What to Expect During your First Wingfoil Lesson in La Ventana
What is Wingfoiling?
In short, wingfoiling is a wind and water sport where you stand on top of a board and generate power with a handheld sail, called the wing, that moves you across the water.
Boards have a hydrofoil attached to the underside of the board, and when you generate enough power, it will lift the board off the water surface, giving you a feeling of flight.
Here is everything you need to know before you show up.
What to bring
Bring water and sunscreen, a towel if you want a rinse after your session, and if you have any of your own water wear, we’d recommend bringing whatever you have. During the late fall and winter months, we wear wetsuits here in La Ventana, and we always use water shoes, commonly known as ‘booties’. In case you don’t own any water gear yet, don't worry we got you covered. Sunglasses, with a strap around the back so you don’t lose them to the ocean, can also be useful, but not essential.
During your lesson, you can safely leave your valuables with us at the shop; they will always be supervised.
How to prepare
We recommend not eating a huge meal just before your lesson, but instead have something small and filling, like a power bar and/or a banana. Also, stay away from giant workout sessions, big bike rides & hikes, and boat tours before your scheduled session; you will be tired and won’t get as much out of your lesson as if you were more rested. Make sure you hydrate well before you go on the water; we recommend some form of electrolytes, along with some gentle stretching, and you’d be ready to hit the water.
Your Actual Lesson
Step 1: Wind Theory and Wing Handling
The first 20-30 minutes of your lesson are reserved for going over how the wing flies, practicing putting the wing in the power zone, where the wing will create enough power to pull you through the water, upwind and downwind maneuvers (upwind=travel against the wind; downwind=travel with the wind), and using the wing to stand up on the board. Your instructor will demonstrate all maneuvers and you practice them on land, while you're on stable ground, to start to create some muscle memory, before you go out on the water.
Step 2: Getting in the water
After you finish the land portion of your lesson, you and your instructor will enter the water together. They will help you enter the water, by carrying the board for you, while you take the wing. They will explain how to best carry your gear to avoid scratching yourself or the wing with the foil part of the board, or damaging any of the gear which can happen whilst entering or exiting the water. Once you're a few feet in the water, the board will be flipped with the foil side up, until you’re deep enough to turn it over without hitting the ground. Once you’re in deep enough water it's time to put your practice session to the test.
Step 3: On the board and steering
After you turn the board with the foil side down, you’ll pull yourself up on the board, flip the wing the right way up if needed, stay on your knees and turn the wing into the wind so it creates power and pulls you through the water. Your instructor will be right behind you, at the back of the board, helping you by stabilizing the board and giving you directions. First you practice flying the wing on your left side, away from shore, and then you will also try the other side. Most learners find one way harder than the other, don’t worry, that’s normal.
Once you can confidently go up and downwind, you will try standing up, this is where your instructor's stabilization of the board really comes in handy, as your center of gravity is higher and you’re more likely to wobble and fall. After around 45-60 minutes practice on the water, here in La Ventana, you will have completed your first wingfoil run.
What you'll realistically accomplish by end of day one
By the end of your first lesson, which typically is a two hour session which includes theory, land practice and water time, you can expect to have an understanding of the following skills:
Wind theory
Safety standards for entering and exiting the water.
How to safely fall off the board to avoid that the board turns the wrong way up
Upwind and downwind theory with practical knowledge
Wing handling and finding the power zone
Powering and depowering the wing
A new hobby that’s so much fun pursuing
What makes La Ventana special for learning
La Ventana has earned a reputation as one of the best places to learn how to wingfoil in the world. From October through May, our predominant wind direction is North or Northeast. This means that the angle of the wing creates a sideshore to side onshore wind direction, which is the safest for learning.
Also, La Ventana has a bay, which locals call 'The catcher's mitt'. In case you miss your beach exit, you can simply continue to ride until the end of the bay and make your way back along the beach. During fall and winter, La Ventana blows a steady 18-25mph; you will rarely see winds higher than that, giving you more rideable days.
Beyond the conditions, the community is one of La Ventana’s greatest strengths. You'll find a plethora of kiters, wingers, and parawingers on the beach, willing to lend a hand, happy to share tips, or just shoot the breeze.
What comes next
After your first wingfoil lesson is concluded, your head may be full of all the information your instructor has just given you. From our experience, people fatigue after 2 hours, either physically, mentally, or both. It’s a good idea to rest for the day, and set yourself up with a wing rental kit for the next day(s). Practice what you’ve learnt until you feel you have mastered all the skills you learnt in your first lesson, then take another lesson or two. However, if you like the support, safety and knowledge from your instructor (book lessons with us here), you can always continue to learn with them.
Side Note: Schools will carry very large boards, which are great for focusing mostly on wing skills, by providing a bigger platform and buoyancy to balance on the water. Learn on school boards and progress until your board has been sized down to a medium; 85-110 liters is considered medium. After you progress to a smaller board, you can look at buying a board of that medium size. Many of our clients have made that mistake: buying either a very large board and then grew out of it too quickly, or bought too small a board and got very frustrated.
Ready to take the plunge? Book your first wingfoil lesson in La Ventana here and we'll take care of the rest!
