Windsurfing is an extreme adventure water sport which is surfing with the power of winds or in another word a combine of surfing and sailing. Windsurf boards come in many sizes, shapes and designs like Freeride, Formula Windsurfing Class, Wave boards, Freestyle boards, Slalom boards, Speed boards, Beginner boards, Racing longboards, Tandem Board and… So the type of board that suits you depending on your weight, your surfing ability and the type of surfing you are tending to do.
Although most of the Windsurfers do the sport for recreation but there are a lot of competitions in different categories around the world like Slalom, In the waves, Freestyle, Speed Racing, …. And it is an Olympic game.
Windsurfing in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Canada has various kinds of choices because of the Pacific Ocean and lakes across the state.
Most famous companies to manufacture Windsurfing gears are: Aeron, Arrows, Bern, , Brunotti, Capix, Chinook, Ding all, Duotone, Exocet, Fanatic, Gaastra, HandiRack, ION, JP Australia, KA-Sails, Lockjaw, Loftsails, Marlow, MFC, Mistral, MXR, Mystic, Naish, NeilPryde, Northcore, Northsails, NP, O’Neill, PD, Pro Tec, Prolimit, PSP Marine tapes, RED Paddle, RRD, Select, Severne Sails, Simmer Style, Starboard, STX, Suncure, Tabou, Technospar, Telstarsurf, Tiki, Tribal, Unifiber, Weatherflow, XO sails
Safety Tips:
- Check your gear before getting in the water
- Carry signal devices like whistle, fog horn, flashlight, …
- WindSurf at places protected by lifeguards.
- Do not windsurf impaired by alcohol or drugs
- Do not windsurf after meals
- Do not go windsurfing when you are tired or not feeling well
- Warm up before getting in the water
- Look up weather and water condition forecasts
- Do not go on water during storms and high winds
- Be cautious about the sun and skin burning
- Drink water regularly, dehydration can be very dangerous
- Know about the Rip currents and how to get out. Don’t try to swim against it
- WindSurf on the winds and conditions that suits your ability
- Do not get in the way or other windsurfers may crash you
- Do not go windsurfing at night, dawn or dusk to avoid a shark attack
- Do not wear shiny things and get out of water ASAP if bleeding to avoid a shark attack
- Do not go windsurfing around bait fishes to avoid shark attack (diving seabirds in the area are a sign of bait fishes in the water)
- If you get in any trouble, don’t panic, be calm and think of how to get out
- Always wear feet protected wetsuit, life jacket (PFD) and watercraft helmet
- Check the weather and current condition before getting in the water
- Always be aware of other windsurfers
- Never go alone and tell somebody where you are headed before you go
- Never windsurf close to rocks shallow water and swimming area
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