Rider & Words: Swan Habelt Photos: Valerie Azzaria Location: Moorea, Tahiti Date: Wednesday 20th Octotober, 2021
The island paradise of Moorea is home to Swan Habelt, whose passion for foiling and surfing is only enhanced by his love for his sublime local surroundings, and only matched in his commitment to protecting it wherever he can. Here, he tells us about one particularly perfect day that’s not going to disappear from his memory any time soon…
I live on the island of Moorea, in French Polynesia. No matter how many pictures you look at of our beautiful island, you can't truly get a sense of it unless you spend time here. This is where I grew up and where I’ve indulged my passion for water sports for the last 21 years.
Early on this particular Wednesday morning, I headed to my favorite secret spot to check the conditions, just as I always do. But things were weird… and contrary to what is normal and what had been forecast, the wind had changed. Usually at this time of the year, a northeasterly wind called the Toerau blows on the spot. But this day it blew from the southeast. The Maraamu wind was early, and although I didn't know it yet, it was the harbinger of one of my most beautiful wing foil sessions ever.
💎 Premium Content Ahead! 💎
*You will receive our weekly Friday Pump newsletter, plus the latest features, gear tests and giveaway announcements.
It was 9am when we got there and it was clear straight away that the conditions were optimal… 20 knots of wind, 1.5 meter waves, and I was ready to roll with my AFS WILF wind wing, riding the Flyer 1000 and T-bar 82cm. The most experienced riders on the island were already on the spot. My surfing experience instinctively tells me to be patient and to take my time in choosing the right wave. I remember having the feeling that I was going to have the most amazing session…
And suddenly there it was. The wave of the day. I launched myself into it, I take a deep breath and seize upon the rhythm, the intensity of the momentum under me, and I play with it. A pure sensation of happiness. I nail my first 360 of the day, under the gaze of the dolphins that enter the passes to rest during the day and continue their hunt at night.
The smile that remained on my face on the way back home that day was going nowhere. We wound our way back on the ski, darting peacefully between the coral heads. Experiencing such an extraordinary session in an environment such as Moorea, surrounded by all its mesmerizing flora and fauna never fails to remind me of the importance in protecting our natural world.
Home, and onto a beer and the fiery sunset that awaited me on the Captain Taina pontoon, celebrating this epic day with my friends, and my limitless love for foiling, for the ocean and for this place.
Now subscribe to the world's best foiling magazine!
To get the latest premium features, tests, gear releases and the best photojournalism in the world of foiling, get yourself a print subscription today!
The Armstrong crew certainly is a tight one, so a chance to gather together for a photoshoot in Hawaii was a great opportunity for some good times amongst friends, and all the while calling it “work”. It wasn’t without incident though…
READ MORE
The third generation of the popular AURA wing arrives, featuring fresh material choices in its design, and their innovative new Click-Boom handle system too. Plenty enough there to warrant pitching a few questions to the Vayu team to find out more…
READ MORE
No resting on laurels over at Stoke Foil HQ, as the team release two new technically advanced additions to the Boost setup that’s gonna make your Stoke Foil assisted experience even more responsive… and even more fun.
READ MORE
"It's a beautiful thing to see how far foiling has come!"
"I had a good time reading issue N°1, everything is high quality from the content to the paper!"
"Foiling Magazine is incredible."
"What a rad publication."
"The magazine looks insane. Very stoked to be part of it."
