What is wing foiling? A beginner's guide and where to learn in the UK

Wing foiling is a watersport where you stand on a board and hold an inflatable wing in your hands to catch the wind, while a hydrofoil under the board lifts you clear of the water. It borrows from windsurfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding, without a mast or any lines. Most people start with wing surfing on a big, stable board, then move up to the foil once they've got the hang of the wing.

Quick picks

• Easyriders, Poole: a Wingtro private beginners lesson on Poole Harbour
• Get Kiteboarding, Bracklesham Bay: the RYA Learn to Wingsurf intro session for complete beginners
• Get Kiteboarding: a three-hour wing surf and wing foil lesson for small groups
• Easyriders: two-hour wingfoiling tuition once you can ride a board upwind

What is wing foiling?

The wing is a light, inflatable sail with handles. You hold it in front of you, with no mast joining it to the board, and use it to catch the wind and drive yourself along. Let it go slack and the power drops away. Under the board sits a foil: a mast with small underwater wings that, once you're moving fast enough, lifts the board above the surface so you glide over the chop.

Easyriders sums up the appeal neatly: wingfoiling combines the freedom of foiling with wind power, without masts, lines or ropes. It works on flat, bumpy or wavy water, and it can be done inland on lakes that are too small for kitesurfing.

Wing surfing vs wing foiling

Wing surfing, often just called winging, uses the same handheld wing on a large, floaty board with no foil, usually a SUP or a windsurf board with a daggerboard. It's where every beginner starts, because the board stays stable while you learn to fly the wing, steer and work your way upwind.

Once you can ride upwind, downwind and across the wind, and turn with tacks and gybes, you're ready to try the foil. Easyriders asks for exactly those skills before you book its wingfoiling tuition, so a couple of wing surfing sessions first is time well spent.

What you need and what a first lesson covers

You don't need any kit of your own for a lesson. Schools provide the wing and board, and wetsuits are either included or available to hire, so bring swimwear, a towel and footwear you don't mind getting wet. In autumn and winter, wetsuit boots, gloves and a neoprene hat make a big difference: Get Kiteboarding puts all three on its cold-weather kit list.

You'll need to be water confident. Easyriders and Get Kiteboarding both ask that you can swim 50m unaided. A first lesson usually begins on land with the wing before moving on to the water on a large board. Easyriders' BKSA and RYA approved Wingtro lessons cover handling and steering the wing, gaining ground upwind and downwind, pumping the wing and self-rescue. Get Kiteboarding's RYA intro covers safety, self-rescue, checking the site, setting up, and the rules and signals you need before you head out.

Photo: Easyriders

Easyriders, Poole Harbour

Easyriders is a kite, wing, foil, windsurf and SUP centre at Sandbanks, facing out across Poole Harbour, and it has been teaching since 2004. Complete beginners start with a Wingtro private beginners lesson or a Wingtro group lesson. Once you can ride upwind and gybe, move on to wingfoiling tuition, with coaching from a safety boat in Poole Harbour or Poole Bay.

Read more on our Easyriders spotlight, or see what else to book in Poole.

Get Kiteboarding, Bracklesham Bay

Get Kiteboarding teaches kitesurfing, wing surfing and paddleboarding at Bracklesham Bay near East Wittering in West Sussex, in small groups or privately. Its RYA Learn to Wingsurf intro session is the place to start if you've never held a wing. From there you can book the RYA wingsurf improver session, or a three-hour wing surf and wing foil lesson for up to four people, where instructors use one-way radios to coach you on the water when they can.

Photo: Get Kiteboarding

Sessions are timed around the wind and tide, so the team will confirm the best slot. There's more to do on the coast on our Bracklesham page.

Roadford Lake, Devon

If you'd rather learn on flat water, Roadford Lake Activity Centre, between Launceston and Okehampton, offers wing surfing on a lake with Dartmoor's tors in the background. Its Zero to Hero wingsurf course runs over four weeks, starting with flying the wing on land before moving on to a large windsurf board, and it sets you up to progress to wing foiling. Wetsuits, buoyancy aids and helmets are provided, and the minimum age is 17.

Photo: Roadford Lake Activity Centre

Check the course page for upcoming dates, and see our Roadford Lake spotlight for camping and the centre's other activities.

Tips for your first session

• Start with wing surfing. Learning the wing on a stable board first makes the move to a foil much smoother.
• Stay flexible. Schools plan around wind and tide, so a session may move if conditions aren't right.
• Dress for the water temperature. Boots, gloves and a hood are worth it from autumn onwards, even when the air feels mild.
• Book a few sessions close together. Skills stick better when you're back on the water within a week or two.

FAQ

Is wing foiling hard to learn?

It takes a few sessions. Most people begin with wing surfing on a large board to learn how the wing works, then move to a foil once they can ride upwind and turn. Lessons with a qualified instructor are the quickest way to progress.

Is wing foiling easier than kitesurfing?

Many beginners find the first steps more manageable, because the wing is handheld, has no lines and loses its power as soon as you let it go slack. Riding the foil still takes practice, so expect a learning curve either way.

Do I need my own equipment to learn wing foiling?

No. Lesson providers supply the wing and board, and wetsuits are included or available to hire. Bring swimwear, a towel and footwear you don't mind getting wet.

More to read

Into wind sports already? Read about the best places to go kitesurfing on the UK south coast and when to go kitesurfing in the UK.

Book your next watersport on eola

Whether it's winging, kitesurfing or your first paddleboard lesson, you'll find schools around the UK with live availability and online booking on the eola marketplace.