I was in Bonaire earlier this year. There were never more than 4 windfoilers on the water and almost no rental boards. In my home location in Canada I might be the only windfoiler in the province of Nova Scotia. What is it like where you live?
At mij local site schokkerhaven beside the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands we are with approximately 5 windfoilstylers, 15 windfoilers, 20 windsurfers and 20 wingers. We practice different disciplines depending on the wind
In Miami, wingfoilers maybe 200+, windfoil freeriders <10, windfoil race <10, but youth programs in the Bay maybe another 50-80 kids, advanced are on windfoil racing. Regular windsurfers on a windy day 20+
I'm the only winDfoiler in my region.... We have around 20 windsurfers, maybe more. Wing and kite are the big numbers with wing on the rise.
A typical 15+ day at my local,
Windfoil 1 to 3
Wingfoil 5 to 10
Parawing 3 to 6
Downwind foil 2 to 3
Kitefoil 2 to 5
Windsurf 2 to 5
Powerfoil 1 to 3
Twin tip kite 1 to 2
During the academic year August-May I live on the west coast of Florida where there's a very active crew of perhaps 20 regulars on Tampa Bay and a couple of dozen more in Clearwater including several Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. The crew is often augmented by visitors so it's a very active scene. Most foilers also fin when the conditions warrant. We're definitely outnumbered by kiters but they tend to use adjacent waters so little friction. Wingdingers are often on the same waters and probably outnumber us at this point. During the summer I'm in Berkshire County in Massachusetts, on small lakes, and I'm the only foiler here.
In Austin there's about 4-6 windfoilers, but never more than 3 out on a given day. Only one is a IQ foil, all others are freeride.
1-2 wave slappers.
5-6 Wing dingers on a regular basis
3 - 4 kites on a decent day. 2 regular, 2-3 foilers.
Note that kites are not allowed on Lac Bay. Also, most of the area is too shallow to foil. And in fact, if you go the right place, you can actually rent very good wind foil gear...
Select to expand quoteJohn340 said..
A typical 15+ day at my local,
Windfoil 1 to 3
Wingfoil 5 to 10
Parawing 3 to 6
Downwind foil 2 to 3
Kitefoil 2 to 5
Windsurf 2 to 5
Powerfoil 1 to 3
Twin tip kite 1 to 2
And that last one is all it takes ...
Select to expand quotebel29 said..
Note that kites are not allowed on Lac Bay. Also, most of the area is too shallow to foil. And in fact, if you go the right place, you can actually rent very good wind foil gear...
About half of Lac Bay is deep enough to foil. The deep area is full of wingers. Not sure when you were there last but in February there was not much rental gear. Frans Paradise had only a few boards.
I was windsurfing at my local lake in the Netherlands the other day, probably 30 people out. 6 windsurfers, 1 windfoil er and the rest wingfoilers.
That lake used to be only windsurfers... The times are changing....
Just got windfoiling kit so the sole windfoiler is not going to be by himself anymore 
Good luck. I think important thing is to choose correct gear for the type of windfoiling you're planning to do. With wingfoil it much easier to choose and all that used gear market .
Here in the southern Chesapeake Bay there's windfoilers, but I think we're all spread out over a mix of launches on any given sufficiently windy day. At my local spot I'm usually the only one on the water (mix of windfoil race & freeride) but once and a while see wingers or kitesurfers.
I've seen up to maybe 10 windfoilers at once at a popular spot for a race day, along with some wingers and windsurfers, but that was close to a year ago. There is a group of ~4 that have matching Slingshot Phantasm/Wizard freeride setups i've seen around.
Winging does seem to be taking over though.
My area
koombana bay in Australia has about four windfoilers and prob double that winging.
most are x kities and windsurfers but we have a few newbies winging.
Over here on the south coast of the UK in Poole on the sea in a decent breeze there will be maybe 3 Windfoilers, a few kites, a few more windsurfers and the most with wing. Same in Poole harbour, mostly wingers
Select to expand quoteNS320 said..bel29 said..
Note that kites are not allowed on Lac Bay. Also, most of the area is too shallow to foil. And in fact, if you go the right place, you can actually rent very good wind foil gear...
About half of Lac Bay is deep enough to foil. The deep area is full of wingers. Not sure when you were there last but in February there was not much rental gear. Frans Paradise had only a few boards.
well, there was quite some windfoil action last week ;) (PWA youth) but yes, otherwise mostly wing (and fin of course), but they mostly congregate in one area; two tacks upwind on windfoil and there's no one. or indeed, tack out of the Bay and you have the sea for yourself :D
Taty has a few windfoil options, which is more than any of the others for obvious reasons (depth). I usually bring my own foil. There are lots of other great windfoil spots around on the other side of the island too.
I only know of two, besides myself. West side of Michigan. One guy lives close. The other comes from Indiana.
Here on my local lakes, i never seen more than 5 windfoilers at the same time.
wingers and windsurfers usually outnumber us 2or 3 times our amount.
Kiters . ah who cares.
Select to expand quoteCornholio said..
Here on my local lakes, i never seen more than 5 windfoilers at the same time.
wingers and windsurfers usually outnumber us 2or 3 times our amount.
Kiters . ah who cares.
Local lakes are Markermeer, Ijsselmeer en Amstelmeer. (Netherlands)
Here in Southend on sea UK we have sometimes 4-6 windfoilers out at a time in but being out numbered by wingfoilers is on the rise, + a lot windfoilers have gone to the 'dark side'. A bit further east of us is a bit of wingfoil hot spot as the conditions suit the more experienced. I under stand from our local shop the 'barrier's to entry' I.e. are lower than windsurfing and learning wingfoiling particularly people with no experience pick it up very quickly, along with the wind range and problems with storage/ transportation. ( especially transporting abroad). I think if I was starting in the sport I certainly would have gone down that route. We are very tidal here, and there is a place called the Ray that you can sail when the tide is out. It can be very fast to sail on but more importantly it is quite smooth and therefore a good training ground so a lot of guy' n girls make 20 minute plus trudge out to it. There is still a good amount of of 'finners' sail both tide in and on the Ray, and surprising some quite youthful .
one windfoiler for every 10-20 wings in the bay. Although I spotted 4 others on the water the other day.
Looked like 4 windfoilers to go with 50+ windsurfers, 50+ wingfoilers, and an unbelievable number of downwing foilers at the hatchery this morning.
In Melbourne, Oz, apart from the iQ Foil crew there are about 6 of us windfoiling on freeride gear. Its an awesome place for freeride with a big windswell, pretty hard to use race gear. But we are massively, massively outnumbered by wings, downwinders and parawings are now poping up. Most windfoilers who try winging don't come back ( except for me ) and the majority of windsurfers now just jump straight to wing for their foiling journey. I fear windfoiling is a dying discipline and there will only be a handful of us left in a few years.
Select to expand quotemr love said..
In Melbourne, Oz, apart from the iQ Foil crew there are about 6 of us windfoiling on freeride gear. Its an awesome place for freeride with a big windswell, pretty hard to use race gear. But we are massively, massively outnumbered by wings, downwinders and parawings are now poping up. Most windfoilers who try winging don't come back ( except for me ) and the majority of windsurfers now just jump straight to wing for their foiling journey. I fear windfoiling is a dying discipline and there will only be a handful of us left in a few years.
I don't know if it will "die" but the mindshare has certainly shifted. I live in an absolutely crappy place for wind or wing and we have at least that many freeride windfoiling - probably because a) we are an older crowd and b) with the light wind, it was apparent early on that windfoiling meant a whole lot more time on the water. The racing thing never really caught on though due to the crappy wind and expense of the gear. Three of us have race style gear but I'm the only one who drives to see how slow I am since the closest windfoil race is about 5 hours away.
The windfoil "industry" made some missteps early on and winging avoided some of it. Probably worth a different thread, though. I think Balz's RAD initiative is a great step.
WinDfoiling is pretty dead at my home spot 'la Ganguise' SO France. Most of the time I feel like being 'legend'. Only one among many winGs (and a couple of windsurfer beginners) yesterday. I met a friend a couple of weeks ago, but we never were sailing at the same time.
Just talked with Alex, our local foil designer guru, and tried to induce him into some winDfoil new development, but he definitly switched to winGing, and he has his arms full with orders from wingers.
However, as he only make foils on the demand, he won't let winDfoilers down, and he will provide any parts of his winDfoil range if required. Lately I had to order a fuselage and a stab that I broke.
My home spot is Lake Washington in Seattle. A few years ago I would see maybe 10 windfoilers on a good southerly but now only 2-3. In summer now, I might see 3 windfoilers and a bunch of wingers (15-20?) on a good day.
I do have winging gear and I enjoy it, but I like the feeling of the power of the sail and to load the harness. As long as there are some companies still producing some windfoiling gear, which I think it will be the case for a long time, I'm fine with being the only one doing it in my spot, as long as there are wingers I can chase.
4 or 5 regular windfoiling here in my usual spot in W Cornwall, UK. Obvs usually more wingfoilers in general as it's the sport of the moment. But I'm glad as it means plenty of ongoing foil design and production is happening! Kitefoiling seems to have disappeared completely tho.Agree with @WillyWind that the familiar power of the sail and harness load is v enjoyable especially when driving it into the foil. I only use freestyle windfoil kit these days and it feels like there's a huge crossover with the manoeuvrability that wingfoil enjoys. A pity freestyle / movement based windfoil isn't promoted more by manufacturers as it's great fun for those who like the carving / rail engaged / wave riding sort of feel you get from a fin on a perfect day.
Freestyle windfoil kit is small, light, and pretty easy bog home on if the wind dies. Plus, jumping and wake/swell riding is great to do too, feels like waveriding on the flat. I am jealous of the wingfoil easy tacking on the foil however!
Finally met a windfoiler at Kanaha.Riding a cool quatro custom windfoil board. He was driving Kai Lennys truck
