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MORITZ MAUCH: MAKING MOVES

Moritz Mauch was without a doubt one of the standout performers in the waves at the 2025 PWA Pozo and Tenerife events. His explosive one-handed goiters and ultra-precise wave 360s lit up the line-up and had everyone talking. With the Canaries contests wrapped and the dust settled, we caught up with Moritz to find out about his background, how he pulls off those jaw-dropping moves and where he sees his windsurfing heading next.

Photos: PWA / Carter, PWA / Rafasoulart

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WINDSURF: Tell us about your background?

MM: “I’m originally from Gran Canaria…born and raised here. My parents are German, and I grew up right on the ocean in Bahía Feliz, just 15 minutes from Pozo Izquierdo. With my dad being a windsurfer, it felt kind of natural to end up on a board too. I started windsurfing really young, and around the age of 12 or 13, I got into surfing and SUP as well. Being surrounded by water and wind all year round made it super easy to fall in love with all kinds of water sports.”

WINDSURF: have you always preferred wave riding over jumping?

MM: “Yeah, I feel like I’ve always preferred wave riding over jumping. But there’s also a story behind it, when I was about 13, I broke my foot in several places doing a forward loop. After that, jumping was painful and I didn’t really improve, so I never fully fell in love with it. I think I just stuck to what I was good at, which was riding waves. But looking back now, I definitely should’ve put more time into jumping at a younger age…it’s just easier to learn when you’re young.”

WINDSURF: Some of the waves you rode in the Pozo 2025 competition were seriously next level…how did you develop that style?

MM: “I usually ride with a sail size that’s a bit bigger than what I probably should be on, just to always have power in the sail. I think it mostly comes down to timing and using the wind the right way. In onshore conditions, you really have to work with every section and create your own speed…it’s not like down-the-line, where the wave gives you that push. Spending years sailing in Pozo definitely helps, you learn to take advantage of even the smallest sections and find ways to keep going.”

WINDSURF: What are you tips for charging in onshore conditions?

MM: “First of all, I always say: make sure your gybe is solid. A proper full-planing gybe gives you the foundation to keep your speed through bottom turns. A lot of people lose speed in the turn, and I think it often comes from not knowing how to gybe, while keeping momentum. In Pozo, you need a solid bottom turn to carry speed, since you don’t have much wave power to work with. Start with clean bottom turns, focus on board speed, and use your body more than your sail. A lot of people tend to over-sheet the sail, but especially if you’re not trying to go super radical yet, it’s better to let your body lead and keep flow.”

WINDSURF: If you want to get to the next level in the competitions will you need to start learning doubles loops and push forwards?

MM: “I think if you really want to push at events like Pozo, you have to be complete. Last year I actually started jumping more, doing more back loops and trying to get more consistent with them. Unfortunately, I broke my foot again a few months ago, so that slowed things down. But my goal was to be ready for Pozo this year with better jumps. I’m proud of my wave riding, but it would be great to finally get a good result in Pozo with solid jumps too. I don’t really see myself launching into push forwards…they’re on a whole other level…but I am motivated to properly learn doubles again. I landed a few in the past, but it’s been a long time since I tried one seriously.”

WINDSURF: Does being a really good onshore wave rider help you when you switch to side shore or side-off?


MM: “Definitely. I think every bit of time on the water helps, no matter the conditions…or even the sport. The more experience you have, the better you get at reading waves and adapting to different setups. It’s not the same, of course…you have to spend some time adjusting, maybe tweak your gear a bit. But I really enjoy those changes. I love sailing side-off or side-shore conditions when they come around. Here in Gran Canaria, we actually have a few spots with side shore winds, and occasionally we even get offshore wind, which is super fun. So yeah, being used to onshore helps a lot, but you still need to put in the time to get comfortable with the other setups too.”

WINDSURF: What conditions do you prefer?


MM: “I really enjoy classic Pozo, full power, windy with good waves. That’s where I can really work on my wave moves and try to go as high as possible. But I also love those light wind, floaty days. I don’t really mind whether it’s starboard tack or port tack either. I feel like I can have fun in any kind of conditions, which I think is a big plus.”

WINDSURF: How did Pozo 2025 go for you?

MM: “So yeah, basically we arrived here on Saturday. It was a pretty nuclear forecast and I wasn’t too excited about it, to be honest, because I’m struggling a lot with jumping, especially if it’s like full on nuclear. So, I didn’t have much expectations really.
But yeah, it started out with the first heat. I felt like I had two really good waves like straight at the beginning so I could do some two very basic jumps, but it was all fine.
And just hit after hit, I felt like I got into rhythm. I always kicked off with two pretty good waves and backed it up with two very basic jumps, but it was enough to go through a couple of rounds and was really, really happy about it.

I was actually changing down sails in the heats for the jumps, because normally I, I really like to be powered up on the wave sailing just to have all that punch and like go higher.
But then of course I’m struggling a lot on the jumping just because I’m like 30 kg…25 kg less than most of the guys. I’m like 63 kg and I’m on the sails size as them for wave riding, but then obviously for jumping I need to scale down.

But there were already heats where I was just on the same sail the whole time, so yeah, it was, it was also the wind was very gusty. I really enjoy the wave riding and I feel like it’s very hard if you’re kind of good on something and then you go to the other part of the sport where there’s jumping and I’m really bad, so it’s kind of frustrating.

But saying that, having spent a lot of time with Mark Pare the last few months, The plan was to train some jumping before Tenerife, and he’s been showing me some secret double tips. In Pozo, I wanted to do a double in a few in the heats, but it was just too windy, like on the 3.1m or 3.3m fully maxed. It didn’t make much sense. I would have probably just lost time killing myself and then, yeah, losing time and not finding good ways because of that, so I was like just concentrating on one-handed goiters and wave 360’s.”

WINDSURF: How do you sort of load up to do that move?

MM: “Yeah, as I told you, I feel like I’m always normally really powered up, so I feel like I can get just a bit higher. And then I think it just comes from repetition. I’ve learned how to windsurf in Pozo and it’s basically I just focus 100% on the wave riding side. So I feel like I’m very consistent. And even if the section doesn’t line up perfect, I kind of can make it around.

It’s been super busy in Pozo the last few weeks, months and we haven’t sailed actually good Pozo with an empty line-up, so it makes such a big difference in the contest that you basically could choose the right wave with nobody in the way! In the free siding, you just got to jiggle around everyone and it’s a nightmare. So I was actually really happy about that and yeah, it felt good to get some good height on all the goiters.”

WINDSURF: So, you were using it the yeah, the Omnia, the 75 L board.

MM: “Yep, it’s a production board. I got it like two weeks before the contest and I really enjoy it. It’s over 10L above my weight and it was like 50 knots and I could control it really good in the straight line. And the wave riding is really, really good on it. I normally always use the fly wave and really enjoyed that one, but for Pozo, it was a hard decision, but I think I’m going to stick to the Omnia for here.”

WINDSURF: How do you get along with Marc Pare?

MM: “These last few months I’ve seen a side of him I didn’t know so much about. I think he’s changed a bit as well, he’s amazing to be around with because he pushes you.
He has a very high standard of himself, so it’s always like whenever we go sailing, it’s like you push to the maximum I want to keep up with him on the waves as well, so he’s like pushing really hard and yeah, it’s really good. He sometimes he’s walking my dogs when I don’t have time and it’s also really good because he’s very into developing boards and sails and everything. So even though I’m not really into it, he’s showing me and he’s kind of making me understand how a sail affects your sailing if it’s rigged up one way or the other with different masts etc.”

WINDSURF: How do you like being a part of the Simmer Style team?


MM: “It’s been amazing. The team’s been super supportive, and I get along really well with everyone, Marc, Vicente from Chile, and of course Kai, who’s always a legend. Everyone involved in the company is really passionate and hands-on, and that just creates a great vibe. It feels more like a family than a team. We are messaging directly with everyone who’s involved in it, and it’s really nice to be honest. It’s like a really small team but it’s very core and I like that.”

WINDSURF: How easy was it to switch over, when you first used the Simmer gear, and which boards have you been riding?


MM: “It was honestly super easy. I think I was on the sails for two days before the Tenerife comp last year, and it already felt like I’d been using them forever. I really enjoy the Blacktips, they’re powerful, stable, and basically everything I want in a wave sail. For boards, I’ve mostly been on the Flywave, especially the 78L model. I love that board in any condition…from onshore to offshore. It’s super responsive in the waves but still controllable in strong winds, which is exactly what I look for.”

WINDSURF: How do the Simmer boards and sails suit your style?


MM: “Since switching to Simmer gear, I’ve noticed I have way more speed through my bottom turns. That means I don’t need to use oversized sails like I used to; now I can ride more comfortably and still keep that drive. The boards carry speed so well, and that helps not just in riding but also in jumping. I’m not always super overpowered now, which actually makes it easier to get back into jumping. I’ve used the boards in all sorts of conditions, from tiny waves to bigger stuff, and they’ve performed great across the board.”

WINDSURF: What do you look for in a wave board?


MM: “I want a board that carries speed throughout the whole turn, bottom and top. That way I can focus on reading the wave and hitting the right sections without thinking too much about the gear. It also needs to be really controllable in strong wind, especially since I live in such a windy place. And finally, I need a board that gives me a solid amount of drive, so I can push hard and really feel the rails engage smoothly in the water.”

WINDSURF: How much has your SUP surfing influenced your windsurfing?


MM: “Honestly, I think I already had my windsurfing style before I got into SUP, but it’s definitely helped…especially in starboard tack conditions since I surf regular. SUP has helped me stay in shape, read waves better, and just spend more time in the ocean. Like in Chile at the last Challenger event, we ended up moving the comp to Topocalma. I’d never windsurfed there before and caught my first wave in the heat. But I felt a bit more confident because I’d been stand-up paddling that wave the two days before. So, I kind of already knew it. I really believe any time you spend doing one water sport helps you in the others and I’m super happy about that crossover.”

WINDSURF: What keeps you so motivated?

MM: Just the feeling of being in the water. I’m happiest when I’m riding waves, whether it’s windsurfing, SUP, or surfing. That connection with the ocean keeps me going every single day.”

WINDSURF: What are your ambitions in windsurfing?


MM: “After a few years of not really following the tour, I’m super motivated to get back into the rhythm of full-time competition. I want to push my level again, not just in wave riding, which I’ve been focusing on but also in jumping, to see how far I can take it.
More importantly, I want to keep having fun. I’m not just motivated by results in events. I also want to create more video content and help other people improve their windsurfing, so they can enjoy it even more.”

WINDSURF: What are your sports and hobbies outside of windsurfing?

MM: “Pretty much everything in the water, surfing, SUP, wing foiling, downwind foiling…you name it. I also love filming from the water and creating content around all these sports. That creative side really adds something different to my day-to-day.”

WINDSURF: What happened with your injury last season?


MM: “Yeah, that was a tough one. It happened during my first proper comp outside the Canaries in a while, and I was stoked to be in Maui. It wasn’t even a heavy crash or anything, just a random moment that led to the injury.
It hit my confidence a bit, but I was lucky to find an amazing surgeon in Germany, Sebastian Altenberger, who took great care of my foot. And back home, Daida Ruano has been helping me a lot with physio. I’m finally starting to feel like I’m back to 100%, and I’m just excited to move forward and stop thinking about it.”

WINDSURF: What are your plans for the rest of the season?


MM: “Train hard, film more, follow the tour, and hopefully make a trip somewhere epic for a pure sailing mission. I’d love to get a good result, but mostly I just want to spend as much time on the water as possible.”

WINDSURF: What else do you do to earn money or can you live off being a pro athlete?


MM: “So, here’s a little breakdown: Simmer Style supports me a lot, which allows me to attend competitions and travel for windsurfing. Then I work closely with Gong Galaxy, they support me too, and I do monthly photo and video shoots for them.
And besides that, I run a business with my good friend and ex-competitor Pablo Ramirez. We provide water housings for high-end cinema productions that come to the Canaries; like Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, and others. So, between those three income streams, I can make it work. It’s not always easy, but it definitely keeps me motivated to keep evolving and find new ways to grow both as an athlete and entrepreneur.”