Glossary

A surf spot where waves break over sandy bottom rather than reef or rock — the most forgiving and most shifty type of break.

A 0–12 wind-force scale based on observed sea or land effects, devised by Admiral Beaufort in 1805.

A cold, katabatic NE wind that crashes off the Dinaric Alps onto the eastern Adriatic — sudden, dry, and one of the most violent winds in the Mediterranean.

Reducing the angle of attack on a kite to dump power — done via the chicken loop or trim strap.

A point-to-point session ridden with the wind — start upwind, ride downwind, get a lift back.

Taking off on a wave that another rider already has priority on — the cardinal sin of lineup etiquette.

A partially enclosed coastal body of water where rivers meet the sea — usually tidal, often flat, and a magnet for kite, wing and foil riders.

The unobstructed distance of open water over which the wind blows in one direction — controls how big and clean waves get.

A warm, dry, often gusty downslope wind on the lee side of a mountain range — Föhn in the Alps, Chinook in the Rockies, Halny in the Tatras.

An underwater wing on a vertical mast that lifts the board out of the water once you reach foiling speed.

Adjustable straps mounted on the board that lock your feet in once you're planing — control, leverage and air time depend on them.

The large-scale wind driven by pressure differences between weather systems — the synoptic background flow that everything else rides on top of.

A short, sharp increase in wind speed lasting seconds, well above the average.

The ratio of peak gust to average wind — the single most useful number for telling smooth wind from a fight.

A belt or seat worn around your waist or hips that hooks into the rig — transfers sail/kite/wing pull from your arms to your core.

A downwind turn — the board changes direction by passing through the wind from behind, while the rig sweeps around to the new side.

A gravity-driven wind formed when cold, dense air drains downhill off a high plateau or glacier — often offshore, often ferocious.

The wind-speed unit used across sailing, aviation and weather — 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour ≈ 1.852 km/h.

A nighttime offshore wind driven by the reverse of the sea-breeze cycle — cooler over land, warmer over water.

The side away from where the wind is coming — downwind. The leeward rider has right of way over the windward rider on the same tack.

The area just outside the breaking waves where surfers sit and wait for sets, plus the unwritten queue of who goes first.

A temporary drop in wind speed below the running average — the opposite of a gust.

A cold, strong NW wind that funnels down the Rhône valley to the Gulf of Lion — France's most famous riding wind.

The smallest tides of the lunar month — compressed highs and lows when sun and moon pull at right angles, at first and last quarter.

A Japanese-origin term for swapping the rider who has priority on a wave — usually after a wipeout or missed take-off.

The way a wave breaks along its length — a clean peel means the break travels smoothly down the face instead of collapsing all at once.

When a board rises out of the water and skims across the surface instead of pushing through it — the threshold that turns slogging into flying.

A wave that peels along a headland or rocky point — long rides, predictable shape, often the longest waves of a region.

Driving the foil up and down with your legs to generate forward speed — used to take off and to keep flying in a lull.

A surf spot where waves break over coral or rock reef — consistent shape, sharper consequences than beach breaks.

The technique for getting a crashed kite back into the air without help from shore.

The set of rules that decide who yields when two wind-powered craft cross — starboard over port, leeward over windward, and a handful of kite-specific additions.

A daytime onshore wind driven by uneven heating of land and water — the engine of most summer coastal sessions.

A group of larger, well-formed waves arriving together after a lull — usually 3–8 waves in a row.

The biggest tides of the lunar month — higher highs and lower lows when sun and moon line up at new or full moon.

An upwind turn — the board changes direction by passing through the wind from the front. Also: which side of the wind you're currently sailing.

Wind driven by uneven solar heating on a daily cycle — sea breezes, valley breezes, anabatic upslope flow all belong to this family.

The vertical distance between high and low water on a given cycle — the number that decides whether tide is a footnote or the headline.

Steady tropical easterlies blowing roughly between 30°N and 30°S — the most reliable wind belts on the planet.

Starting from the water by letting the rig pull you onto the board — no uphauling, no beach launch.

When wind blows against tidal current — waves stack up short and steep, the surface gets chattery, and a downed rider can drift fast.

The change in wind speed and direction with height above the surface — friction slows wind near the ground.

The side closer to where the wind is coming from — upwind. The windward rider sits higher on the wind and yields to the leeward rider on the same tack.