Once you ’ ve spent a bit of time with a foil and foil board and dialled your skills in , it ’ s not that hard a skill to pick up
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As I grew up , wind sports entered the fray , and I spent a fair chunk of time ‘ surfing ’ the breeze . For me , it scratched the itch and is just another way to slide on liquid . To this day , I still use the wind and enjoy that side of watersports immensely too . But back to the topic .
Wind creates waves , albeit not necessarily the type needed for riding a 6 ’ something shortboard . Riding surfboards became increasingly limited as I rarely found myself in a conducive location . If only there were something I could employ to make better use of these slack swells – enter SUP !
With the inception of SUP , it quickly became apparent that I could use the oversized nature of a paddle board to ride smaller waves and access breaks you couldn ’ t with a surfboard . Pretty soon , SUP surfing became my most used method of wave riding . Not least because my local favours a paddle board due to how far offshore the swell can break ( sometimes a mile out !).
Riding a SUP alters your perception of what a ‘ wave ’ can be . You don ’ t need anything big . And often , you don ’ t need anything powerful . Sometimes residual wind swell is enough to propel the rider and SUP along . Of course , should a proper groundy arrive , with some decent head-high action to be had , then fun , fun , fun ! But often , that ’ s not the case .
The perpetual cycle
Over the years , I ’ ve done a fair bit of travelling to SUP surf – both overseas and domestically ( which has stalled recently ). There have been some cracking days and some not-so-great sessions . Whilst a paddle board allows the milking of lax swell , it does
Once you ’ ve spent a bit of time with a foil and foil board and dialled your skills in , it ’ s not that hard a skill to pick up
get to a point ( particularly after experiencing those good days ) where unless it ’ s solid , SUP surfing becomes ( dare I say it ) boring . I appreciate that this may sound rich for many , but it comes down to the amount of time afloat you get . The more time you get in good conditions , the pickier you are , as you ’ re not chasing the fun as much .
Nonetheless , I was looking for something more as I love being on the water . For a while , I wasn ’ t sure what this was from a pure wave riding point of view . But then hydrofoils came into my space , and things changed .
Fly above water
I won ’ t go into the technical aspects of foiling too much as I ’ ve covered those points in separate wing and SUP foil how-to articles in other issues of SUP Mag UK . Suffice to say , once you ’ ve spent a bit of time with a foil and foil board and dialled your skills in , it ’ s not that hard a skill to pick up , especially if you have prior SUP surfing experience .
So how does SUP foiling now fit into my routine ? Essentially it comes down to glide . Or rather , the abundance of it when on foil . SUP ’ s glide is another topic I ’ ve waxed lyrical about often over the years . It ’ s part of the addiction . As anyone who paddle boards will know , a few strokes are enough to get your board gliding atop the brine . And this is the hook for most , even on flat water . Transfer this to waves , where the board ’ s glide is amplified , and it ’ s not hard to see why riders fall in love with SUP surfing . Adding a foil turbo charges the sensation and then some !
One of my biggest bugbears with SUP surfing in smaller waves is the sometimes inability to connect clean , walled-up sections . You may get on a pulse and carve a bottom turn only to have the whole thing close out or back off . Bigger waves offer more speed on fin and the ability to clear round sections – although not always . A foil eradicates this nuisance and gives excellent speed , efficiency and ( another key point ) length of ride .
Seriously , the length of ride I can achieve on a good day at my local with a foil is insane . You can ride the whole length of the sand bar , which waves break on , which can be a mile or so long . And then pump back out to connect with another pulse of swell , and ride that , all without coming off foil ( if your legs can hold out ). This takes a bit of practice , but it ’ s achievable . And that ’ s something you definitely can ’ t do when riding a finned board .