LabRat Foiler Podcast

In this episode of the Labrat Foiler podcast I sit down with Andrea Crociara to talk parawinging, wave riding and the Ozone Pocket Rocket UltraX. Based on Maui, Andrea is exploring what’s possible with a parawing in the surf, combining powered turns, behind-the-back handle passes and backflips, and free-flowing wave rides.

Andrea shares his journey from parawing sceptic to describing it as “tow foiling without a jet ski,” and how his dad inspired him to explore riding waves with a powered parawing. We break down his riding clips, talk through his approach to bottom turns and wave selection, and explore how his kiting and wing foiling background translates into parawing technique.

We also get into his experience with the Pocket Rocket UltraX compared with the standard V2 and PowerPack, his Appletree and SABfoil setup, and the practical details of pumping, water starts, stashing and redeploying. From his “raccoon tail” half-stow to lessons learned from wipeouts, this is a conversation about experimenting, progressing and finding new ways to enjoy waves with a parawing. I hope you enjoy :)

How should foilers train to ride harder, recover faster and stay on the water for years to come? In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with exercise scientist, author and performance coach Rodrigo Perez, founder of Holistic Pro Health Performance and creator of the Holistica Movement Method. Rodrigo shares his incredible journey from growing up with serious breathing and health challenges in Brazil to arriving in Australia with almost no money or English—and eventually coaching some of surfing’s biggest names, including Gabriel Medina, Joel Parkinson, Adriano de Souza and Jack Robinson. We explore what separates world champions from talented athletes, why consistency and commitment matter more than short bursts of motivation, and how to keep chasing ambitious goals when progress feels slow. Rodrigo explains why foilers need more than time on the water and identifies the physical qualities the sport demands: strong glutes and legs, mobility, stability, proprioception, endurance and a well-connected nervous system. We also discuss recovery during a busy foil season, sleep, hydration, nutrition, supplements, peptides, sauna and ice baths. Whether you’re an everyday foiler, weekend warrior or athlete trying to push your limits, this conversation is packed with ideas for building a stronger body, a more resilient mind and a sustainable approach to progression.

Learn to see the downwind matrix with Huey, aka Foil Me Harder. In this episode, we explore the science of ocean waves and the practical skills that can improve your parawinging and downwind foiling—from reading swell and wave patterns to choosing the right foil, timing your parawing pack-down, linking bumps and finding faster lines through the ocean. Whether you’re learning to parawing, chasing longer downwind runs or trying to understand the energy beneath your foil, this conversation will change how you see the water.

Episode links: https://www.instagram.com/foil.me.harder/

Sponsors:
@ozone.wing

@foilrat on Instagram

The Ozone R&D team returns to the LabRat Foiler Podcast to unveil their new parawing: the Afterburner—a high-performance single-skin parawing designed for experienced riders seeking greater speed, wider wind range and upwind efficiency.

I sit down with designers Dom Zimmermann and Axel Mazella to explore how the Afterburner evolved from early double-skin experiments into an accessible, low-drag design with a higher aspect ratio, refined bridles and a lightweight carbon bar. We discuss its impressive low-end power, huge wind range, rapid steering and exceptional VMG, allowing riders to spend less time fighting their way upwind and more time downwinding.

Axel also shares what happened when he pushed the Afterburner in competition, racing among 800 riders at the Défi Wing and reaching incredible speeds on a Parawing. The team explains how the Afterburner parawing compares with the Power Pack and Pocket Rocket, who it is designed for, recommended two-wing quivers and why Ozone ultimately chose a single-skin construction.

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Charles Queguiner, engineer, designer and product manager at Takoon, to unpack the development of the Takoon parawing gear line-up. We go deep into the parawing design details that make the Takoon Cloud different: its simplified four A-line stowing system, flatter bridle geometry, curved wingtip outline, full-carbon moulded bar. Charles explains how these features were designed to make launching, stowing, relaunching and learning to parawing more intuitive—without sacrificing agility or performance. Beyond the wings, Charles breaks down Takoon’s parawing-specific Slide board, its forward volume distribution and wider outline, plus stash belts, safety accessories and Takoon’s lightweight hollow-board construction. We finish by discussing where parawing foiling is heading next—from light-wind riding and racing to wave riding, upwind/downwind missions and faster downwind-foiling progression. Whether you are learning to parawing, comparing the Takoon Cloud and Cloud One, improving your stowing technique, choosing a parawing board or simply interested in foil and parawing product design, this episode is packed with practical and technical insight. If you’re into parawing gear, downwind foiling, wave riding and the future of foiling, make sure to like, subscribe and let me know in the comments: what feature would you most like to see in the next generation of parawings? __ Chapters 01:30 Meet Charles Queguiner from Takoon 06:04 Joining Takoon as a designer and product developer 08:54 Why Takoon decided to develop the Cloud 11:57 Prototypes, bridle testing and Fuerteventura development 16:25 Learning to ride while designing a beginner-friendly parawing 18:46 Takoon Cloud and Cloud One lineup explained 23:59 Nylon vs polyester fabrics for water use 26:57 Full-carbon bar design and simple line setup 30:30 The four A-line stow and simplified bridle system 35:45 Curved wingtips, stability and manoeuvrability 39:56 Designing the Takoon Slide parawing board 44:46 Board width, mast length and upwind performance 46:49 Stash belts and essential parawing accessories 51:37 Accessories for freeride, waves, downwind and racing 54:40 The future of parawings: wider wind range and bigger sizes 59:18 Why every foiler should try parawinging 01:03:29 Takoon’s lightweight hollow-board technology __ Episode links: Takoon Parawing range:https://takoon.com/en-int/pages/parawing Takoon Slide parawing board:https://takoon.com/en-int/products/slide Takoon on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/takoon/ __ Visit https://www.labratfoiler.com to learn more about the Online Parawing Course.Use code LABRAT10 for 10% off :) __ Don’t forget to subscribe for more foiling tutorials, downwinding tips and parawing techniques to elevate your water-sports skills. __ Sponsors: @ozone.wing @codefoils @foilrat on Instagram #Parawing #Parawinging #Foiling #DownwindFoiling #Takoon

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Greg Drexler from BRM to talk about his latest creation: the S3 Parawing. Greg breaks down the full design journey behind the S3 and why BRM moved from multiple parawing models into one refined single-skin design.

We go deep into parawing design, including the new D-grip bar system, improved ergonomics, bridle layout, stowing considerations, and how the S3 aims to deliver more drive, stability, and forward flight while still keeping the simplicity and packability of a single-skin parawing. We also nerd out on canopy shape, aspect ratio, bridle cascades height, spliced lines, fabric choices, stash systems, and how small design details can completely change the way a parawing feels on the water.

This is a deep-dive episode for anyone interested in a technical parawing talk and thanks to Greg for being such a gentleman to share his knowledge with us!

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Dom Zimmerman, Head of R&D at Ozone, and Axel Mazella from the Ozone R&D team to unpack everything about the brand new Pocket Rocket V2. We go deep into the design evolution from the original Pocket Rocket V1 and how the development of the PowerPack helped shape this next generation of parawing design. This conversation covers the real details that parawingers care about: shorter line lengths, stiffer and thicker lines, improved stowing ergonomics, updated bar widths, the new bow bar system, harness line setup, canopy feel, low-end power, upwind performance, quiver building, and where Ozone sees the future of parawinging heading next. If you’ve been waiting to find out whether the Pocket Rocket V2 is worth the upgrade, this episode is packed with insight straight from the people designing it. We talk about what type of rider this parawing is for, how it compares to the PowerPack, what was improved from the V1s, and why small design details like line coatings, bridle layout, and bar feel make such a huge difference on the water. We also dive into bigger-picture topics around the future of the sport, including parawing racing, performance progression, quiver choices, travel setups, board sizing, and the possibility of new high-performance models to come. Whether you are into parawing foiling, downwind foiling, wave riding, upwind performance, gear design, or just want to understand the latest innovations in parawinging, this episode is for you. If you’re frothing on parawing gear, foiling progression, and the future of the sport, make sure to like, subscribe, and let me know in the comments what you think of the Pocket Rocket V2.

This episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast dives deep into one of the most exciting moments yet for the sport of parawinging: the first SFT / SFD Downwind Parawing World Cup. I sit down with Carlos Saez to unpack the event, the race format, the vision behind it, and why this competition could play a huge role in shaping the future of parawing racing, downwind foiling, and competitive foil sports. 

We talk about what makes a true parawing race and why this event is about much more than simply blasting downwind. The big challenge is designing a format that tests real rider skill across the full discipline of parawinging — including upwind ability, downwind speed, stashing, redeploying, pumping, foil control, and tactical decisions under pressure. Instead of rewarding only the fastest gear, the goal is to build an event that rewards the most complete rider. 

That opens up some of the biggest conversations in parawinging right now. How important is stashing technique in racing? How much will pump zones influence the results? What kind of parawing board design, foil setup, and gear strategy will work best when racers need to blend powered riding with efficient unpowered foiling? We get into how course design can highlight these skills and why racing could accelerate innovation across the whole sport.

This episode also explores the bigger picture of where parawinging is heading. Carlos explains why parawinging is not just about swell riding, but a discipline that can evolve into multiple directions including racing, freeride, and performance foiling. The race becomes a lens for understanding the sport itself: what skills matter most, what equipment trends are emerging, and how events like this can help define the next phase of parawing progression. 

We also cover the broader event context, including how the SFT fits into the growing world of foil competition and why this World Cup format matters for the credibility and growth of the sport. If you’re interested in parawing racing, foil racing, downwind parawing, pump foiling, stow and redeploy technique, parawing gear development, and the future of high-performance parawinging, this episode is for you.

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with Dmitry “the Russian” Evseev, one of the true early adopters of parawinging and a rider who has been testing, refining, and pushing the sport since the beginning. From his journey out of Russia to building a life around wind and waves in Mauritius, Dmitry shares how water sports, foiling, and curiosity for new equipment shaped the rider he is today.

We dive deep into the early days of parawinging, what it was like learning before there was any real information available, and why the sport instantly hooked him. Dmitry breaks down the biggest challenges for beginners, including choosing the right gear, understanding power, managing overpowered conditions, and learning how to properly stow and redeploy the parawing with confidence.

This episode goes deep on technique, especially stowing systems, redeployment, wave riding, and why packing the parawing properly is one of the most important skills in the sport. Dmitry demonstrates his version of the 4-A-line stow method, how he approaches long-line in parawings, and why smooth, automatic technique matters so much in real-world conditions.

We also talk gear design, what makes a great parawing, why modern wings are improving so quickly, hybrid designs, bar setups, line choices, harness systems, and the small accessories that can make a big difference on the water. If you’re into wave riding, downwinders, or long upwind missions, there’s a ton in here for you.

If you’re serious about parawinging, foiling, wave riding, and learning from riders who are helping shape the sport in real time, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

In this episode of the LabRat Foiler Podcast, I sit down with world-class rider Guy Bridge to dive deep into the evolution of parawinging, foiling, and wave riding. From his roots in competitive kitesurfing to pushing the limits of modern foil sports, Guy shares insights on technique, gear progression, and what it really takes to ride at a high level.

We break down his epic Western Australia trip with the Armstrong crew, including wave riding sessions, downwind runs, and the rapid progression of parawing performance. We also get into stowing techniques, light-wind challenges, foil design choices, and how the sport is evolving globally. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced rider, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways and inspiration for your own parawing journey.

This conversation also explores the mindset behind progression — from early frustrations to breakthrough moments — and why parawing is creating such strong community energy worldwide.

Thanks for coming on the show Guy! Hope we get to ride together one day!

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EPISODE LINKS: https://youtu.be/kxBpoNxfCIw?si=zGjDE2B0LOhc4P8A

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Chapters

00:00 Before the Red Light goes on

04:21 Introduction to Guy Bridge

06:10 The Evolution of Water Sports: From Kiting to Foiling

10:32 The Thrill of Downwind Runs: Social Aspects and Techniques

15:24 WA Trip with Armstrong Crew

16:23 The Social Element of Water Sports: Banter and Community

19:34 The Technical Side of Power Winging: Skills and Techniques

25:03 The Thrill of Parawing and Community Spirit

27:45 Innovations in Parawing Gear

32:39 Wave Riding Videos

36:44 Stowing Techniques and Gear Efficiency

39:57 Parawing Stowing Methods

45:55 The Learning Curve of Parawing

50:02 Breakthrough Moments in Parawinging

51:07 Understanding Technique and Wind Requirements

52:00 Mastering Light Wind Conditions

54:03 The Evolution of Gear and Tacking Techniques

57:12 The Impact of Foil Design on Riding Experience

01:00:11 Finding the Right Balance in Quiver Selection

01:02:58 Transitioning to New Gear and Brand Experiences

01:07:39 Exploring Gear and Board Design Innovations

01:14:17 Armstrong Gear and Becoming a Team Rider

01:19:28 Mastering the Art of Pumping and Lift

01:20:31 The Rise of Parawinging in Local Communities

01:21:35 Wave Riding and the Future of Parawinging

01:24:47 Adventures and Future Plans in Parawinging

01:30:26 Racing Experiences and Community Vibes

01:36:36 Future Destinations and the Evolution of the Sport

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Visit www.labratfoiler.com to learn more about the Online Parawing Course

Use code: LABRAT10 for 10% off :)

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Don’t forget to subscribe for more foiling tutorials, down winding tips, and parawing techniques to elevate your water sports skills.

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Sponsors:
@ozone.wing @codefoils @foilrat on Instagram

#Parawinging #Parawing #Foiling #DownWinding