Wingfoil · Afternoon trade winds

The newest sport
on the water.

Add some wingfoiling to your Swell surf vacation, or drop surfing altogether to concentrate on this exciting new watersport.

Cabarete is one of the top wind water-sport destinations in the world! For all levels; beginners to experts. From flat water gliding to riding waves on the foil.

Today in Cabarete
Air28°C82°F
Water27°C81°F

If you’ve watched it from the beach and thought “not a chance” — let's begin....

Wingfoiling is the newest of the wind watersports; following windsurfing and kiteboarding. Out of those 3 sports, wingfoiling looks the most difficult one to learn, yet the opposite is true. The wing is light and de-powers in a heartbeat (unlike with kiteboarding where an out-of-control kite becomes a dangerous thing). Once you learn how to lift the foil out of the water, it’s a real magic-carpet ride. Our trade winds are steady and blow side-on to the beach. With the right kit and a great coach, most people are enjoying controlled flights within a week.  It’s easy to add a couple of hours of wingfoiling (US$104 per hour) to see how you like it before you decide whether or not to carry on.

Our Wingfoil camp is accessible for people of all ages and all abilities. Previous water sport experience is not required, neither is great physical strength; the hand-held wing is light on the hand, and de-powers immediately when lowered.  There really is no upper age limit when it comes to learning to wingfoil.

Afternoon
Steady side-shore tradewinds
Ideal
Conditions
~1wk
Up and flying for most
On the water Wingfoil vacation
What to expect

Great instruction & steady winds at our wing foil camp.

Learning in the right conditions is half the battle.  Trying to learn in gusty, unreliable wind will increase 10-fold the time you need to learn.  In Cabarete, we enjoy reliable wind that doesn’t gust and drop and we’ve got warm water to fall into.  Students are given quality equipment that’s tailored to a student’s skill level.

  • Steady side-shore winds
  • Quality wingfoil equipment
  • Safe & quick progress
  • No previous experience needed
As seen in
The progression

From the beach
to the foil.

Everyone learns at different rates; some will be flying by hour #4, others take longer, the timetable below is for guide-purposes only.

Wing control

Start with the wing control on the beach, then move into the water with board: first on your knees, then progress to standing up.

Hours 1-2

Wing & board control

Get the hang of board and wing combination and start to know the basics of how the foil rises. Experience your first short flights on foil.

Hours 3-4

Prolonged flight

Enjoy sustained flights up on foil in one direction, then start to get the hang of the other direction: you are officially a wingfoiler now!

Hours 5-8
In motion

It feels amazing when
you start to fly.

Hard to understand from a description yet obvious the moment the wing powers up and the foil lifts the board clear of the water. Press play to see what a Swell Wingfoil camp is all about

Wingfoiling instead of surfing

Let's get you flying

Wingfoil What does it cost?
Limited availability

We usually only have space for 4 to 6 guests taking wingfoiling lessons.

What does it cost?

Because we can't know how in advance many hours of instruction you may need, we can't make a wingfoiling package price. Each 1-hour lesson is with your own private instructor and costs US$104 including all equipment. To give you an idea of the cost of a stay at Swell with wingfoiling lessons instead of surfing, start with the stay-only prices below:
Your wingfoiling lesson hours will be added at the end of your course.
People learn wingfoiling at different rates, but the average time to learn is 8 hours, which works out at US$832.

1p · single occupancy
$1,650 / week + wingfoiling lessons
2p · double occupancy
$2,652 / week · 2 sharing + wingfoiling lessons
Questions? — Youll get a reply from Swell's owner, Clare

Check your dates

Tell us a little about dates for your trip

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What’s included

All you need to 'fly'

  • Wings & foils included

    You'll have access to all the right equipment during lessons; the right sized foil to suit your level and the right wing, sized to suit the wind conditions.

  • Cabarete Bay

    Ideal wind and water conditions: safe side-shore winds, generally flat water

  • Steady side-shore trade winds

    Cabarete’s afternoon wind is famously reliable and blows along the beach, not out to sea.

  • Pay only for the hours of instuction you need

    Generally after 6 to 8 hours, people have mastered the basics of wingfoil flight

  • Safety first

    Impact vest and helmets are provided to keep you safe in the water.

  • Private tuition

    Having your very own wingfoil instructor will speed up your progression. No group lessons.

A day at Swell

Perfect for
the afternoon wind.

The reliable trade winds set the timetable. If you are not surfing, your mornings are slow and easy. The wingfoiling session starts when the wind arrives (generally around midday).

06:00

Coffee is brewing

No need to get up early if you are only wingfoiling, but if you are an early riser, there's unlimited Dominican coffee available from dawn onwards and a lite-bite.

7:00

Morning surf (if you have elected to do both sports)

The trade winds arrive after lunch — so wingfoilers often opt to take the surfing package and go surf in the mornings. Alternatively, if you are only wingfoiling, have a lie in, go swim in the local bay a few minutes from Swell, or lie by the pool: the morning's all yours.

09:00

Breakfast at Swell

Coffee, tea, home pressed juice, fresh bread and home-cooked breakfast to fuel your action-packed day. Breakfast is available earlier for our guests who are not surfing.

13:00

Rig & briefing

A rough idea of the time your wing foil lesson will begin.

Tales from the beach

What learning looks like

Introduction on the beach
Introduction on the beach
How the wing is held
How the wing is held
First flights
First flights
Wing questions

Before your
first flight.

What people ask before they try the newest sport on the water. Anything we’ve missed — write to us, you'll get an honest reply from Clare

It looks far scarier than it is. The wing is light and de-powers in a heartbeat, the water is flat, and we teach you how to fall, self-rescue and right-of-way before you ever leave the beach.

The average time is 8 hours.  People with windsurfing or sailing experience are often pick it up a bit faster (because of their ‘ staying up-wind’ knowledge).  Each lesson hour is US$104; you can take as many or as few hours as you need.

What’s made wingfoiling such a popular and fast growing sport:

-It’s accessible for people of all ages.
-It’s pretty easy to travel with wingfoil kit, the gear packs down to a portable size
-It’s a safe sport, and unlike a kite, the wing de-powers the moment you let go.
-You don’t need an ocean do do it. Rivers and lakes are ideal for it too!
-A short learning curve.
-You don’t need super strong winds (10 to 12 knots is enough).
-It’s incredibly fun!

Nothing. Everything you need is included during lesson hours and most importantly, the right equipment for your skill level and the day’s wind. Nothing to buy, nothing to drag through the airport.

Cabarete’s afternoon trades are famously reliable and blow side-shore — along the beach, not out to sea. For your first lessons, only a gentle breeze (around 10 knots is required).

No. Wingfoiling is the gentlest way onto a foil there is, and plenty of guests come to it with no board sports at all.

From our guests

Don’t take our word for it.
Take theirs

4.9 300+ Reviews
Megan S
Age
43
From
San Diego
Level
Beginner
Travelled
Travelled solo
If I could give Swell 10 stars I would!! My partner and I visited Swell at the end of March 2026. We had an absolutely amazing trip. The rooms are clean and spaceship. The A/C works great and had warm water to shower. The WiFi is spotty in the upstairs rooms but works perfectly in the downstairs communal room. The staff is above & beyond!! The meals were some of the best I’ve had. The surf instructors are phenomenal.. they work with your experience and levels of surfing and join you for breakfast & dinner nights. The yoga is great mostly long holds and stretches which are great after 2 sessions of surfing. Haudy is the best. She runs the place and without her Swell wouldn’t be Swell. I highly recommend doing the canyon tour with Helmut. And last but not least the people that I stayed there with honestly became my family for the week. I honestly want to come back!
Tripadvisor April 2026
Aerial view of the cove at Swell, Cabarete
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