LUKA STOMP!

“Driven by Wind: Luka’s Rise in Freestyle Windsurfing”

Luka, a 21-year-old freestyle windsurfer from Curaçao now based in the Netherlands, has been driven by the water since he first stepped on a board at just seven years old. What began as a childhood search for the right sport quickly turned into a lifelong passion, shaped by time spent outdoors and inspired by the freestyle pioneers he watched growing up. Known for his creativity, technical precision, and expressive style on the water, Luka blends raw passion with constant progression—always analyzing, imagining, and pushing his limits. Now stepping onto the international stage with the Black Team, he’s setting his sights high, aiming not only for top rankings in PWA and EFPT competitions but also to become a true inspiration for the next generation of windsurfers, especially back home in Curaçao.

1. Let’s start from the beginning. Where are you from, and how did windsurfing become part of your life?

Hello my name is Luka and I’m 21 years old and i’m from Curacao but i live in the Netherlands now. I fell in love with windsurfing in 2010 at the age of 7 years old. That’s also when I started 🙂 . The reason I started windsurfing is because my parents wanted me to find a sport that I wanted to do, so before windsurfing I was a skater and I played football but because of a situation that happened with football I stopped and that’s when I found windsurfing.

2. Growing up, what influenced you the most, both inside and outside windsurfing?

Growing up I was most influenced by my friends from school but the thing was that a few of my friends from school also windsurfed so that was also a big reason why I surfed a lot. The biggest influence I had specifically for windsurfing were the older guys that were freestyling at the time. When I looked at them doing tricks like konos and skopu’s I was amazed every time and I hoped I was able to do those tricks one day.

3. Freestyle is a demanding discipline. What attracted you to it compared to other styles of windsurfing?

When I started windsurfing I was mostly doing freestyle for fun with my friends and it was nothing serious. Then when I started competing I realised that I did not enjoy slalom (It was too boring, there was no action) so in 2016 after I competed in a few competitions I decided I did not want to slalom anymore and so I only did freestyle from then on. I have never got to do wave windsurfing so that is something I don’t know if I like.

4. Outside of sailing, what are your main interests or passions that shape who you are?

Outside of sailing I have a few interests like skating, mountain biking, and every other watersport. I am very passionate about watersports as long as I am above the water ;). But besides that since I was a child I was always passionate about being outside, I was almost always outside doing something for example: doing wheelies on my mountain bike, skating, of course windsurfing, skimboarding, fishing, freediving or swimming. These activities helped shape who I am today.

5. How does your lifestyle away from the water influence your focus and creativity when you train?

I look at a lot of windsurfing videos but when I look at these windsurfing videos for example Kiri or Taty, I would see certain tricks I really want to do and I would analyse the film so that in my next session I know exactly what to do. This creates a super focus for me when I give my all to train these certain tricks.

If there are long periods of time where I am not on the water I usually get this feeling that I need to get back on the water, like the water is calling my name. I start to look at videos of my own windsurfing or just see the windy forecast and almost go crazy. At work I will drift into my mind and start day dreaming of these combos that I land perfectly and the competitions that I am winning.

For the creativity aspect, this usually is something that I do naturally when I am surfing with people I know for example; I want to try some goofy tricks or want to show off with tricks I can already do by adding hand gestures or just doing something funny with my body. This has influenced the way I surf 1000%, It created my style. Although my creativity does not always come from me, sometimes I see someone doing a trick on instagram or youtube and I would get influenced to try it and think of ways I can land that crazy trick, I would then try this in real life.

6. You recently joined the Black Team and tested the sails in freestyle conditions. What were your first sensations on the water?

The first 3 tricks I did with this sail (4.8 slash) I landed them all perfectly. The sail definitely felt different then the sails I normally sail but that did not stop me from getting the hang of the sail in no time. The sail felt powerful and very easy to maneuver in the air which felt amazing.

7. How did the sails perform in terms of pop, control and rotation during technical freestyle moves?

The sail has a lot of power so the pop is very good and the control was also amazing especially in the air. The rotation is easily adjusted if you want to rotate faster or slower in tricks. The sail has a steady back hand which controls power and a maneuverable front hand which controls the direction while doing a trick. I personally really like the control that the sail has.

8. You also had the chance to ride the QBond Slash. How did it feel, especially in landings and high impact tricks?

With the Qbond sail I had a lot of power but it feels like there is none, and it was much more controlled, while doing air tricks, for example: when I was overpowered you could just feel the lift but it felt like you had all the control in the sail still. This little bit made tricks much easier to land and to do in the first place in my opinion.

9. Looking at competitions, what are your main goals for this season, and which events are you focusing on in your calendar?

This season my goal is to become at least top 10 EFPT and PWA but I will be going for number 1. This season I will be focusing on PWA: Fuerteventura & Sylt, for EFPT: Paros & Naxos.

CLICK HERE FOR LUKA’S INSTAGRAM

10. When you think about the next years, what kind of rider and person do you want to become?

I want to become an inspiration for the kids and freestyle windsurfers, especially to the young guns in Curacao. I am striving to become the best windsurf freestyler there is. Just becoming a legend in the windsurfing scene, that’s my goal. I am going to become the best version of me inside and outside windsurfing.