Wing foiling and Parawinging

Wing foiling and Parawinging are foiling disciplines that use a sail of sorts to get you on foil. Unlike surf foiling or downwind foiling, you have a source of power that lets you also foil upwind, or against the direction of the swell / waves. This means you have the mobility to move around the spot as you please, choosing waves and then lapping them as many times as you want!

Wingfoiling

Winging truly opened up what could be surfed when it came along by giving foilers the possibility of getting into waves that were harder to ride on other craft. 

Powered winging and freestyle has added another dimension to wave riding with riders like Cash Berzolla and the Spencer brothers blurring the lines between disciplines and really showcasing the power of the wing.

In more critical waves the wing also gives riders the chance to kick out and ride away quickly, which for some scenarios make the wing still the more preferable choice over the parawing.

Another thing worth noting is that wings are still more effective at being pumped in lighter wind, and tend to have a bigger wind range than parawings (for now)

Parawinging

Parawings have made downwinding significantly more accessible by removing the physical struggle of learning to paddle downwind.

Compared to winging, the upwind angles aren't as effective (unless you have a twin skin) and their wind range is a bit more limited, but that's not their main purpose. The ability to  get on foil then stow them away means that they open up a new world of hands free foiling on smaller boards (like you would be surf foiling, but with less risk).

For those who still want to paddle, the parawing is an effective tool to optimise downwind angles on more onshore days, allowing you to spend more time surfing downwind instead of cutting out. 

In more ciritical waves, they may not be as effective due to the longer time to re deploy vs. the direct power you get with a wing, plus personally I'm not too keen on the tangle risk with what is effectively an anchor in the waves if I fall in breaking waves.