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Wing foiling is taking off around the Hibiscus Coast, and it’s easy to see why. Spring has brought consistent 10 knot plus days, and Whangaparāoa Peninsula captures every possible wind angle making it a wind sports enthusiast’s dream.
How to learn
Nick Humphreys from Underground Surf in Ōrewa runs foiling and wing foiling lessons. Here are his tips for how to get going fast: • Age is no barrier. I’ve taught teenagers to people in their 70s and the average age would be 40-60 years, so this is not just a sport for young people. However, you need a reasonable level of fitness and a willingness to try adrenaline sports. • Wing foiling combines foiling and sailing. If you have no previous experience in these types of sports, you will have a different learning curve from an experienced windsurfer or wake-foiler. • Lessons start with learning to foil behind a jetski. From there, we coach clients on how to get the foil to fly, and while everyone gets a fright the first time it comes out of the water, eventually, it clicks, and you are away. • The next lessons focus on gaining more foil control and then adding the wind wing. Nick says most people can foil using the wind wing in three lessons, and those with good skills in similar sports often get it in their first or second lesson. • Depending how often you do it, your fitness and previous related skills, after around 20-40 hours of practice, you should be sailing around pretty comfortably. • It’s easy to clock up plenty of water time with ideal spots just minutes away from most people on the Hibiscus Coast.
Under current Alert Level 3 restrictions, as long as a jetski can be operated, one-on-one private lessons can be taken on the water, with strict protocols in place.
