"I take what comes from the wind!" I am Finn, and I would describe myself as a born waterman. Ever since I can remember, I have loved being in and around the water and couldn't wait until I was allowed to kite myself. Born in Franconia, Germany, I consider myself a cosmopolitan, traveling between my native town Hof, El Gouna, Egypt, and Brazil – and the rest of the world! For me, the water is my playground, and it is a real gift that I am able to practice all these great facets of water sports and that I have already found great sponsors who believe in me and support me. I cannot imagine changing that.
Finn Flügel
Where are you from?
Germany
When were you born?
2009
How old were you when you became a waterman?
6
Which foil disciplines do you practice?
Wingfoil, Kitefoil, Pumpfoil, SUP foil
What do you love about hydrofoil compared to other watersports?
What I love about hydrofoiling is that I can almost always go out on the water because I don't need much wind. It's an incredible feeling to float almost silently over the water. From one moment to the next, I can gain extreme speed, or I can catch a gust and loop my kite. That´s so amazing!
What's your favorite trick or riding style?
It always depends on where I am at the time. At my home spot here in El Gouna, Egypt, I love doing big air and I love all the board-off tricks with rotations and kiteloops. These are my favourite conditions. When I go out with the wingfoil board, waves are my favourite thing to ride.
Which are your 3 favorite spots for foiling? Why?
- El Gouna, Egypt: The shallow water here is ideal for hydrofoil big air with all its kiteloops and rotations.
- Tarifa, Spain: I always have everything with me here. One day I take my kitefoil equipment for cruising, and the other day I take my wingfoil stuff and use the kicker waves for nice 720s and all the other tricks I'm currently practising.
- Pécem, Brazil: The waves here are great! My wingfoil equipment is the first choice for riding the clean waves.
Other passions besides hydrofoiling?
My great passion is kiting in general. I am a freestyle kiter and have already won two junior world champion titles in this discipline. I also love big-air kiting and train as often as I can. When I'm at wave spots, I also like to unpack my strapless board. On no-wind days, you can also find me wakeboarding here at my home spot at the cable park.
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