Wing foil in Tarifa

Wing foil in Tarifa

By Chris Chaplow

Wing Foiling is the latest-born board sport : it consists in managing a wing not attached to the board and carried with two hands while standing on a hydrofoil mounted on a short stand up paddle board. This a cross-over discipline between Windfoiling, Kite Foiling and SUP Foiling. The foil (hydrofoil) which is mounted under the board can be combined with the other disciplines for become Wing foiling, SUP foiling, Foil Surfing, Wake foil, wind foil.

 

Hurricane Hotel

Tarifa - built in the Moorish style, set in subtropical gardens leading down to the unspoilt beach.

Hotel Punta Sur

Stylish & contemporary hotel close to unspoilt beaches. Gardens and large pool. Ideal for families.

Ferry Tarifa to Tanger

Fast 45 min Ferry service, Tarifa to Tanger Ville, choice of two operators. Ideal for exploring Tanger town including day trips. Choose Algeciras to Tanger Med for road trip south in Morocco.

In Wing foiling it is possible to move with more freedom on the water than other disciplines by using both the energy of the wind and swells. The hydrofoil allows to take-off over the water and to fly over the surface. Wing Foiling is practiced on a short but wide and thick stand up paddle board to allow its rider to be stable and easily stand up on the board. It is also possible to practice Wing Foiling in the waves and to use the lift of the wing to get back to the line-up and connect the waves.

The GWA Tarifa Wing Pro, Surf-Freestyle event has been held in Tarifa every year since 2020.   The Seventh editions was held between 24th and 27th of June 2026 at Valdevaqueros Beach in Tarifa. The 2026 World Cup tour events started in Dusseldorf again in January. the Freestyle commenced in Leucate (France) in April, Tarifa on 24 to 27 June, Gran Canaria in July, Fuerteventura (Canarias Spain) in August, Dakhla in Morrocco in October, Ilha do Guajiru, Brazil in November and Taiba, Brazil in December.

Results of the GWA Wing Pro in Tarifa - Mens Freestyle

Results of the GWA Wing Pro in Tarifa - Womens Freestyle

The finals of the GWA Tarifa Wing Pro from 2020 to 2026 featured a rapid evolution of technical maneuvers, with many athletes securing their victories through high-scoring innovation tricks and flawless execution of complex rotations.

Men’s Final Highlights
2020: Balz Müller clinched the win by landing a Toeside Rad 7, described as a "very technical trick," along with a clean back-flip.
2021: 15-year-old Riccardo Zorzi secured his first-ever final victory over Müller by throwing down a Frontside 7 that scored 7.5 points.
2022: Xavi Corr, also aged 15, won the final in his home spot by landing a "massive" Frontside 7 on his final attempt, earning 8.37 points.
2023: In a final where all athletes pushed to the limit, Christopher MacDonald unleashed a "barrage of colossal tricks" to take the world title, while Jerome Cloetens executed impressive tricks in his final attempts to secure 3rd place.
2025: Benjamin Castenskiold, at just 14 years old, earned a perfect 10 score in the final with a "massive" Palau Frontflip, a trick that helped him claim his first World Cup victory.
2026: Benjamin Castenskiold continued his dominance by landing his second 9-point score of the heat during the final to stay out of reach of competitors like Chris MacDonald and Rocco Makana.

Women’s Final Highlights
2020: Eva Wyss demonstrated superior variety in the final, landing a toe-side air gybe and a backwing 360 to win the championship.
2021: Bowien van der Linden and Olivia Piana both landed Frontside 3s; however, Bowien van der Linden’s version scored a higher 5.97 points, helping her claim the overall win.
2023: Nia Suardiaz secured her victory with a flawless one-handed backflip innovation trick, which earned a perfect 10 score from the judges.
2024: Nia Suardiaz opened her final heat with a Backflip that scored 7.33 points. In the same heat, Bowien van der Linden moved into second place with her very last score—a 6.0 for an Innovation trick.
2026: In one of the most dramatic women's finals, Marie Schlittenbauer rocketed from outside the podium into first place on her very last attempt by unleashing a single trick that scored a massive 9.33 points. Milla Danguy was also noted for landing "solid trick after solid trick" in her finals debut.
 

Key Technical Progression 
The sources track the sport's rapid advancement through these tricks. Early events were won with 360-degree rotations and air gybes, while later years saw the introduction of combo tricks (like the Backmobe to Frontside 3 performed by Bastien Escofet in 2023) and high-rotation moves like the Frontside 10. By 2025, athletes were attempting even more extreme moves, such as Chris MacDonald attempting the first-ever 1440 in competition during the semi-finals.

Perfect 10 tricks
In addition to the Palau Frontflip performed by Benjamin Castenskiold in 2025, several other high-performance maneuvers have earned perfect 10 scores. During the 2023 competition where the technical level reached new heights.

In the 2023 Women's Final, Nia Suardiaz secured her victory with a flawless One-handed Backflip Innovation trick, which earned a score of 10 and put her out of reach of her competitors.

The Back-mobe trick was successfully executed for a perfect 10 twice during the 2023 event: first by Jerome Cloetens in Round 3 while competing on his home turf, and later by Malo Guenole during the quarter-finals.

Christopher MacDonald earned a perfect 10 in Round 3 of the 2023 competition for his Backflip to Frontside 7 Combo complex combination.

Bastien Escofet earned a perfect 10 for landing a Frontside 10 trick during the 2023 quarter-finals. Bastien Escofet achieved another perfect 10 in the 2023 semi-finals with a Backmobe to Frontside 3 Combo, this maneuver, was the first time this specific combination had been seen in competition.

Nia Suardiaz local hero

Nia Suardiaz is a prominent figure in the wing foiling world, hailing from Tarifa, Spain. Her unique heritage, comprising a Spanish mother from Cádiz and a German father, is often cited as a cornerstone of her success, providing a "perfect blend of passion and skill". Despite only beginning her surfing journey in 2020, she rose with staggering speed through the ranks, making her debut on the GWA Tarifa Wing Pro circuit just a year later in 2021. By the age of 16, she had already secured her status as a "prodigy," clinching the 2023 Surf-Freestyle World Championship and becoming a dominant force in front of her home crowd. Her consistency is remarkable; she progressed from a fifth-place debut in 2021 to a second-place finish in Tarifa in 2022, followed by back-to-back victories in 2023 and 2024, and continued podium presence in 2025 and 2026. That's five podiums 2022 to 2026.

Her dominance is not merely a product of talent but is heavily influenced by her deep connection to Tarifa. Training consistently in these notoriously challenging conditions has granted her exceptional confidence, particularly when performing high-level maneuvers in the region's powerful Levante and Poniente winds. This environmental mastery is complemented by her technical prowess and innovation, most notably displayed when she earned a perfect 10 score for a flawless one-handed backflip innovation trick during the 2023 finals. Beyond her technical skills, Suardiaz is recognised for her profound mental resilience; she has a proven ability to "bounce back" from shaky starts and early crashes to ultimately secure victory or a high podium spot. This combination of home-court advantage, technical innovation, and psychological grit has allowed her to remain at the pinnacle of the sport as a top-seeded world-class athlete.

Christopher MacDonald from Oregon USA

Christopher MacDonald is a world-champion wing foiler from the United States, based in Hood River, Oregon. He has established himself as one of the most dominant and technically innovative athletes on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour, specifically in the Surf-Freestyle discipline. Often referred to as one of the "young guns" of the sport, he was 18 years old when he secured back-to-back victories at the Tarifa Wing Pro in 2024.

His career is marked by several historic technical achievements: He clinced the 2023 GWA Surf-Freestyle World Championship in Tarifa. During the 2023 Tarifa event, he earned a perfect 10 score for an "outstanding" Backflip to Frontside 7 combo. In that same event, he secured the highest heat score of the competition with 39.2 points.

In 2025, MacDonald made history by landing the first-ever 1440 seen in a wing foiling competition. Although the execution did not meet the judges' criteria for a high score at that time, it was recognized as a landmark moment for the sport's evolution. The attempt occurred during the second semi-final, where MacDonald faced Axel Gerard, Aleksander Acherer, and Rocco Makana. While the trick was a landmark moment for the sport's technical progression, the execution did not meet the judges' criteria for a high score. Ultimately, this resulted in a major upset; despite the history-making maneuver, MacDonald failed to secure a spot in the final, as Aleksander Acherer and Rocco Makana advanced instead. This marked a significant turn in the tournament, as the reigning World Champion was eliminated before the grand finale.

In competition, MacDonald is known for a barrage of colossal tricks and high-amplitude performance. While he dominated the 2023 and 2024 seasons with first-place finishes in Tarifa, recent years have seen him pushed by a new generation of riders. As explained above he was not rewarded in Tarifa in 2025. In 2026, he returned to the podium in Tarifa, finishing in second place behind the 14-year-old champion Benjamin Castenskiold.

Benjamin Castenskiold world class athlete at 14 yrs

Benjamin Castenskiold emerged as a world-class athlete following a rapid progression through the sport’s youth ranks and mastering high-risk, high-reward technical maneuvers. By the age of 14, he had already reached the pinnacle of the sport, becoming the reigning GWA Surf-Freestyle World Champion in 2025 and successfully defended his title at the Tarifa Wing Pro in 2026.

Before his breakthrough on the senior circuit, Castenskiold was already competing in youth divisions, such as the Oliva Youth event in 2022. By the time he became eligible for senior events in April 2025, he was already the 24th seed on the tour.

His transition to senior competition was immediate; in his first senior event in France (2025), he achieved an impressive fourth place, signaling his ability to compete with established veterans. He quickly became a standout performer, scoring nearly 28 points in round four of the 2025 Tarifa Wing Pro.

Castenskiold’s ability to land "massive" innovation tricks has been central to his victories. In the 2025 Tarifa final, he earned a perfect 10 score for a Palau Frontflip. In 2026, he secured his win by landing two 9-point scores in a single heat. He has an ability to "bounce back" from difficult moments. After a "tough start" to the 2026 competition, he recovered with a strong heat score of 26.76 to keep his campaign on track.

Marie Schlittenbauer - Young Rising elete

Marie Schlittenbauer is a 16-year-old world-class wing foiler (2026) from Germany who has rapidly become a top contender on the GWA Wingfoil World Tour. Schlittenbauer made a significant impact during her debut World Cup event at the 2025 GWA Tarifa Wing Pro.

Throughout the 2025 competition, she was noted for her consistency, achieving the highest overall score of the quarter-finals (20.03 points) and delivering high-scoring tricks in the semi-finals to reach the final. She ultimately finished the event in third place.

In 2026, Schlittenbauer demonstrated remarkable resilience and technical skill. After being forced to miss the season opener in Leucate, France, due to surgery, she returned to competition at the Tarifa Wing Pro. Her performance in 2026 was highlighted by scoring an impressive 26.87 in the early stages of the competition.

During the women’s final, she was hunting for her first win of the season while trailing behind consistent performers like Nia Suardiaz and Milla Danguy. Winning Maneuver: On her very last attempt of the final, she unleashed a massive trick that scored 9.33 points. This single score rocketed her from outside the podium positions into first place, securing her victory at the event.

History of Wing foil

Wing Foil was invented in the early 2000’s for windsurfing use only, it was then forgotten until Hawaiian waterman Kai Lenny brought it back to the lights by using it on his SUP Foil in 2018.

Thanks to its ideal situation on the Strait of Gibraltar opposite Africa, where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet, with constant winds, Tarifa is already known as the European capital of windsurfing and kitesurfing. The beaches of this historic Moorish town have also now established themselves as a world-class destination.

Tarifa is the perfect destination to try out the sport, as the sun shines nearly all year round and, more importantly, a number of kitesurf schools and equipment shops offer classes, as well as options to hire or buy boards and kites.

Wingfoil Schools in Tarifa

Most beginners sign up for a Wing foil course at one of the kitesurf schools, where equipment will be provided. You can choose from private (one-to-one), semi-private (2 or 3 students) and group (3 to 6 students) courses.

Your next step, after completing your course, would be to buy second-hand equipment from one of the surf shops on Calle Batalla del Salado. Professionals will have more than one kite, in a range of sizes to suit various wind conditions, exactly as with a windsurf sail.

Equiptment manufacturers

Naish have a wing-surfer range with their Wing-surfer and S25 Wing-surfer. The Sroka company have a wide range of boards, foils and wings. A full set for Wing foil will cost about 2500€.

GWA Tarifa Wing Pro

After a successful first Global Wingsports Association - Wingfoil World Tour event in Fortaleza, Brazil in November 2020 the second and last event of 2020, the GWA Tarifa Wing Pro, took place in Tarifa, Spain from 27th - 30th December 2020. Read event report. >

The 2nd GWA Tarifa Wing Pro, event closed the seven event 2021 world tour in Tarifa the wind capital of Andalucia from 27th - 30th December 2021. Previous tour events were at Fortaleza, Cumbuko, Dakhla, Hvide Sande and Sylt. Read event report. >

The 3rd GWA Tarifa Wing Pro, event was held between 12th and 15th of October 2022 at Valdevaqueros Beach in Tarifa the wind capital of Andalucia. Previous 2022 World Cup tour events were at Leucate (France), Silvaplana (Switzerland), Lanzarote. The following World Cup event was at Taiba (Brazil) in November. Read event report. >

The 4th GWA Tarifa Wing Pro, event was held between 12th and 15th of October 2023 at Valdevaqueros in Tarifa. The 2023 World Cup tour events started at Taurange (New Zealand) Cape Verde) in February and followed by Sal (Cape Verde), Leucate (France), Gran Canaria (Sain), Fuerteventura (Spain), Saquarema (Rio Brasil), Hvide Sande (Denmark), Dakhla (Morocco). The following World Cup event was a at Cauipe (Brasil) in November. Read event report. >

The 5th GWA Tarifa Wing Pro, Surf-Freestyle event was held between 3rd and 5th of May 2024 at Valdevaqueros Beach in Tarifa. The 2024 World Cup tour events started at Sal (Cape Verde) in February and followed by Leucate (France). The following World Cup event will be at Lanzarote (Spain), Gran Canaria (Sain), Fuerteventura (Spain), Dakhla (Morocco), Ibiraquera (Brasil) finishing at Cleara (Brazil) in November. Read event report. >

The 6th GWA Tarifa Wing Pro, Surf-Freestyle event was held between 24th and 27th of June 2025 at Valdevaqueros Beach in Tarifa. The 2025 World Cup tour events started in Dusseldorf again in January, Sal (Cape Verde) in March, Leucate (France) in April, Tarifa in June, Youth - Costa Brava (Spain) July, Fuerteventura (Canarias Spain), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Jericoacoara (Brazil) in December. Read event report. >

The 7th GWA Wingfoil World Cup returned to Tarifa. With 28 men and 19 women competing, the field was highly competitive from the outset, bringing together some of the world’s best surf freestylers on one of the tour’s most iconic coastlines. Read event report. >

GWA Kitesurfing World Championships in Tarifa