A session where you ride with the wind from one starting point to a different finishing point, rather than returning to where you started.
A downwinder is one of the most exhilarating experiences in watersports. Instead of riding back and forth at one beach, you start upwind and let the wind carry you to a destination downwind — sometimes covering 10, 20, or even 50+ km in a single run.
SUP downwinders are popular in places like Maui (the Maliko run) where ocean swells combine with trade winds to create open-ocean bumps you can surf. Kite downwinders let you cover huge distances along a coastline.
The logistics are the tricky part — you need a car at the finish point or someone to pick you up. GPS tracking is essential for downwinders because you want to know your total distance, route, and average speed over the run.
Example usage
"Did a 15 km downwinder from Tarifa to Bolonia today. Wind was 25 knots and the bumps were incredible."
Watersports Tracker records your speed, distance, route, and more — for 24+ sports.