Over the past two to three years, a revolution has been happening on the water. Alongside kitesurfers, people have started appearing with inflatable wings in their hands, standing on boards with underwater foils, literally flying above the surface. That’s wingfoiling. And yes, it’s as cool as it looks.
If you’ve heard about it but don’t know exactly what it involves — this article is for you.
What It Actually Is
Wingfoiling combines two elements:
Wing: An inflatable wing that you hold in your hands. It has no lines, no harness — you simply grip it by the handles and let the wind pull you. If you let go, it falls on the water and nothing happens. No tangled lines, no kite flying overhead.
Hydrofoil: An underwater wing attached to the board on a mast. Once you pick up speed, the foil lifts you above the surface. The board separates from the water and you glide above it — silently, smoothly, with minimal resistance.
Together, these create a sensation that’s unlike anything else. It’s not like kitesurfing, it’s not like surfing. It’s something entirely new.
Why Wingfoiling Is So Popular
There are several reasons wingfoiling is exploding:
Works in lighter wind. Thanks to the hydrofoil, you need less wind than for kitesurfing. Where you’d be standing on the beach waiting with a kite, with a wingfoil you’re already riding. In El Gouna, this means you can ride even in the morning when the thermal wind hasn’t fully kicked in yet, or in July when the wind sometimes eases off.
Simpler setup. No inflating a kite, no untangling lines. You pump up the wing by hand in 2 minutes, grab the board, and go. Packing up is equally quick.
Safer start. A wing has no lines, so you can’t get tangled. If you lose control, you drop the wing and it falls on the water. For beginners, this is psychologically much less stressful than a kite.
Silent experience. When you’re flying above the water on a foil, you hear almost nothing. No board slapping against waves, no noise. Just wind and silence. Many people say it’s meditative.
Compact equipment. A wing packs into a backpack, a foil disassembles into a few parts. The entire kit fits in a single suitcase. For travelling, this is a massive advantage over kitesurfing.
Wingfoiling vs. Kitesurfing
This question comes up constantly, so let’s clarify:
| Kitesurfing | Wingfoiling | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wind | approx. 12–14 knots (no foil) | approx. 10–12 knots |
| Instruction to first rides | 6–10 hours | 4–6 hours |
| Setup time | 15–20 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Adrenaline | Higher (jumps, height) | Different (flow, flying above water) |
| Space requirements | Larger (20–25 m lines) | Smaller |
| Feel | Pull, speed, energy | Gliding, silence, freedom |
These aren’t competing sports — they complement each other. Many of our customers do both. Wing in the morning (lighter wind), kite in the afternoon (stronger wind). In El Gouna, this makes perfect sense.
Why El Gouna Is Ideal for Wingfoiling
The reasons are essentially the same as for kitesurfing, with one extra bonus:
Shallow lagoon. When learning wingfoiling, you fall. A lot. In our lagoon, when you fall you simply stand up — the depth is from 40 cm to chest height. You don’t have to swim with all your equipment back to the board. You just stand up and keep going.
Flat water. No waves to complicate your start. In the beginning, you learn on a large volume board that needs a calm surface. El Gouna is made for this.
Sandy bottom. No coral near the shore that could damage your foil or your feet.
Light wind in summer. July and August are the months in El Gouna when the wind sometimes eases. For kitesurfing, this can be frustrating, but for wingfoiling, these are ideal conditions. Light, steady wind + foil = perfect combo. That’s why we say summer is wing season.
What a Wingfoil Course Looks Like with Us
The Wing Basic I course is 5 hours and costs €365 in semi-private (up to 4 students) or €515 in private format.
The course covers:
- Theory on the beach — how the wing works, safety, wind window
- Wing on the beach — handling the wing on dry land, walking with the wing in hand
- Wing on the water without foil — standing on a large board and learning to steer the wing on the water
- First rides with foil — gradually lifting above the surface
Most people during the course reach the stage where they get up on the foil and ride their first metres above the water. For some it clicks in 3 hours, for others in 5. It depends on prior experience — kitesurfers and surfers tend to pick it up faster.
All equipment is provided by us — Flysurfer wings and Levitaz hydrofoils. You don’t need to bring anything of your own.
Who Is Wingfoiling For
I don’t like it when people say “wingfoiling is for everyone.” That’s not entirely true — it does require a certain level of balance and coordination. But a surprisingly wide range of people manage to learn it:
- Kitesurfers who want something new and want to ride even in lighter wind
- Surfers and SUP paddlers who already have a feel for board sports
- Complete beginners who want to start with wing instead of kite
- Older athletes looking for a gentler alternative to kitesurfing (less joint stress)
- Kids from about age 12 with some athletic ability
If you can stand on a SUP, you can learn wingfoiling. If you already kitesurf, it’ll be easy for you.
Equipment
For the course, we use Flysurfer equipment (wings) and Levitaz (foils and boards). After the course, you can rent equipment and ride on your own. And if you decide to buy your own gear, as a course graduate you get a 15% discount on equipment in our shop.
Conclusion
Wingfoiling isn’t a passing fad — it’s a new water sport that’s here to stay. The combination of simplicity, safety, and that indescribable feeling of flying above the water makes it something you should try.
And El Gouna is probably the best place in the world to start. Shallow water, consistent wind, professional instruction, and equipment on site.
Interested? Check out our wingfoil courses or book online.
Lukáš Vogeltanz Kitepower El Gouna