Hydrofoil-Freestyle world title up for grabs as top men battle for glory in kickers of Cauipe
GKA Hydrofoil-Freestyle Kite World Cup Brazil
Cauipe, 14-18 November, 2023
The world’s best Hydrofoil-Freestyle athletes are set to battle for the world championship title in a one-off decider set to go down in Cauipe, north-eastern Brazil.
The GKA Hydrofoil-Freestyle Kite World Cup Brazil will be the battleground for the crown in the high-flying discipline.
The winner from the 11 men who are due to compete in the kickers of Cauipe will be crowned Qatar Airways GKA Hydrofoil-Freestyle Kite World Champion.
Pressure to earn crown
A select fleet of men are to battle for the title, but it is difficult to see anyone unseating the current world champion, France’s Charles Brodel, whose record in recent years has been flawless.
Brodel has four Hydrofoil world titles to his name, with his latest the Qatar Air GKA Big Air Hydrofoil World Championship that he won in Tarifa, southern Spain, in June.
But his fellow countryman Maxime-Luan Desjardins, who is seeded number three, and the Dominican Republic’s Alex Soto, seeded two, will no doubt want to make the world champion earn another crown.
Intriguing prospect
Germany’s Finn Flügel, still just 14, sits fourth in the Hydrofoil-Freestyle rankings. The youngster is better-known as an up-and-coming Freestyle athlete, but he has thrown his hat in the ring for Hydrofoil-Freestyle too.
Almost a year after the last the last battle for the Hydrofoil-Freestyle world title in Taiba, Brazil, it will be intriguing to see how far the athletes have pushed this discipline, where innovation and variation is highly-rewarded by the judges.
Join us here for all the Hydrofoil-Freestyle action Cauipe.
words: Ian MacKinnon
images: Svetlana Romantsova
Spot Info
Cauipe
Cauipe offers small waves and constant winds outside the famed lagoon. It is perfect for the Hydrofoil-Freestyle discipline. Cauipe lagoon, outside Cumbuco village and 30kms from Fortaleza, forms at low tide. It is surrounded by sand dunes and palm trees, is separated from the sea by a low sandbar. Outside the sandbar, the wide beach is bathed by wind swell pushed by the 18 to 25 knots of north-easterly breeze. The smaller waves and kickers are an ideal for the Hydrofoil-Freestylers.
Weather
November is the driest month in Cumbuco. The air temperature during day can be between 32°C, the highest temperatures, and the lowest of 24°C. The water temperature of the sea is around 27°C, so nothing more than a summer shorty is required. Sunrise is at about 05.30 and sunset is 17.30.
Wind
Easterly winds blow sideshore in Cauipe, between 15–25 knots. You can find the most accurate online wind forecasts on Windguru and Windy.
