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Foil · Intermediate

Foil Waterstart

See it in the Trick Tree

The foil waterstart gets you up on the hydrofoil: start flat like on a twintip, then let the mast lift you once the board runs stable.

Also called: hydrofoil start · foil water start

Prerequisites

Riding Upwind

Unlocks

Foil Carving JibeSit on the FoilTouch-and-GoToeside FoilingFoil FootswapFoil PumpingFoil Jump

Helps to know first

Toeside Riding

Schools teach this differently

Schools teach the starting angle differently. Kitesurfing Lanka has you point the board downwind after the power stroke, kite parked at 45 degrees; Progression's Rob Claisse points the board across the wind, body upright, all his weight on the front leg. Both agree on the core: stand upright, load the front foot, keep the board flat first.

Ideal conditions

Ideal learning range is 12–15 knots for predictable power and easy lift — most riders can use their existing 9m or 7m kite in that range — on calm water. Beginner setup: 1250–1500 cm² front wing, 60–70 cm mast, 5'2"–5'4" board, mast mounted toward the back of the tracks and straps as far forward as possible.

How to do it

  1. 1. Setup

    • Set up a big board with loose straps, a short mast and a big front wing, and fly a kite size that is balanced and stable — preferably the same size you would choose on your twin-tip.
    • Position the mast toward the back of the tracks — it adds stability and tones down aggressive lift — and set the foot straps as far forward as possible so more weight loads over the nose and the board stays flatter.
    • Carry the board under your arm surfboard-style with the mast and fin facing away from you, then body drag out to water deep enough that the mast and foil can't hit the bottom.
    • Pick a spot with no obstacles nearby and lots of open space downwind, and wear a helmet and a lifejacket — plus shin protection if possible. Expect to crash while learning.
    • Getting into position: move and handle the board from its nose end rather than the tail, and keep your legs out behind you in a Superman position until the very last moment when you place your feet — it keeps body parts away from the foil and mast.

  2. 2. Get up — board flat on the water

    • Park the kite at 12 o'clock and connect your feet to the board. Send the kite down and back up until you have enough speed: pull the bar in as the kite dives down, let the bar out as it climbs back up.
    • After the first power boost, point the board downwind and come up over it level. Put pressure on your FRONT foot, not the back foot like on a twin-tip, keep the board on the water and hold a stable downwind course with the kite parked at 45 degrees.
    • Alternative cue from coach Rob Claisse: point the board across the wind, get your body upright and just sit all your weight over your front leg — lean forward and the board rides along happily on the surface.
    • Stand far more upright over the board than you would kiteboarding and forget your edging technique. Get your weight over the front foot — and then add a bit more.
    • For the whole first session, care about one thing only: keeping the foil in the water. Ride flat while you fly the kite and learn how your weight and the kite position move the board, before you ever try to fly.

  3. 3. First flight — control the lift

    • Once you are stable and powered, slowly but steadily start putting a bit of pressure on your back foot. Never stamp it on — too much back-foot pressure results in a catastrophic, uncontrolled launch.
    • Once the board starts to lift, rebalance it by pushing on the front foot again. Practice these small lift-offs until you can hold the board level.
    • Speed is your height control: the faster you go, the more you get up on the foil. Sheeting the bar in and out is how you control your speed, and with it the foil height.

  4. 4. Ride away

    • To ride upwind, lean a bit backwards like you would on a twin-tip and keep the board balanced with front-foot and back-foot pressure. Once you have enough speed and the kite is stable, this step shouldn't be too hard — it's the same position as riding a twin-tip.
    • Don't try to turn yet: at first, stop after 100–200 meters by falling in the water, turn the board around by hand, and waterstart back the other way.
    • When you do start turning, first tilt your body in the direction you want to go, then move your front foot in that direction as well — the board follows the front foot into the turn, and you stop the turn with the front foot too.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

Riding with your weight over the back foot like a twin-tip rider — back-foot weight loads up the foil and causes it to rise when you don't want it to.

Fix

Keep your weight forward the entire time: body upright, all your weight sitting over the front leg. Coming straight from a twin-tip, where everything is about weight over the back foot, is exactly why many frustrated riders struggle here.

Mistake

Stamping on the back foot to lift off — too much sudden back-foot pressure results in a catastrophic, uncontrolled launch.

Fix

Ease into back-foot pressure slowly and steadily, then immediately rebalance with the front foot once the board rises.

Mistake

Learning on a small front wing (700–800 cm²) — you are constantly overpowered just trying to lift off, touchdowns turn into full crashes and you spend more time swimming than learning.

Fix

Start on a bigger 1250–1500 cm² wing: it lifts at low speed, gives smoother lift and more stability, more time to adjust, and forgiveness on touchdowns.

Mistake

Choosing a board that is too small — you lose the touch-and-go forgiveness, so every touchdown becomes a crash and a swim.

Fix

Start with a 5'2"–5'4" foil board so you can bounce off touchdowns and keep riding.

Mistake

The hell-for-leather approach — racing through the mast sizes in a matter of hours leaves you porpoising up and down, 'resembling a nodding donkey at an oil well'.

Fix

Spend time on the short 15-inch mast (the 'Taxi' on a Slingshot setup) really getting to grips with foiling. The author only turned to actual flying and a longer mast after she could board start, manoeuvre the board in the water and ride upwind.

If it goes wrong

  • Keep your foot straps loose so you can ditch the board instantly when you fall. Crash forward, away from the board, so you can't land on the mast, and keep your distance from the board until it has come to a complete standstill.
  • Strap rule: two straps or none — never one. If one foot slips out of its strap, get the other foot out immediately, because crashing with only one foot attached raises the injury risk.
  • Check your safety releases are all in good condition and get some practice relaunching your kite before chasing the flicker of a breeze — when learning you crash and drop the kite more, and relaunching in next to no wind is a real pain.

Learn this with a coach, not from a page

This guide explains what the move is and what riders get wrong, so you arrive at the session knowing what you are trying to do. It cannot watch your kite, read the gust coming, or stop you committing to something you are not ready for — a coach or instructor can.

Find a certified school

Educational reference, not instruction. Kitesurfing is a risk sport: the steps here describe what named schools, instructors and technique libraries teach, and the page lists exactly which ones, but real conditions involve wind, gusts, water state, traffic and equipment behaviour that no written guide accounts for. Schools also teach justified variations — where our sources disagree, the page says so instead of picking one. Judge your own readiness, use the safety systems on your kite, and do not attempt a move because a page made it sound achievable. KitesurfingOfficial accepts no liability for the use of this information on the water.

Questions riders ask

Foils are light-wind tools — should I learn in the lightest wind possible?+

No. When learning the waterstart, go out in normal conditions, not light wind: you won't have to move the kite as much, which makes the waterstart a lot less difficult.

Do I need to learn new kite skills before foiling?+

No — your kite flying remains the same as for regular kitesurfing, so nothing new to think about there. What changes is everything under your feet: board handling, board starts, and riding with the board flat.

How do I control how high the foil flies?+

With speed. The faster you go, the more you get up on the foil; sheeting the bar in and out is how you control your speed, and with it the foil height.

Can I prepare for the foil before my first foil session?+

Yes — go out on a surfboard and try riding with ALL your weight over your front foot, and see where the kite needs to be to allow it. Time on a (strapless) surfboard lets you practice the new upright, front-foot stance without the extreme crashes that come from attempting it on a foil board.

Keep reading

Sources

Every step on this page traces to the sources below. Where they disagree or stay silent, the page says so instead of guessing.