Red Letter Day: Wonderland


Rider & Words: Swan Habelt
Photos: Valerie Azzaria
Location: Moorea, Tahiti
Date: Wednesday 20th Octotober, 2021

The island paradise of Moorea is home to Swan Habelt, whose passion for foiling and surfing is only enhanced by his love for his sublime local surroundings, and only matched in his commitment to protecting it wherever he can. Here, he tells us about one particularly perfect day that’s not going to disappear from his memory any time soon…

I live on the island of Moorea, in French Polynesia. No matter how many pictures you look at of our beautiful island, you can't truly get a sense of it unless you spend time here. This is where I grew up and where I’ve indulged my passion for water sports for the last 21 years.

Early on this particular Wednesday morning, I headed to my favorite secret spot to check the conditions, just as I always do. But things were weird… and contrary to what is normal and what had been forecast, the wind had changed. Usually at this time of the year, a northeasterly wind called the Toerau blows on the spot. But this day it blew from the southeast. The Maraamu wind was early, and although I didn't know it yet, it was the harbinger of one of my most beautiful wing foil sessions ever.

💎 Premium Content Ahead! 💎

This is premium magazine content, usually only available to our subscribers, but you can access it for free when you join our mailing list!
(Already subscribed? Simply enter your email to unlock all magazine features now)

*You will receive our weekly Friday Pump newsletter, plus the latest features, gear tests and giveaway announcements.

__CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"30800":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1},"f2bba":{"name":"Main Light 10","parent":"30800"},"trewq":{"name":"Main Light 30","parent":"30800"},"frty6":{"name":"Main Light 45","parent":"30800"},"flktr":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"30800"}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"30800":{"val":"rgb(59, 136, 253)","hsl":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61}},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.1)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.1}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.3)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.3}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.45)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.45}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.8}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"30800":{"val":"rgb(59, 136, 253)","hsl":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61}},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.1)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.1}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.3)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.3}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.45)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.45}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(59, 136, 253, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":216,"s":0.98,"l":0.61,"a":0.8}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__
My sessions very often start around the breakfast table, with the family, just as it has since my first surf session at seven-years-old. Today was no different, but we decided to change our plans and head to the south of our beautiful island to follow the wind. 

It was 9am when we got there and it was clear straight away that the conditions were optimal… 20 knots of wind, 1.5 meter waves, and I was ready to roll with my AFS WILF wind wing, riding the Flyer 1000 and T-bar 82cm. The most experienced riders on the island were already on the spot. My surfing experience instinctively tells me to be patient and to take my time in choosing the right wave. I remember having the feeling that I was going to have the most amazing session…

And suddenly there it was. The wave of the day. I launched myself into it, I take a deep breath and seize upon the rhythm, the intensity of the momentum under me, and I play with it. A pure sensation of happiness. I nail my first 360 of the day, under the gaze of the dolphins that enter the passes to rest during the day and continue their hunt at night.

The smile that remained on my face on the way back home that day was going nowhere. We wound our way back on the ski, darting peacefully between the coral heads. Experiencing such an extraordinary session in an environment such as Moorea, surrounded by all its mesmerizing flora and fauna never fails to remind me of the importance in protecting our natural world.

Home, and onto a beer and the fiery sunset that awaited me on the Captain Taina pontoon, celebrating this epic day with my friends, and my limitless love for foiling, for the ocean and for this place.   

Now subscribe to the world's best foiling magazine!

To get the latest premium features, tests, gear releases and the best photojournalism in the world of foiling, get yourself a print subscription today!

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

 

 

Related Articles...

INBOUND: SIC Kunalu

We love a new and sleek downwind board. SIC Maui’s brand manager Casi Rynkowski fills us in on their new DW SUP and wingfoil specialist, the KūNalu…

READ MORE

INBOUND: AFS HA Ultra Foil

Prior to this interview, all we knew was that there was some AFS Designer Laurent Borgna magic baked into this new high aspect foil from the AFS crew. So, we hit up AFS HQ in France, and got hold of both Laurent and AFS’s International Business Developer Richard Boudia, to get their take on the new HA Ultra.

READ MORE

INBOUND: Harlem Pace Wing

Harlem’s new all-rounder wing comes with some bold claims as well as lots of innovative tech. We tapped up the team for more info…

READ MORE

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Foiling Magazine is a premium quality internationally distributed publication, bringing together the very best in written and photojournalism from the world of foiling.

Subscribe Now
The Foiling Magazine quote

"I had a good time reading issue N°1, everything is high quality from the content to the paper!"

Julien Salles – Brand Manager, Manera

"The magazine looks insane. Very stoked to be part of it."

Caio Ibelli – Pro Surfer

"What a rad publication."

Ivan van Vuuren – Signature Foils

"It's a beautiful thing to see how far foiling has come!"

Damien LeRoy – Pro Kiteboarder

"I enjoy every page of the Foiling Mag – keep it up!"

Evan Mavridoglou – General Manager, AXIS Foils

©Copyright 2024 TheFoilingMagazine, All Rights Reserved. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap | Cookie SettingsWebsite by Majik Websites