I think it's all about the sport being seen by people who don't do it, most people wouldn't be at the local sailing spots when it's 20+ knots, it's not the most pleasant time to be at the beach.

If everyone that could windsurf had a long board for 5 to 10 knot and put any old 5.3m on it for those sunny light wind , an old clunker board works well, these are everywhere and usually free, and not be obsessed with having to be planning to enjoy the sport we would be back to where we started, I used to love going on family bbq's and take my old long board, people love watching others fool around in the water while there enjoying there Sunday in the park by the lake. If they see someone having a laugh trying to teach mates etc they what that too. So that sets there interest in the sport.

Sure it's awesome to be sailng full speed everywhere or smashing big jumps and riding waves, but I think everyone has forgot that's when windsurfing was at its peak it was on long boards when you didn't have to wait for wind you just went when you had time. This is prob why Sup boards are so popular now, when it's a nice day to be in the park it's also a perfect day to Sup so the sport is being seen so people want to be a part if it.-

Lots of lots of sexy chicks windsurfing would probably do it or an accident at the cobra factory...

I think the last few comments have nailed it.

- When it was at its peak it was widely seen by people at the beach. Mainly because you didn't need much wind to muck around. People liked watching it and so became interested in it. The sails were more colourful. We don't sail in 5 knots no more. Nobody sees us.

- The learning curve is harder now, because nobody is mucking around in 5 knots any more. See the latest freestyle for example. In some sense it really was much easier to windsurf in 1988 than it is now. You could become 'average' in a week.

- From the beach kitesurfing is far more visually appealing (although I argue only for the first 5 minutes). It's also easier to learn. Everybody is doing it these days. It's cooler. My friends are doing it so it's easier to get into, etc. etc.

Also circa 1988 windsurfing was the only personal water craft. Now there are jet-skis, SUPs and kitesurfing.

I still don't know why we need more windsurfers. I like to be able to park.

Having been through the mass sell out of surfing though the 90s and 2000s - which has taken a large chunk of the enjoyment out of a sport that i dearly love...

i dont think windsurfing needs to be huge.

Sure it would be great if my mates were millionaires from being rock stars in the sport and industry.

But then theyd probably just turn into tossers!

I love that i can go out in epic conditions and- most of the time- be able to pick the right waves and get stuck into them without all the agro , yelling and angst that other more crowded sports seem to have. Ask windsurfers at Margarets in January or in the desert in October if windsurfing needs more people and i reckon the answer would be no.

However for those willing to persevere (or ignore the temptation that is Xbox / facebook/ the pub / TAB )- just getting onto some well balanced gear and flat water blasting is an absolute hoot and i feel sorry for anyone that misses out on it.

WHY does it matter??!
What is wrong with having people on Skis/Snowboard/Toboggan on a snow slope?
What is wrong with having people on Wakeboard/Skis/Kneeboards/Biscuits behind a boat?
What is wrong with having people on Roadbike/mountainbike/unicycle/recumbent on the road/path?
What is wrong with having people on kiteboard/SUP/windsurfer/dinghy/yacht on the water?

They are ALL GOOD! Just get out there!

I think the most suitable to start windsurfing are kitesurfers, SUPers and surfers. They already love the water. That and kids of windsurfers/kiters and surfers. Maybe all the Kitesurfers, windsurfers, surfers and SUPers need to be educated that they are missing out if they don't do/try all of them????

I started off Kiting fairly briefly 10 years ago and loved it but you do what your mates do and ended up windsurfing and now I am hooked. I tried a little surfing years ago but never enough to acquire the skills. Had a go recently with a friend who still does it and had heaps of fun. Although most people really only have time to get better at one, each sport has conditions where it is sweatest. I enjoy riding a SUP too. My wife loves the SUP so I bought one. Great for the family and can teach windsurfing on the SUP. I really respect the skills of each sport and I think some of the Hawaiians have a great attitude such as Kai Lenny. I would love to do all of them often but I don't have the time or money.

For example one idea of a great days multisport:

Surf/SUP in the morning dependant on the waves. Chose SUP for long period swell/ long waves. Surf for shorter larger swell.

Windsurf/Kitesurf when the wind picks up in the afternoon. Maybe chose Kitesurf for flat water light/moderate winds. Windsurf when the wind picks up or in the waves/chop. Or even do both! I personally think there is no more dynamic sport in the world than say riding like Philip Koster in the waves (I wish I could). Kiting looks less at home in the waves where windsurfing is completely at home but more challenging. Kiting is more dydnamic in moderate winds (they can get air more easily or get moving more easily for example). I have seen some kiters ripping along with big light wind/race gear when I mostly slog with a big sail and it looks like fun. But you can't beat the feeling of planing on a windsurfer as the wind gets upwards of 15/20 knots (who cares what it looks like!!!!).

There is also very limited tuition to advance in the sport compared to say mainstream sports like footy/tennis and cricket that I played. I am wrapt to recently find Guy Cribb, but the sport needs a thousand of him out there to catch on!!! It took me ages to complete a planing carve gybe and i would still be trying if it wasn't for his course. So much of sh88 time on the water windsurfing is also due to poorly tuned/rigged gear.

TASSIEROCKS said..


I am not interested in gear changes, I want ideas that get people to look for the windy days again and loose track of their important life and ipad in order to discover that life is all about the windy days..

Hey Russ! We hope you're enjoying all that new gear you keep buying each year! maybe one day you will stop going to the kids soccer, kids swimming , kids birthdays etc. etc. and get a chance to get out there and use it. In the mean time we'll keep enjoying all those local windy days and trips away for epic conditions. We hope you enjoy your 45 minutes sailing each fortnight and look forward to the distant future where you can break away from those important things in life. Oh yeh! and can you please stop using your ipad to post on seabreeze as its chewing up your kids download quota for the month and your wife is not happy that you have taken 10minutes to distance yourself from the family.
P.S. We hope you soon get a windy day that falls in the time you are allowed out to play

I took my daughter to the local spot as soon as she spotted the kites she said I want to do that.the scene seems to be a bit younger and more social or anti social depending on what your into.the tattooed elite seem to be riding kites,they tend to trick a lot more to.less effort for reward,I was exposed to windsurfing as a surfer from a youn age but never appealed to me,I never really validated it as an action sport ha,wave sailing looks crazy but there's not much exposure,and most people just see flat water sailing and it dosent really grab you as a spectator sport,but if double head gnarloo was in the metro area I bet it would be the cool thing again.I don't like crowds anyway.

Good to see this discussion is still going but if you want to get your kids off their Ibads and out doing something that is awesome show them the Gollita 2014 video that is on the general thread at the moment. I showed my kids on the TV last night and this morning my son is dragging out all my old wave sailing gear and wants to go and have a go with his small rig. He has taken the back fin out and is trying to work out how small to cut it down to so he can spin easily. Now we all know that it won't happen the first time or probably the 30th but this is the kind of stoke that windsurfing can generate with cool stuff like that vid. it looks way better than kiting and he reckons it looks as cool as skating, he has been sending the link to his non sailing mates and getting good feedback. Like it or not freestyle windsurfing is very cool.

happy sailing

Kazza said..

We need a keen, motivated big shop again like YD Russ, with continual lessons happening, gear hire, second hand gear for sale, the ultimate gear for sale. People like the look and touch factor, not the look on the internet and seek out who sells the stuff locally, that's too hard basket and people give up on the idea. Gear is so expensive now too, I remember I bought a fantastic plastic Bombora brand new for $800 and it was just as fast as the Bics that were around in those days.
So people are willing to pay for their beloved sports, they're just looking for what I've said above, a big shop like YD was.

Yes that would be good Kazz, if half the state was not sponsored sailors!!,
Trying running a shop down here these days, paying rent and wages and you would be down the gurgle within a week. No one pays rrp, everyone wants a deal and there are only 30 windsurfers!!

evlPanda said..

I think the last few comments have nailed it.

- When it was at its peak it was widely seen by people at the beach. Mainly because you didn't need much wind to muck around. People liked watching it and so became interested in it. The sails were more colourful. We don't sail in 5 knots no more. Nobody sees us.

- The learning curve is harder now, because nobody is mucking around in 5 knots any more. See the latest freestyle for example. In some sense it really was much easier to windsurf in 1988 than it is now. You could become 'average' in a week.

- From the beach kitesurfing is far more visually appealing (although I argue only for the first 5 minutes). It's also easier to learn. Everybody is doing it these days. It's cooler. My friends are doing it so it's easier to get into, etc. etc.

Also circa 1988 windsurfing was the only personal water craft. Now there are jet-skis, SUPs and kitesurfing.

I still don't know why we need more windsurfers. I like to be able to park.

I remember thinking I was pretty good - 'expert' back in the 80's/90's - I could sail in all conditions , chop hop duck gybe..go out in surf and surf some waves..these days that's intermediate territory.Ok there were some people looping etc then but i still felt I was going pretty well with those basic moves.
I couldn't believe how high the standard had got when I came back after a 10 year break! No mere mortals anymore!

This topic comes up every six months for the last 8 years,,,, its no use whipping a dead horse people.
Its kinda like asking "How can we make VHS machines popular again?" And the answer is... "Why go backwards in long lost stuff that has been well and truly advanced upon??"
It was all over 20 years ago, stop living in the past and in brace the future or just enjoy being old school and not worry that the young crew think its soft, lame boring. If you enjoy it, good stuff, but its like religion, you cant jam old school story's down others throats and expect them to give up all the fun things in life (sex,drugs and rock and roll) and only do what crew did in the stone age. The times have changed, enjoy what u do and dont worry if others think its not as good as more up to date sports.

As always, glad I could help and tell it as it is

Life is short, stop bitching and worrying that people think you not "cool" any more. Sounds like a bunch of school kids.

^^ First few posts I have made in months, how did I guess you would be fast and first on a reply...lol
dont think I ever mentioned that kiting was better????
Maybe that is your guys problem??? You seem to be more worried that its now more popular than windsurfing. Why are you guys sooo stressed out about it??
Get over it, If you like windsurfing, just enjoy it and dont worry that its now old school. Embrace that you are keeping history alive old fella's, good stuff.
You dont read any reports in the kite surf section about comparing the two totally DIFFERENT codes, but you seem to always want to ask which is better??
If you have to ask, maybe you should spend couple of years doing both so you know your self and not have to worry about it any more.

Some facts about how it is.

"Youth windsurfing for example is increasing in popularity. With windsurfing making up the biggest fleet in record numbers attending the 2012 Youth Worlds in Medemblik, Netherlands"

Note the bold words Youth and biggest, the opposite of old and smallest.

Techno 293 is the fastest growing and single largest windsurfing class in the world, 8000+ active sailors in 50 countries on 6 continents. Tens of thousands of sailors are in or have passed through this YOUTH class.

Those 8000+ active sailors are under 17 years old. Not bad for a sport that was all over 20 years ago

Final note: active windsurf racers make up a minority of the sport, for every racer there a many more recreational sailors.

lotofwind said..
^^? dont think I ever mentioned that kiting was better????

Maybe that is your guys problem??? You seem to be more worried that its now more popular than windsurfing. Why are you guys sooo stressed out about it??

Get over it, If you like windsurfing, just enjoy it and dont worry that its now old school. Embrace that you are keeping history alive old fella's, good stuff.

You dont read any reports in the kite surf section about comparing the two totally DIFFERENT codes, but you seem to always want to ask which is better??

If you have to ask, maybe you should spend couple of years doing both so you know your self and not have to worry about it any more.

There is the essence of the troll

You said "Why go backwards in long lost stuff that has been well and truly advanced upon??"
It was all over 20 years ago, stop living in the past and in brace the future "

Pretty obvious what you mean..... and then when we mention it you are all "ooh I never mentioned kiting"



duh.