FoilMotion App Tracks Wingfoil, Pump, and Surf Foil Sessions via Wearables

Sascha Thöni left a stable job to build FoilMotion, and the problem he was trying to fix is one every pumpfoiler knows: your Apple Watch logs a session, but the data is a mess. Most apps only use the raw GPS signal, and water sports often suffer from poor accuracy due to water reflections, with sharp turns and fast maneuvers pushing GPS to its limits and often missing the true path you traveled.

FoilMotion's answer is multi-sensor fusion. The app combines multiple sensors on your Apple Watch to create high-definition tracks that capture every turn and movement in detail, enabling unique features like detecting individual pumps in pumpfoiling and precisely identifying where your runs begin and end. The tracking engine was built by Jürg Diemand, a surfer and foiler with a PhD in Computational Physics and deep experience in algorithm development and machine learning.

The pumpfoiling feature set is where FoilMotion earns its niche reputation. Unique pumpfoiling features include automatic pump count and pump rate/cadence analysis, automatic dockstart counting with a trained detection model, and power output derived from analyzing the intensity of each pump. For dockstart sessions specifically, motion data allows precise detection of every dockstart attempt and shows the start success rate. Those numbers are the kind of feedback that actually changes how you train.

Version 1.9.0 pushed the analytics further. FoilMotion now shows power and pump rate analytics for foiling sessions, letting you track power output and pumping efficiency for every run and see how you improve over time, with metrics designed to help understand technique and performance. The update also addressed a persistent frustration: GPS tracking was improved so runs are now detected more accurately with fewer unwanted splits. Rider weight can now be entered in settings for more precise power calculations, and session deletion was added for data management.

The app supports pumpfoil, wakefoil, parawing, wingfoil, downwind, kite, and wakeboard disciplines, among others. Maneuver detection covers the full range of what happens on the water: FoilMotion recognizes 17-plus different maneuver types automatically, from basic port and starboard tacks and jibes to advanced upwind and downwind 360-degree turns. Water contact detection runs on Apple Watch Ultra and Series 10, and heart rate monitoring is active during runs.

Real-time pump detection works across Apple Watch, iPhone, and Garmin. A third-party watch import feature lets you connect your GPS sports watch account and automatically sync water sports sessions to FoilMotion, with imported sessions analyzed using the same detailed metrics: runs, pumps, maneuvers, and more.

The algorithm was built on hundreds of real-world sessions and continuous testing with the community. Jörg, the other half of the founding team, handles business strategy and user engagement while Thöni focuses on the engineering. Unlike many watersports apps, FoilMotion does not collect, share, or sell user data, with foiling sessions staying completely private on-device.

The app requires iOS 17.0 or later, and the Apple Watch companion requires watchOS 10.0 or later. FoilMotion launched on April 4, 2025. For a discipline where marginal gains in pump cadence and glide efficiency are the difference between a 90-second run and a 60-second one, having a wrist-worn sensor that actually counts strokes rather than just drawing a wobbly GPS line on a map is no small thing.