State of Play: Small waves, double the fun!
As a relatively recent surfing-to-foiling convert, Donovan Wichmann is in the perfect position to relate why the rush of getting up on a foil in the waves is so damn addictive...
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Rider & Words: S Abel Lago
Photos: Jaime Martinez
Location: Louro, Galicia
Date: Tuesday September 27th, 2022
The sandbanks at his local spot have been favorable to Abel Lago in 2022, and this day in particular proved one of the best yet for his new favorite hobby…
💎 Premium Content Ahead! 💎 *You will receive our weekly Friday Pump newsletter, plus the latest features, gear tests and giveaway announcements. The swell came a bit late this day, and with a lot of power because of its westerly direction. We normally ride at low tide to get the good open-faced waves, but on that day we had open waves even at high tide… the perfect combination to be able to ride perfect waves with deep enough water to not catch the foil. Martin Tieles – fresh from coming 2nd in the waves discipline at the recent nationals – was pushing through the critical section of his first wave but ended up on the beach after being smashed by a strong shorebreak (young blood!). I was choosing better waves and riding some good ones, but I also got a few good lips to the head. It’s a whole new experience, getting caught by waves on a wingfoil… you have more to worry about than on a kite, but the adrenaline is higher and the experience is amazing. We surfed for more than two hours, it was a fantastic day pushing each other to go deeper and faster on the sections. When we’d finally had enough lips on the head and the wind started to drop, we decided to do some surf foiling. The take-off on a surf foil with overhead waves is like dropping in on a barrel at Pipeline. Every wave is a mission and each single successful take off is a victory. Luckily for us, the waves this year have been perfect, so even the third session of the day was fantastic. Now subscribe to the world's best foiling magazine!
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(Already subscribed? Simply enter your email to unlock all magazine features now)This day started with a good surf on my short board, straight after the morning coffee. The forecast was fantastic, with head high waves, glassy conditions in the morning and thermal wind in the afternoon at our home spot, Area Maior beach. Area Maior is the beach where I have one of my centers, and it’s a pretty perfect surf spot that gets a lot of windy days, especially in spring and the summertime. The northwest wind blows every afternoon between 2pm and 8pm and can get up to 20 knots, and the wind blows side-off from the right. With kitesurfing or windsurfing, it’s a bit difficult to ride because on the beach the wind is a bit gusty. But for wingfoiling, it’s just perfect for riding waves.
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As a relatively recent surfing-to-foiling convert, Donovan Wichmann is in the perfect position to relate why the rush of getting up on a foil in the waves is so damn addictive...
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The River Elbe – one of Europe’s longest rivers – winds its way through Germany’s rural heartlands until it reaches the thriving industrial metropolis that is Hamburg, which sits just upriver from some of wingfoiler Alexander Reese’s preferred session spots. Dodging the passing maritime traffic is all just part of the fun…
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