The A Team

We were chasing more than just good content. We wanted to build something deeper. On the kite side, we’ve fostered a family vibe for years. This was our chance to do the same with the wing crew, and it clicked. One house, one team, one mission. Between giant bowls of scrambled eggs, mornings reviewing clips, and late nights laughing by the pool, something real took shape.

The forecast looked light in the days leading up, enough to make my palms sweat, but the wind showed up every day, blowing 15 to 25 knots like clockwork. The first half of the trip delivered clean, 3–6-foot swell. Exactly what we needed to test gear, push progression, and make magic behind the lens.

One of the most unforgettable sessions happened at Playa Grande, a lush, jungle-wrapped point break that looked like it was ripped straight from an old surf film. The wave peeled perfectly along the inside, and just offshore there was enough wind to wing foil. Wing and prone heaven. Everyone was frothing. That day will live rent-free in my head for a long time.

The wildest moment came during our mission to Sauna Island, a barely-there sandbar way offshore. It took a three-hour drive, a sketchy boat shuttle, and serious gear wrangling to get there. Sam Light launched the drone to film Ava, Trent, and Bryan winging across the channel, after realizing he was following the wrong boat, with the drone battery nearly dead, panic struck. As it began dropping from the sky, the drone was spotted, Bryan leapt up from his seat, towel in hand, and caught it mid-air like a total legend. The drone, and the golden footage from the crossing was saved. Sam, however, might have lost a year of his life.

Back at the house, the rhythm settled in. Scheming the next shot, cracking coconuts with foil stabilizers, and sharing stories over post-session beers. Everyone pitched in, supported each other, and brought their A-game. The energy was all-time.

None of it would’ve happened without our two creatives: Andre Magarao and Jack McCerey. Andre the legend, with more kiteboarding covers than anyone in the game (I think). He finds beauty in chaos, stillness in motion. Jack, fresh off a film degree from UC Santa Cruz, was on his first major launch shoot and brought a fresh, cinematic eye to every frame. That pairing? Straight-up magic.

Of course, it wasn’t all palm trees and downwinders. Shooting wing in the surf is hard. You’re at the mercy of swell, wind direction, and a rider’s ability to thread the needle on a moving wave. It felt more like a surf shoot than anything we’ve done in kiteboarding. But when it worked, damn, it worked…

This shoot was about launching our 2026 Flow State and Glide Zone collections and capturing the soul of our new One-Lock foil system. The gear performed flawlessly, stiff, responsive, and undeniably next level, but what stuck with me most wasn’t the hardware. It was the people. The shared stoke. The sense that something bigger is forming around this category. We came to Cabarete to shoot a product launch. We left with something more.