It’s crazy how much of an impact your ribs take if you get launched at the top of a 3’ wave supfoiling and land superman onto the flats! never really thought about my brain swishing around in there…. and a helmet wouldn’t help that at all. All the more reason to foil downwind, or via the wind, then no extra slamming from waves. So win for prone in the waves, I suppose, as you’re not going to stand up fully before bailing.
1 Like
I’ll second this:
I have a tech-bros friend who wants(ed) to learn to foil. He has been towing behind a boat for 2 years, then bought a foil drive. I have taken him out in the ocean in moderate conditions. I was at our local spot on a downwind board (8’ 8” @ 128 liters) so I could catch waves anywhere. He was on his foil drive. Everyone left the lineup and I said “Go over there and catch waves in the lineup since no one is here and you can learn to ride the waves without pissing anyone off.” He said “Why don’t I just catch them out here (wide) with you?” I repeated the statement.
Suddenly I realized HE DIDN”T KNOW WHAT THE LINEUP WAS. He didn’t understand where to go to get into the peak, near the whitewater and ride down the line!!! WHAT!!!
This is the problem with non surfers. We take for granted all the nuances of reef, wave peaks, close outs, current, crowds . . . . probably because we have been educated by angry elders at some point and then made a few surf friends who showed us how things work.
This was a smart guy, who I have talked about surfing with for 20+ years, he learned to windsurf but never spent more than ~ 5 sessions ever learning to surf. This is what we have to look forward to.
5 Likes
I think that this point is correct, but maybe way more broadly than anyone realised. It’s like a tipping point where if more than 15% of people are cluess, then it devolves entirely. Effectively, no one knows what the fuck is going on. It’s not just foils. It’s the entire surf lineup is no longer “a collective understanding” like it once was. Looking at the internet, it’s clearly just a free for all. New surfers, tow, foil, sup, internet, over-tourism, all smothering it. Crazy.
This clip just blew my mind. Obviously almost criminal negligence, but how do you end up in the driver seat here
. Foiling is such an obvious blowoff valve for people who can’t even face the idea of surfing anymore
3 Likes