foil over the reef on big days as the reformed swell/wave on the inside are plenty big for the Hess.

The best waves I have ever sailed on the great lakes where at Ipperwash. When a NNW blows over Huron for a few days I have seen mast high waves there that actually break, say, 15 degrees more North than the wind direction and not right on shore because of the shape and depth of the beach.
However I have to say as good as those days were they pale in comparison to a regular wave day in Maui. Its so easy to launch and get comfortable with the reef break way off shore. Most of the time there are channels with small waves that make it easy to get to the outside. Then you just sail in on a ocean swell that turn into a wave. On those head high days even I can catch a wave on a fin or foil. And if you go down the time between waves makes it way easier to have a chance to water start and get going again. Don't get me wrong the great lakes are awesome but if you get a chance to go to maui I recommend you give it a try.

I stumbled on this vid that shows the side on conditions inside the reef in Maui, more on shore than usual on this day. Ka'a is a favourite spot for Wingers.
I prefer these conditions and like riding these swells with a turn or 2 in each direction. Plus with this wind/wave direction jibing onto the face of the wave to catch it is a blast.