FISH BOWL DIARIES: LIFE BEHIND THE LENSFISH BOWL DIARIES: LIFE BEHIND THE LENSFor over a decade, Fish Bowl Diaries have been capturing the raw power and beauty of windsurfing. Behind the lens are Sofie and Paul, a husband-and-wife duo whose journey into photography originated during a trip to Maui in the 90s.In this interview, Sofie explains how Fish Bowl Diaries got started, the challenges of shooting in some of the worlds most breath-taking locations and what it takes to stay at the top of their game in a highly competitive industry. From Mauis legendary waves to travels across Japan, Fiji and Chile, theyve documented the sport like few others. Dive in as we explore their creative process, favourite shots, and the reality of life behind the lens.Where and when did you guys meet and were you both into photography at the time?Paul and I met in 1990 in Cyprus. We got married a year later! At the time neither of us were into photography. A few years after we got married, I was gifted some money and we bought a camera. We started out with film cameras and even had our own darkroom, printing both black and white and colour images.Who came up with the name Fish Bowl Diaries and what was the concept behind the name?I, Sofie, came up with the name. I genuinely have no idea how the name Fish Bowl Diaries came to my mind! Paul hated the name at first, but the quirky name has stuck with us for the last 13 years and has served us well! Id been shooting so many photos of windsurfing whilst Paul was windsurfing at Hookipa and I didnt want them sitting on my computer so I started interviewing riders and showcasing their images with their interviews on a website. I set up a FB page and a year or two later an Instagram account and the rest is history!When and how did you start getting into shooting windsurfing?We first came to Maui in the 90s and I was one of those wives who sat on the beach taking photos of her husband! We werent professional photographers back then (not even amateur photographers!) and we borrowed a relatives camera gear.The pics were pretty awful In 2011, we started coming to Maui on a regular basis. At this point, we were professional photographers and thats when our windsurfing photography began. I was still one of those wives sitting on the beach taking photos of her husband but also the pros too. I mostly didnt even know who they were! We had absolutely no idea that this would lead to a career in water-sports photography.What year was your first season in Maui and how long did it take for you guys to get recognized?2011 was our first full winter season on Maui but it was probably about three years later that brands wanted to work with us or magazines wanted to showcase our work. In the early years, magazines werent interested in our work saying that the market was inundated with images from Maui and there wasnt a huge demand for more Maui images. Brands didnt know us so it took a while for them to notice our work and commission us.How did you end up living on Maui?Paul was selected for the green card lottery so we jumped through a few hoops and ended up on Maui!!Do you prefer shooting at home in Hawaii or do you enjoy trips to competitions and new countries?Shooting on Maui comes so naturally now. I almost feel like we could do it with our eyes closed! The thing about shooting on Maui is that its almost too easy! For the most part, youre shooting in perfect lighting, good wave conditions and of course, top athletes. You do get stuck in a rut shooting at the same location so its definitely nice to be able to go elsewhere and challenge ourselves with a new location, different lighting and weather conditions.How did you like going on trips to beautiful places like Japan and Chile? Do you also make a holiday out of the trip?Its always great to be able to travel to new places, meet new people, make new friends and experience new cultures but its not as glamorous as it sounds! You usually fly in a day or two before the event and fly out a day afterwards. Theres always so much photographic gear to travel with so youre never traveling light and during an event Its not only full days of shooting but also full nights of editing so theres very little down time to see or do anything else.When we went to Japan last year, we werent there as official photographers. We were there on holiday rather than as photographers for the windsurfing event. We had wanted to visit Japan, so we tied in the windsurfing event as well as our trip to Japan. Once the event finished, we headed off to Kyoto for a few days with Sarah, Bernd & Jake and then fulfilled a 20-year bucket list item and went to Nagano to photograph the snow monkeys and finished up the trip in Tokyo. Were excited to be heading back to Chile again this year. The people there are so friendly, the location is beautiful and the hosts of the event at Hotel Surazo are very welcoming and warm.What camera gear do you guys use?Weve been Nikon users ever since we started photography. We now use mirrorless bodies Z9, Z8, Z7ii. Pauls first water housing was an SPL which housed a D800. That housing has been a workhorse and has served him faithfully for many years. He uses Aquatech housings for the mirrorless bodies.What is your favourite body and lens to shoot action with?Paul just bought a new housing for the Nikon Z8 and that paired with the 70-200mm f2.8 lens is his favourite set up. My favourite set up is the Nikon Z8 with the 180-400mm with the built in 1.4x teleconverter. The set up is light enough to hand hold and gives me the creative license to move around and shoot from different angles rather than be stuck with a heavy set up on a tripod.What would be the three lenses you take on a trip?If its just three it would have to be the basics which are rather boring!! 24-70mm f2.8, 70-200 f2.8, and 180-400mm f4.Who is the boss in the relationship?I assume you mean the business relationship?! Even in this day and age, we live in a patriarchal society. Almost everyone assumes if its a husband and wife team, that its always the man running the business. 99% of messages we receive start with hey man, hey dude, hey bro, hey Paul! Lets put it like this I, (Sofie), am completing this interview, if you send an email or message us on social media, Im the one who replies, if you see a post on FB or Instagram its me that posted it.Fish Bowl Diaries was originally my brainchild as a way to showcase all the images Id shot while Paul was windsurfing. It eventually turned into a business which I primarily run. Simple version is, I shoot from land, Paul shoots from water and I get to do all the tedious behind the scenes work!Who does all the editing?No prizes for guessing its me, Sofie! What is the best location you have ever shot?Its hard to define the best location as it always depends on conditions (and who youre photographing)! The best location one year might be the worst the next due to lack of conditions. Cloudbreak is definitely way up there on the list though. The waves there are breathtaking. Theyre long and peel beautifully and the barrels are so picturesque. Peahi, which is right on our doorstep, still holds up as one of the most exciting breaks to shoot at.Do you have a favourite photo or are there too many to mention?Just one?!! Impossible! Completing the text for this interview was easier than narrowing down a selection of images for the interview!One shot that always comes to mind is an old photo of Robby Naish which I shot at least 20+ years ago. I had no clue about photography or windsurfing and I was using a borrowed camera with an old manual focus 800mm lens. I captured a shot of Robby doing a fully extended table top. I was so proud of that one because at that time I had no idea what I was doing! The tabletop has been my favourite move ever since that shot!!More recently Id probably pick one of Robby Swift at Cloudbreak. Its shot at that magical golden hour which all photographers love. Robby is coming down Cloudbreaks iconic barrelling wave with Paul at the front of the frame shooting from a jet ski with Ian from Fiji Surf Co. Its one thats a bit different than the normal windsurfing image I have the opportunity to shoot. Other than action photos there are also so many lifestyle images weve shot over the years which make it to the top of the list. Capturing emotive lifestyle moments during events are just as rewarding as the action shots.Paul has so many amazing water shots that its hard for him to pick a favourite! A couple of stand outs would be images of Morgan windsurfing at Peahi and one of Kai Lenny surfing at Peahi shot from the left. That angle doesnt get photographed very often and the perspective from that side is truly unique and magnificent. The other image that comes to mind is one of Robby Naish on a Kona day. Sunny Kona days are always breathtaking days to shoot. Robby is doing an aerial, the wave is barrelling, you can see the West Maui mountains in the background and the light Is glorious. Its a perfect frame. There are more Definitely too many to mention!Who are your favourite riders to shoot and why?Impossible to answer this one as there are far too many riders to list and they each have something unique about them!! We work with hugely talented athletes and without their skills on the water we wouldnt have the images that everyone enjoys. Were very grateful to all of them!What do you guys love about photography?Im not sure wed be where we are now without photography. It was Paul wanting to windsurf at Hookipa that took us to Maui back in the 90s. We were only supposed to go just once but I guess no one ever goes just once! I dont think his love of windsurfing would have been enough reason for our move to Maui. Setting up Fish Bowl Diaries gave us the real push to move to Maui, which has completely changed our lives.Photography has taken us to places we wouldnt have gone and weve met so many people along the way, making long lasting friendships. The thought of creating and capturing iconic images that will last long after weve dropped off this mortal coil is something quite special.How do you stay motivated to keep shooting at such high quality?I have major OCD! Sub-par images are simply not an option Obviously the camera gear helps when it comes to resolution quality but I am persnickety about details. I cant stand things like uneven horizons, weird editing tones, bad compositions or awful lighting. Unfortunately, the latter is one we dont always have control of as we sometimes have to shoot in bad weather/lighting but anything we have control over we do our best to manage to a high standard. If were working for a client, we especially do our utmost to maintain quality as we want to be sure to give them the best images possible.Have you ever had a photography disaster?Just before Covid lockdowns, Paul finished up water shooting for a Naish shoot and as he was swimming back to shore the latch opened on the housing and it flooded the camera and lens and housing electronics. Thankfully we got the card out and we were able to retrieve the images. The camera was a right-off and the housing needed the electronics changed.Is there a day that sticks out as your most memorable to shoot?This is actually the hardest question to answer! Firstly, my memory is atrocious and secondly there have been so many incredible days over the years . Perfect Kona days, jaw-dropping Peahi, mesmerizing Cloudbreak, Chilean golden hour and massive Hookipa days.Do you enjoy shooting the big wave season in Hawaii?YES! The bigger the better! Theres almost just as much of an adrenaline rush shooting the big waves as there is for the athletes riding the waves.Do you Sofie get worried when Paul goes out on the ski at Jaws?Im more worried about him swimming and water shooting at Hookipa than I am of him on the ski at Jaws! Although if hes on the ski with Jason Polakow, then yes, Im worried Where do you guys see yourselves in ten years time?Retired! Haha! I actually struggle quite a bit with back and neck issues and carpal tunnel so Im really not sure how much longer I can keep going with shooting and computer work makes me pretty sad to think I may have to stop sooner than Id like Paul always says if he cant windsurf anymore hed probably not want to live on Maui and I cant see us lugging around heavy camera gear when were 65! Im sure well still be taking photos but a lot less and well be picky about what we shoot!What things annoy you when you see people using or abusing your pictures?It is beyond frustrating having people think they have the right to use your images especially without even asking for permission. Many believe images are free to use because theyre online. They are NOT!To keep a presence in the industry we have to use social media and its a great tool but at the same time I almost begrudge posting because we end up finding our work shared on accounts and websites where someone is profiting off our images either for monetary gain or simply to bulk up their following off the back of our work.Will you ever get rich shooting windsurfing?HA! I think you know the answer to this question JC!! Were a couple of decades too late for that!Any advice to any up and coming windsurf photographers?If youre serious about any kind of photography as a job, save up and buy the best equipment you can. It will save you money in the long term. If your ultimate goal is to shoot windsurfing for a living then you need to be realistic and accept that you will have to subsidize your earnings with something else! Either another kind of job or shooting another higher paying genre of photography.The post FISH BOWL DIARIES: LIFE BEHIND THE LENS appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

The post KT Foiling: Factory Tour appeared first on SUPboarder Magazine.

MARIO KMPEL: CREATING THE IMPOSSIBLE WINDSURFING BOARDMARIO KMPEL: CREATING THE IMPOSSIBLE WINDSURFING BOARDMario Kmpel and the team at Future Fly took on the challenge to build a low cost board with high performancethe White Tiger!The Future Fly & the Wind Lounge Team took on the challenge to build the impossible windsurf board. A board that costs less, keeps the highest quality standard, brings the performance that you want and is transparent from scratch. Of course, with all the tuning possibilities well explained afterwards. The documentary gives a deep insight behind the curtains of how windsurf brands operate and what it took to bring the ideas of Mario Kmpel & Arnon Dagan to life.The post MARIO KMPEL: CREATING THE IMPOSSIBLE WINDSURFING BOARD appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

MATTEO IACHINO: HAT TRICK HERO!MATTEO IACHINO: HAT TRICK HERO!THREE STRAIGHT VICTORIES FOR MATTEO IACHINO AT THE PWA GUADELOUPE WORLD CUP!Dominating a PWA racing event is rare; even more so in the technical, unpredictable world of foiling. But Matteo Iachino made a powerful statement to open the 2025 PWA racing season, firing off three straight bullets and turning heads across the beach in Guadeloupe. Fresh after his podium celebrations, we caught up with Matteo to find out the secret behind his sensational start to the season and whether this is just the beginningPhotos: PWA / CarterMATTEO IACHINOAfter many years foil racing, I am starting to understand what you need to work on my gear to actually have it performing the best way possible. Foiling is like the Formula 1 of windsurfing on the sea and you need to have everything tuned perfectly. The pilot mattersbut the gear matters a lot more than what I was used to in fin racing. Our sails at Severne have improved and the Starboard X15 foil board has improved too. This has helped a lot for the basic performance but then you have to tune every single piece of your equipment like a freak! I used to tune like that as a slalom sailor on the fin but not as much on the foil. It took me a while to realize by watching other riders that the tuning was the only way to improve your performance. Every little detail matterseven a hair on the front wing for example!TUNING AND TESTINGMost riders are using the Patrik Aeon foil but then there are so many other set ups that make a difference. In foiling you want to race with the less power possible. Power also means drag. So, you want to have as least power as possible in the foil to have more glide and be fast.You do need power to climb and get out of bad situations. My new boards and sails have helped a lot. The Hyper 8 Severne sail is lighter on the board, that allows me to go on a smaller front wing or on a less powerful set up earlier. The new X15 Starboard is gliding better too. So, with the lighter sail and the board gliding better, the combination of the two improvements helped me a lot. I also worked on masts, battens, booms and the finish of the foil itself; every detail.FINDING THE FLOWObviously when we are racing the foil is the only element actually in the water but the aerodynamics of the board is critical too. We worked a lot this with Remo Villa and I was surprised at the beginning how much of a difference this has made. We have now been foiling for almost ten years! I thought as many people do still think that once you take off, the board doesnt matter much because you are in the air. But for us racing you feel the difference of the aerodynamics.It is a bit like when you put your hand out of the window when you are driving on the highway or if you stand up when you are cycling. You feel the difference with the board, it has a huge impact. You gain power as you go higher, or if you glide and you lose power and it goes down again, there is a fine line where the board is still comfortable.You can have just enough power to stay in the air but not much to glide through the air and carry the momentum. So, the aerodynamics and stability of the board in these cases makes a massive difference. You have to work on the length, with the size of the nose the size of the tail and all the airflow elements. The position of the foot-straps makes a difference too. There is a lot to work on.Remi is the mastermind behind all of this. I help Remi bring ideas and Remi is the one who does all of the developing. He put the ideas into something concrete. Sometimes we just sit down and brainstorm new ideas. Since I entered the team I have worked with Remi.2025 KICKS OFF!You never know what is going to happen when you go into the first race event of the season. I knew I had better performance with my whole set up in all wind ranges. I knew from medium to high wind and right down to light wind I would be going faster than last season. Also, you dont know how much the other guys have improved. You test with some people, but you never know if they play their best cards! You never know if you have the best the best sail but not the board or the best foil but the sail is not so good.You need to test every piece by piece. When you show up at an event you have to hope the improvements you have made are better than the other guys! Testing against another racer from another team, I never play my best cards either! Part of it is not to show how fast you are properly but also if you push too hard testing and you crash into another rider, or crash yourself, then you might break you best gear.THE TESTING PROCESSYou want to use one piece at a time and see if that works the best and then you vary different other elements. I test an average set up that goes decently. Then I will test only the battens with that set up. Then once I have found the best battens, I will test only masts. Before the event, you put all the best elements together. Then you just hope that you have the magic combination. I use GPS a lot for testing which helps a lot. With foiling you can use GPS more because it accurately tells you all the data you need to know.THE TASTE OF VICTORYThe first race I was pushing. In medium light conditions you need to on the edge. When I saw that I had good speed, I was not relaxing but playing it a little bit safer. You can never totally play it safe because every sailor is fast. If you start half a second behind you are done! You can maybe come back through the gybes, but it is really difficult at this level.With the second elimination we were on small gear, we were on 7m sails. In these conditions it is possible to make a comeback earlier but with 9m or 8m in those conditions with seaweed as well it is very difficult to pass. I think I won every race during the day. In some positions when you are qualifying you dont want to fight too hard. That would be stupid. You could crash for now reason.It was really cool to win all three rounds. I put so much work into my training and testing this season and that felt very satisfying. It was nice to see the result of all that hard work. But to me there is still no comparison with winning or competing in fin racing.Winning a heat in Fuerteventura on Slalom X last year had so much adrenaline for me. That was a dream come true. To win in Guadeloupe was super nice, it was amazing dont get me wrong, but foil is another sport compared to fin. I worked for it! The amount of work I put into it was ridiculous. That makes it special. My true passion is still full hardcore fin racing. If I had to choose, it would be 100% fin over foil!REMI VILLA (Starboard shaper)We worked a lot on a numeric computer which has helped our designs using AI! This AI has helped me for our development. I having been working on some programmes to study the numbers of the aerodynamics of our shapes. This helped me to design the and improve the boards. We can see compared to last year, Matteo is far more stable when he is foiling. He is really stable all the time. The board is not moving and this is because of the aerodynamics that we developed on the boards. In 2026, which is coming soon, the boards will be even better as we have made some new big steps of improvement already.It is very important to work on the aerodynamics in foiling as it stabilizes everything. When a gust hits you do not lose the balance, you just accelerate that is it! It is the same with cycling, the aerodynamics make a massive difference. The problem of stability in foiling is all down to the aerodynamics. We have also worked with Matteo on some details of his training! This is important also to give him confidence to be stable for the whole week. He has been very calm all week during the races and he is just going very fast! I am extremely happy about these results. We have been working together for almost ten years and now we really understand each other and everything has come together!The post MATTEO IACHINO: HAT TRICK HERO! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

Words: David PartridgePhotos: Dave Fuller PhotographyBilled as the biggest paddleboard event in the UK, this years Race to the Castle was an epic.350 Paddlers had signed up for the event, and nearly 300 arrived and completed the course, paddling from Nottingham to Newark Castle on the Trent River.The event (and indeed the Trent) has a magnetic attraction for SUP, and the capacity of 350 was reached many months before the event. Many paddlers were introduced to long-distance river paddling on the Trent 100, and this event is a natural follow-on (quite literally, as it departs from Nottingham, the finish of the Trent 100 course). Entries included German, American, and Irish paddlers and a big contingent from Scotland.The event is open to leisure (adventure) paddlers and more experienced paddlers. It is an official Ultra competition with 40km of river descent and five locks and portages on the route. I tried to meet as many paddlers as possible (an easy task as the event has a great location with Welbeck Hall providing registration, meet and greet, results and a great after party). The Hall also acts as a logistics hub with a delivery service to return boards from Newark to Nottingham and to take board bags and clothing for the paddlers.At the top end, the competition is serious. In the mens 14-foot race fleet, there was a much-anticipated duel between Mark Salter (King of the River in 2024) and Paul Simmons (very much on form after a brilliant win at SUP12 just two weeks ago). The start had a big lineup with all the 14-foot inflatable boards, a couple of tandems and a couple of unlimited boards. Martin Kerr had borrowed one of his Scottish teammates 18-foot weapon and sat on the line with Allistair Swinsco and Alison Rennie on their tandem and his wife, Angela Kerr. The team all reached podiums.The start was frenetic, with Simon Nash cracking out a phenomenal start and leading at a high pace. I caught up with Paul (PJ) Simmons after the event. (There was no way Id do that on the water!) Yes, that was a shock. He was flying and a few others. I had a few issues and was caught behind, having to work hard to pull through. He explained he had bladder problems (for those not used to racing terminology, the bladder in question was his hydration pack, which popped).He had intended to carry seven litres of electrolyte-laden fluid to hydrate during the race. He also caught his leash around his fin, noting Simon and others pulling away; fixing it took a minute, by which time the other paddlers were almost out of sight. He, however, dug deep and admitted to Olympic walking, both heels firmly on the ground at each step but moving promptly within the no-running rule along the portages. I was making up time on the portages, but heaving the board up ladders takes its toll on your reserves. He managed to get through to third place and was delighted with the podium.Up in front, Mark Salter and Patrick McCormack were having a real duel. Patrick (the riverman of Graiguenamanagh, Ireland) had recently completed a SUP Ultra in Belgium, then the Devizes to Westminster. After the event, he calculated that he had raced 276km over three events, with six days of racing in 13 days and 82 portages in total. After swapping lead back and forth, Patrick looked like a winner as he rounded the turn mark and started upstream to the finish. Sensing the toll on Patricks body, Mark Salter took advantage, and both sprinted the final 1500m, with Mark taking the win by 40 seconds after 40 km and 4 hours and 25 minutes racing.Patrick runs the Barrow Blitz, a 50km downriver race, the direct Irish equivalent of Race to the Castle (it starts in two weeks. You may yet get a place!!) The events are similar, so Patrick was well-placed to comment. The organisation is perfect, enough but not too much information, a great WhatsApp briefing and lots of information about the course, portages and logisticsWhat did Patrick feel as Mark sprinted through? I was gone, the final turn and a bit of current to battle. Yeah, It was a great course until the last 1.5km! It was great fun, though, head down racing, I didnt get to see much of the scenery.Mark wasnt sure about his 4 hours 25 time, We have only run this twice, so the times are there to be beaten. It felt tough today. I struggled with a poor start, not feeling right from the first stroke and had some demons telling me to quit early on (Im sure we all get those at times). Its such a fun course with loads of surprises, twists and turns. I was playing catch-up after some of the locks, and the other chaps set a blistering pace (we averaged 10kmph padding speed, 9.5Kmph including portages, not including the 10 min rest stop)such phenomenal competitors who were on fire. I had to work very hard today, with more than three hours being in threshold heart rate. I like paddling upriver and timed my break away for the final 1.5km stretch. It was amazing to see so many people out there today having such a great time and achieving things they thought they couldnt.What about that duel? PJ said, I was just delighted to podium and had to work hard. Its great to see three Starboards and three Lima paddles coming through at the end. Ill take that.The second woman in the intermediate-size inflatable fleet, Rebeccah Januszczyk, literally sang the events praises. At the mandatory 10-minute stop at Gunsthorpe lock, she hopped off her board and found her place in the Totally Vocal acapella choir, who serenaded all the paddlers coming through the lock. Helpers added fluids and snacks where needed, as well as occasional elastoplastic or blister tape! She didnt stop there but jumped back on to finish at a blistering pace in the Adventure section, then danced the night away. (Definitely could earn a living for Duracell!). The choir was heavenly, matched by Brass bands and other impromptu entertainment all along the route.Karis Parker posted an amazing 5 hours and 11 minutes in the womens battle, with Felicity Hurst and Angela Kerr not too far adrift.I caught up with Nikki Downing, the Chelmarsh SUP lead. She and Martin Harrison took part in the Adventure Fleet and were buzzing after the event. Its so good that the event is inclusive and anyone can have a go; we have had relatively new paddlers, Jane Hemmingway and David Blakemore doing really well in the Adventure series, then Clare Todd coming in as seventh woman and Colin Todd 16th. Richard Fry fresh (or not!) from SUP 12 also went well. The clubs 5 km training on Sunday mornings has helped reassure paddlers that anyone can do this with practice and encouragement. I hope the club keeps fielding people at events to reinforce our in-house skills.The wrong team, led by Eric Armada, put in a sterling show, even though a team member dislocated a knuckle on a ladder. Did you stop? No, just popped it back and paddled on, holding my paddle with thumb and index finger. It is always great seeing so many familiar faces and sharing chats with all. There can be very few sports with such a deep and developed camaraderie. My inbox is full of apologies and Lets catch up at the skedaddle.We will explore the organisation in another article, but needless to say, it felt seamless. Bags arrived at Newark, boards were transported home, and the return buses provided a great opportunity for battle stories. Somehow, all the wonderful volunteers partied long and hard. Thanks to all of you.Hallam Williamson best reflects the diversity of paddlers; he is from Boston, Lincs and came supported by family and completed the event on My 10 foot 6 Lidl special I asked about trainingwell I did do a fairly long paddle a few weeks ago but other than that just 1-2 km with my children He was, as all competitors, flushed with his race Its a got to do isnt it, Ive spent three years just meandering around on my SUP, this was my first event its not about competing its about completing. It was gruelling, but I am on such a high.Full results are available at https://results.opentracking.co.uk/event/r2tc2025.Cassie Salter is a social media guru, so check out Facebook and the event website www.race2thecastle.comEntries will be open soon, on the same weekend next year, April 25th, and (sneak preview) Cassie has mentioned 500 places. I expect this will also sell out! Anyone who completed the event will add their reflections. It would be lovely if you could post any thoughts or pictures.

Dont Miss Out: Gear Up for SUP Season 2025! New April SUP Mag UK available nowPay by credit card with Stripe or Paypal. SUBSCRIBE HERE and receive your first issue of the full subscription of four magazines yearly starting with the current issue: April 2025 issue 44. CoachingQ&AsTravel and adventuresPaddle UK featuresRegularsSUPM supports and gives airtime to the UK SUP scene 100%. And were the only mag that does.The latest April 2025 issue of SUP Mag UK in print is available to purchase now Digital edition available @ https://joom.ag/UqjdFeaturing a huge array of SUP stories from across the planet and the crme de la crme of UK stand up stories, its a must have read for anyone into the art of propelling themselves forward on a board with a paddle.Available to order now.Any questions? Give us a call on 01480 465081 we will be glad to help.

The post San Clemente Ocean Festival: July 19 & 20, 2025 appeared first on SUPboarder Magazine.

NICO PRIEN: GUADELOUPE WRAP UP!NICO PRIEN: GUADELOUPE WRAP UP!Get an inside look at the PWA World Cup in Guadeloupe through the eyes of pro racer Nico Prien! Filmed by Lars Wichman, Nico shares his unique on-the-water insights, race highlights, and behind-the-scenes stories you wont want to miss. And a huge round of applause to Lars for pulling yet another all-nighter in the editing suite to bring you this videoready for you just one day after the action wrapped upFair play!!Edited and filmedby Lars WichmanSony A7rV Lumix S5II & S1H Insta360 X4 // ACE PRO // Go3s The post NICO PRIEN: GUADELOUPE WRAP UP! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.

GUADELOUPE GOES OFF: FULL POWER RACING IN THE CARIBBEAN!!!GUADELOUPE GOES OFF: FULL POWER RACING IN THE CARIBBEAN!!!PWA GUADELOUPE WORLD CUPThe 2025 PWA Guadeloupe World Cup served up the full Caribbean dream with one crazy day of action to shake up the season. We hear from all the podium finishers as they break down an unforgettable start to the year.Yepafter five intense days of competition, the PWA Guadeloupe World Cup has officially come to a close. It all came down to a single day of explosive action on Friday, where Matteo Iachino dominated the mens racing with a flawless performance, claiming three straight bullets. On the womens side, Justine Lemeteyer kicked off her season in style, narrowly edging out Lina Eren in a thrilling battle for the win.Sailors that arrived early to train got to see the true colours of Guadeloupe with some classic windy sunny days that showcased the islands full potential, but unfortunately during the event, we mostly saw cloudy skies and light winds aside from that one crazy day of action. That is the nature of the game in windsurfing unfortunately, unpredictable and thrilling! Friday will still be remembered as a memorable racing day that showed how epic Guadeloupe can be as an event location.During the first round of racing the Caribbean breeze kicked off in the 8-12 knot range and the elimination was progressing nicely but all of a sudden it picked up to 15-20 knots leaving many sailors still racing on their biggest gear, totally overpowered! Riders stuck on the big kit were getting absolutely sent, with wild crashes on the reaches and carnage at the gybes as everyone fought to stay in control. Back on the beach there was a frenzy of sail and foil changes going down as many racers opted to switch to smaller gear. By late afternoon the wind dropped again for the third and final round of the mens racing so it was back to the big gear to finish the day off.Sure, conditions kept us on our toes, but lets be honestno one was really complaining. Racing in board shorts in the Caribbean, surrounded by palm trees and crystal-clear water? Yeah, well take that every day of the week. Friday proved it: when Guadeloupe turns it on, its one of the best racing spots on the planet!And now it is over the all the podium finishers to for their insights into the first event of the PWA season!MATTEO IACHINOI dont think I ever started a season like this! It has been a while since I have won a foil event. I think only once in my career I could have stayed on the beach during the last elimination as I already had three bullets. It is super cool feeling, especially after all the work I have done. All the pieces came together.I knew every piece of my gear was working better this year than last year. The only thing that was the same was the foil. The board has been improved, the sails are a lot better and I was going faster on every single size compared to last year. I knew I was going to be faster and I was confident about that. But to win every single final was amazing. I did not expect this. Every race is different and every start is different. That is what makes our sport so cool.There are so many variables. We only had three eliminations, but they were in three different conditions. We had 8m full power, 7m powered up and 9m light wind. So, we had a mix of everything all in one day. It was choppy on the 7m, and it was flat and weedy on the 9m. In the finals I was pushing as much as I could. In the earlier heats I was just making sure I qualified. In the first heat I was pushing then I saw I had an edge! Then I could control the races a bit. In the finals you have to push because in the end anything can happen. The level is high and if you dont hit the start nicely it is tough to come back. In the blink of an eye, you can drop from first to fifth. In the final you have to send it!Pierre is an amazing rider. He won the title last year and since I started, he is my biggest opponent, I think. Pierre and Antoine Albeau have been my biggest rivals since I started racing. Antoine stopped but Pierre is still there. He is my age. Now we have a nice relationship. I knew he was fast because I tested with him a bit before the event and every time I was lining up with him he was the fastest I was testing with.REMI VILLA (Starboard shaper)We worked a lot on a numeric computer which has helped our designs using AI! This AI has helped me for our development. I having been working on some programmes to study the numbers of the aerodynamics of our shapes. This helped me to design the and improve the boards. We can see compared to last year, Matteo is far more stable when he is foiling. He is really stable all the time. The board is not moving and this is because of the aerodynamics that we developed on the boards.In 2026, which is coming soon, the boards will be even better as we have made some new big steps of improvement already. It is very important to work on the aerodynamics in foiling as it stabilizes everything. When a gust hits you do not lose the balance, you just accelerate that is it! It is the same with cycling, the aerodynamics make a massive difference. The problem of stability in foiling is all down to the aerodynamics. We have also worked with Matteo on some details of his training! This is important also to give him confidence to be stable for the whole week. He has been very calm all week during the races and he is just going very fast! I am extremely happy about these results. We have been working together for almost ten years and now we really understand each other and everything has come together!PIERRE MORTEFONI would love to win but I will take a second place. It is always good t start a season this way. You never know what can happen at an event and a second is solid. With the first event you dont know how fast you are until you hit the racecourse and how the other guys have been training. It could have been worse.I think Matteo was better this week. He did the perfect job, but we were both ahead of the other guys. A step ahead, I think. The experience and the consistency is paying off. I think it is going to be a good fight this year again. I am really happy about my speed and my sailing. Anything can happen at the beginning of a season and this was also a new location for the tour. I will take the second and am happy with that.The first race was super windy. It was tough as the wind picked up during the races. We were all a bit overpowered. After the second gybe I took it a little bit easy and didnt push. But after that race I was going full on for the rest of the event. You never know what can happen. A point is a point and that can matter at the end of the season. Every heat and every race can be important at the end of the season. It could make the difference for the title. I had it in the past where I finished level with Antoine Albeau. So, a point is a point and it is important to push every single second.ALEXANDRE COUSINThat was the best way to start the season for me and I am really happy about that. I have all Patrik equipment, foil, board, sail, boom, harness lines and everything so I am happy to make this podium. The Patrik team has worked a lot on the development of the gear over the last few years.Now it has started to really improve and we are showing how good it is. Half the fleet are using Patrik foils! I think it means that our foil is the best and really appreciated by all the riders on the world cup. It was a long path to make this foil as good as it is. I think the team has done an amazing job on the foil. It is nice t see nearly all the riders using this foil. I had a few lucky breaks this week, but racing is like this. I think for this event I had the luck with me. I take it and it is important to start the season with a podium.MENS RESULTS1st Matteo Iachino (ITA | Starboard / Severne Sails)2nd Pierre Mortefon (FRA | Phantom / Phantom Sails / Phantom Boards)3rd Alexandre Cousin (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)4th Jordy Vonk (NED | Duotone Windsurfing)5th Amado Vrieswijk (NB | Future Fly / Point-7 / Z-Foils)6th Maciek Rutkowski (POL | JP / NeilPryde)7th Alexis Mathis (FRA | Tabou / GA Sails)8th William Huppert (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)9th Benoit Merceur (FRA | Starboard / Severne Sails / Starboard Foils)10th Sem Stroosma (NED | Tabou / GA Sails)JUSTINE LEMETEYERI felt a bit under pressure to come back racing as the world champion. We only had one day of racing but when I mattered, I managed to perform. The new gear with Patrik works perfectly and I am happy to kick of the season with a victory and also happy to kick off the new partnership with Patrik with a win.The gear as amazing, physically I was there and mentally I was there, so it was a good week. There is more to come in the season, but I will take a victory to start things off. I knew I would have a tough fight with Lina Erzen. I knew she was going to be my main opponent. We have already sailed together in the iQFOiL racing and I know she is fast. I also know the sails she has are fast as I was working on the S2 Sails last year. I know they are good also. She will be a good opponent for the whole season, so it is going to be a nice fight, which is cool!LINA ERENI am happy for sure. It is a podium and only my third event in the PWA on foil. I was always looking for better, but I am just happy for the opportunity to be able to compete here. I think myself and Justine are both good racers and can foil fast and gybe well. I felt I had just as good speed as her, but you cant afford any mistakes with Justine as she is an amazing competitor. I will enjoy my last day in Guadeloupe and then I will go home to my family and celebrate with them.BLANCA ALABAUI would not say I am happy with the result. I finished in third which was a really good position as all the girls were fighting really hard. I would have liked to have a few more races with Lina and Justine. I think I had the speed and I know I have the level to be there at the top. Hopefully next time I will be closer. I am really happy with my new boards; they are very fast and easy to control. I just never really felt comfortable on the racecourse during that one day of competition. I had a few problems and I felt I lost my focus. Next time I know I can do better.WOMENS RESULTS1st Justine Lemeteyer (FRA | PATRIK / PATRIK Sails / PATRIK Foils)2nd Lina Eren (SLO | Starboard / S2Maui / Starboard Foils)3rd Blanca Alabau (ESP | WeOne / Severne Sails)4th Femke van der Veen (NED | Starboard / Severne Sails)5th Bobbi-Lynn De Jong (NB | Starboard / NeilPryde)PWAThe post GUADELOUPE GOES OFF: FULL POWER RACING IN THE CARIBBEAN!!! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.