If you’re a windsurfer and you keep hearing more about wingfoiling, you’ve probably wondered: should I try it? And if so — how different is it from what I already know?
Short answer: try it. As a windsurfer, you have a huge advantage and the transition is faster than you’d expect. But let’s break it down properly.
What Wingfoiling and Windsurfing Have in Common
More than you’d think:
Feel for the Wind
As a windsurfer, you understand wind — where it’s coming from, how strong it is, what gusts vs. steady wind means. You know the wind window. You can read flags and waves. This is a huge advantage because working with wind in wingfoiling is exactly the same.
Standing on a Board
In both sports, you stand on a board and respond to wind. Balance, stance, weight shifting — the fundamental principles are the same. A windsurfer feels natural on a wing board much faster than someone who’s never stood on a board.
Moving with the Wind
Upwind, downwind, reaching, tacking, jibing — the concepts are the same. The technique differs, but the logic of navigating on water is identical.
What’s Different
No Mast Attached to the Board
This is the biggest difference. In windsurfing, you have a sail on a mast connected by a joint to the board. The sail and board are linked — and that defines the whole dynamic of the sport.
In wingfoiling, the wing (inflatable wing) is separate. You hold it in your hands. It’s not connected to the board. When you want to let go — you let go. When you fall, the wing floats next to you and you simply pick it up.
This is surprisingly liberating. No catapults, no hauling the sail out of the water (windsurf uphauling). You just grab the wing by the handle and ride.
Foil Instead of a Fin
A windsurfing board has a fin — you ride on the surface. A wing board has a foil — a wing under water on a mast. Once you pick up speed, the board lifts above the water and you fly.
Foiling is what makes wingfoiling so addictive. It’s a silent, smooth sensation of flight above the water. But it’s also the part you need to learn — and that’s a new skill even for an experienced windsurfer.
Less Power, More Technique
Windsurfing in strong wind is physically demanding — you hold the sail, the boom, fighting the force of the wind. Wingfoiling is overall lighter on strength — the wing in your hands is light, and because the foil eliminates water drag, you don’t have to “fight” as much.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy. But it’s a different type of effort — more about balance and technique, less about brute force.
Why Windsurfers Are the Fastest Wingfoil Students
We see it repeatedly: windsurfers are our fastest wingfoil students. Reasons:
- Feel for wind — we don’t need to teach wind basics
- Board feel — they can stand on a board, they can shift weight
- Confidence on the water — no fear of falling, of depth, of equipment
- Motivation — they want a new challenge, not the basics
In practice, that means a windsurfer in a 5-hour Basic I course (€365 group / €515 private) achieves significantly more than a complete beginner. Often by the end of the course they’re foiling — not perfectly, but they’re flying.
What the Transition Looks Like Step by Step
Step 1: Wing on the Ground
You learn to control the wing — how to hold it, how to catch wind, how to steer it. For a windsurfer, this is intuitive. The wing works like a small sail, but without the mast and boom attached to the board.
Step 2: Wing on a Board without Foil
You start on a large stable board without a foil (or with a short foil). You ride on the water, learning to stand with the wing, steer direction. A windsurfer feels at home here.
Step 3: Foiling
This is where the new skill comes in. You need to learn to control the foil — how to lift the board above water, how to maintain height, how to prevent flying too high (breach). It’s like learning a new sense — feeling the foil through your feet.
Step 4: Riding and Turns
Once you foil consistently, you add technique — upwind riding, turns (tack, jibe). Here windsurf experience helps again — navigation principles are the same.
El Gouna — Ideal for Transitioning
Why is El Gouna specifically a good place to transition from windsurfing to wingfoiling?
Shallow Lagoon
Our lagoon is 2-3 km wide with a sandy shallow bottom. For learning foiling, this is crucial — when you fall (and you will), you stand up. No swimming with board and wing through waves.
Flat Water
The lagoon is sheltered — no waves, minimal chop. For foiling, flat water is ideal because you can focus on technique rather than dealing with bumps underneath you.
Access to Deeper Water
With a longer foil mast, you need deeper water (otherwise the foil digs into the bottom). We have a boat that takes you to deeper parts of the lagoon. Simple solution.
Quality Equipment
Flysurfer wings and Levitaz foils — a complete wing rental with equipment for all levels and weights. Instructors select the right wing and foil for your weight and conditions.
You Can Try It During a Windsurfing Holiday
This is perhaps the most practical tip: if you’re going on a windsurfing holiday to El Gouna, add a day or two of wingfoiling. Try it. See if it hooks you.
An Intro course — 1 hour for €55 group / €75 private. That’s enough to find out whether wingfoiling is for you. If yes, you can follow up with more hours.
You have nothing to lose — just an hour of time and a few dozen euros. And you might gain a sport that extends your season by months (wingfoiling works from 10-12 knots, even in lighter wind where windsurfing on a smaller sail doesn’t work).
5 Hours Is Enough
For a windsurfer, a 5-hour Basic I course is typically enough to get on the foil and start riding. It’s not guaranteed — it depends on talent, fitness, and conditions — but it’s a realistic expectation.
The course includes all equipment (Flysurfer wings, Levitaz foils, boards), IWO certification, and a maximum of 4 students per group. After the course, you get a 15% discount on new wing equipment if you decide to invest.
Conclusion
Wingfoiling isn’t a replacement for windsurfing. It’s an extension. A new sport, a new sensation, a new dimension on the water. And for a windsurfer, the transition is more natural than for anyone else.
If you’re hesitating — try it. An hour on the water will tell you more than any article.