WindSUP is the latest concept in watersports which has made wave riding accessible to beginner and intermediate windsurfers.

WindSUP combines a windsurfing sail and a SUP board with a mast base tracker using a mast base (most SUP’s have mast base trackers but a lot of people don’t notice). The result is the wave performance of the SUP, powered and maximised by a windsurfing sail, yet with the ease of a large board. This enables two things which before were a very rare occurrence. These being fun, light wind flat water and wave sailing, and beginner/intermediate windsurfers being able to windsurf on waves, no joke!

For the majority of people learning to windsurf, the mammoth learning curve can often be disheartening whilst watching the experts happily plane around, rotating left right and centre, and of course the effortless wave riding. Depending on how many hours you are able to put into windsurfing, especially if it’s purely a holiday activity, advanced windsurfing can feel like years away.

With WindSUP you don’t even need to be experienced in the footstraps to try it out. The stability of the SUP is why wave sailing becomes easier, along with around only 6 knots needed, it feels much less intimidating when amongst the waves, without the winds whipping up the waters around you. It is also one big thing to not have to be constantly thinking about, allowing you to fully concentrate on the waves.

As well as opening up a new world to beginners, advanced windsurfers are also reaping the advantages of the SUP and windsurf combination. The light winds offer advanced sailors the option to be on the water for even more hours in the day. They are given the choice of either wave sailing, or practicing new freestyle moves on the large flat base.

Many well renowned windsurf instructors are now using WindSUP as a very effective way of teaching from beginner to wave sailing, before moving students on to stronger winds and smaller boards.

The availability of WindSUP on a windsurfing holiday would speed up progression for all levels, and ensure maximum time on the water is possible. There is nothing more irritating in our opinion than spending your precious time and money on a holiday, and months of pre-holiday excitement only for the wind to be lame. This is one of the biggest reasons why we recommend speaking to us for recommendations over which centres offer WindSUP. It’s not quite as simple as a centre having SUP boards and windsurf sails. The boards need to have a mast base tracker, and be very strong. Some brands of SUP boards can be easily dented, thus leaving you with slightly angry centre staff, and the possibility of a slightly big bill to return the board to its former non-dented shape. However there are boards out there which wont gain a ding from dropping the mast on it, and therefore definitely the better option.

To conclude this article, I hope you now have a wide understanding of what WindSUP is, and the possibilities that come with it. If you have any questions at all, or something was not covered in the article, please don’t hesitate to contact us!