For some wave sailing is the pinnacle on all things windsurfing, more than just surfing a wave, it's ripping on the wave face combined with huge jumps and rotations as well as top riders now performing freestyle type tricks on the wave as well.
In the UK Wavesailing is available at many coastal spots and you'll often find windsurfers at the beach when the conditions allow. For most this is free sailing, but should you get competitive the UKWA run a series of events through the year and a new organisation in the UK are starting up the Wavejam idea when events are called as and when the conditions allow.
The international circuit is run by the Professional Windsurfers Association or PWA for short.
The Wave discipline is often regarded as the crown jewel of the disciplines. Competitors go head to head or in heats of up to 4 at a time, against some of the toughest conditions on the planet. The battle between sailor and the elements makes for the most radical action combined with some of the most extreme examples of nature.
Wave Performance includes two separate categories within the discipline, jumping and wave riding. In the jumping category, competitors launch themselves into the air from breaking waves to perform all kinds of forward and backward loops as well as even more complex maneuvers, anywhere from five to fifty feet in the air.
Wave riding involves competitors riding waves in the same way that a surfer does, but with the added advantage of sail power allowing for some extreme aerial and tweaked moves, not possible on a board alone. Both elements are combined in a heat and judged to eliminate competitors down to a final, and eventually a winner.
See below for videos of wave sailing:
PWA Pozo Event 2008
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