Wingfoiling vs. wingsurfing - what's the difference?

🪂 Wingfoiling vs. wingsurfing - what's the difference?

Wingfoiling vs. wingsurfing - what's the difference? Many water sports fans on the Baltic Sea ask themselves this question, especially beginners. Both terms sound similar and essentially refer to the same sport. Internationally, this is clear. Only in Germany do people play around with it. We have been following the trend from the very beginning, we can and may allow ourselves this critical approach. 

The water sports scene in Germany - especially many schools - have come up with a little trick: suddenly there are Wingsurfing and Wingfoiling for two different things. Crazy, isn't it? Funnily enough, our school was also called „wingsurf-fehmarn“ after it was founded. We were SO early on, nobody knew what to call this sport. So we found wingsurf perfect, it contains surf and fits perfectly - but no, tough luck. The industry had other plans. In 2022, we had to go with the trend and have been called „wingfoil-fehmarn“.

In fact, the two terms refer to the same sport. Let's take kiting for comparison: There are also terms like kitesurfing, kiteboarding or simply kiting - everyone knows it's a thing. Nobody would think of selling „bodydragging“ as a sport in its own right just because that's what you do in the first few minutes. That's exactly what happened with wingfoiling.

The difference between Wingsurfing and genuine Wingfoiling is now available. With Wingfoil Fehmarn we show you why Wingfoil courses with foil are the only sensible introduction to this brilliant sport - and why „Wingsurfing“ is only a slimmed-down light version.

🌊 Wingsurfing - a lazy compromise?

Unfortunately, yes. Often! But not always!

Wingsurfing sounds sporty, but in reality it is usually an inexpensive introductory course without any real feeling of flying. You usually stand on a normal SUP or an old surfboard, hold a wing in your hand and try to go upwind with it. That's great at first, because the students shouldn't take off uncontrollably. However, experience has clearly shown: Wingsurfing has been obsolete since we sawed off the masts!

❌ No foil = no real wing feeling
❌ Hardly any learning effect for later progress
❌ Often poor levelling properties of the boards

👉 OK for the curious - but completely useless for serious learning progress.

🚀 Wingfoiling - the real discipline

When wingfoiling, you take off!

The sport of wingfoiling is based on the fact that the board has a buoyant surface under water, which Foil! This wing lets you glide weightlessly over the surface of the water at sufficient speed. You float silently, needing balance, technique - and the right training environment.

✅ Foil under the board = real flying feeling
✅ Faster, quieter, more efficient
✅ The most modern water sport of our time

🏄‍♂️ What many schools do wrong

The German water sports schools and the VDWS have divided the sport into two parts. Does it make sense?

The idea behind it is not so stupid. It allows many schools to teach „wing surfing“ by placing the student with a wing on an existing surfboard. Tadaa: Wingsurfing. And then you book another course, but then „wingfoiling“.

Many schools even offer exclusively Wingsurfing courses instead of wingfoil courses to. Why?

💸 Low material costs
💤 No rethinking of the training concept
🛶 An old surfboard will do just as well

The result? Can be quite cool as an introductory course. Especially if you still feel very unsure and want to have a taster. However, talented students squander their money and their time. No hovering, no understanding of balance and technique.