Are you a windsurfer or surfer? If not, have you ever met one? If you answered yes to either, then you’ve probably seen that unmistakable smile after a session. That’s what we mean when we say, “I’m stoked!” And if you haven’t seen it, well, you might have to settle for the dictionary definition—something like “excited,” “ecstatic,” or “overjoyed.” But let me tell you: that still doesn’t quite capture the feeling.
Why? Because this kind of joy comes from gliding on water. Not swimming in it. Gliding.

So what makes windsurfing so special?

First off, you’ve got to go out of your way to do it. You won’t find a windsurfing setup in the middle of the city, or in your local health club. To get on the water, you have to drive away from the daily grind—often in the opposite direction of everyone else. Try doing that on a Monday afternoon, and you might even feel a little guilty… until you reach the beach.

Second, you can’t just windsurf whenever you want. Windsurfing doesn’t happen “on demand.” You don’t pick the time—the wind does. That means planning your life around forecasts instead of calendars. A few months into the sport, you’ll find yourself obsessively checking weather apps—not to see if you need an umbrella, but to see if it’s blowing 20 knots at your favourite spot. (Yes, my browser homepage is Windguru. No shame in that!)

As you progress, you need more wind, not less, so flexibility becomes everything. You can’t book a session in advance like you would for tennis or swimming. The weather decides when you play. And when it finally lines up? The stoke hits harder than ever—because it’s rare, unpredictable, and worth the wait.

The wind doesn’t care if it’s Monday morning. It just blows. It doesn’t know you have a meeting, a deadline, or errands to run. So you start learning to shift things around—or, let’s be honest, call in “sick” now and then. Because who’s going to understand why you “need” to go to the beach on a weekday, right?

(Pro tip: If you’re in a meeting and someone’s distracted, fidgeting, and sneakily checking the trees outside… they’re probably a windsurfer wondering if they’re missing epic conditions.)

Here’s another thing: falling in windsurfing is part of the fun. In most sports, falling feels like failure. But in windsurfing? You fall, you splash, you laugh, you get back on. And you keep going—chasing that next wave, that cleaner jibe, that slightly higher jump. During my early years of serious training, I looked like a total clown more times than I can count… and I loved it. Because nothing beats that feeling when you finally land something new. That’s the stoke.

And once you’ve felt it? That’s it. You’re hooked.

You start to feel more connected to your body, the wind, the water. You learn how to flow with nature instead of fighting it. You wipe out, you recalibrate, you try again. Windsurfing teaches you things about resilience, patience, and joy that go way beyond sport.

In one of my next posts, I’ll be sharing the life lessons I’ve learned through years on the water—and how I bring them into everyday life.

Until then, stay curious—and if the wind’s blowing, you know where to find me 🌬️🌊
See you out there!

Evi