Foiling Magazine #4

ISSUE # 4

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TEX AS TANKER WAVES BIG WAVE FOILING KA I IN TA HITI WI NGSU RFING O N THE CA PE

WITH KAI LENNY

TECH: TAAORA iUP || SLINGWING V2 || UNIFOIL 150 VORTEX || RRD WIND WING 1

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FR E E WIN G

Photographer : Andy Klotz Rider : Carsten Kumis

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Mizo.

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Rider: Jeff rey and Finn Spencer Photo: Henry Spencer

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ENJOYMENT, AMUSEMENT OR LIGHTHEARTED PLEASURE

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CONTENTS F

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NO BAD DAYS

C AP E C RU SADE RS

With over 8000km of coastline and almost limitless wave

YouTuber brothers Camille and Julien Bouyer join up with

possibilities, it’s a common misconception that all Brazil’s

Bowien van der Linden in Cape Town, and head out on a

line-ups are crowded. Mizo Fernando and Titouan Galea

road trip to reap the rich potential that’s to be found along

joined their F-ONE teammate Remi Quique at his surf camp,

South Africa’s southerly shores for the new RRD Wind

and found plenty of opportunity for those who pack a foil…

Wing.

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NO BLUE SKI ES

WIL LOW- RIV E R TONK IN

Maui it certainly is not, but the emerging UK foil scene has its

Barely a year ago pro kitesurfer and Mauritian local

fair share of deeply committed riders, who will battle Atlantic

Willow-River Tonkin rode his first wave on a prone foil,

storms and cold waters to get their foil fix. We find out about

and is already a master on the waves. Kjell van Sice got

one such hardy group in Cornwall, deep in the UK’s mystical

hold of Willow to find out how this developing passion

south western reaches.

began.

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26 E X POS UR E // 5 6 UP LOA D E D : MA LOLO // 64 R I S I N G U P : M I KA EL A N I C HOL S // 68 S ECR ET SPOT // 70 T H E O UT E R BA N KS : T E XAS & N EW Z EA L A N D 8 2 DY N A M I CS : JESS E R I C HM A N // 89 RE D LET T E R DAY: P H I L I P P E C A N E R I & J U L I EN L E P R EVOST // 1 04 THE G OOD STU F F // 1 5 8 B ACKSTORY: AM UN DS O N C USTO MS & AX I S // 1 72 THE 1 01 : B I G WAV E F OI L I N G // 1 8 0 W I N G COM M A N DE R: M ARIO L E GE N ST E I N // 188 I N BO UN D // 2 1 6 F OR ES I G HT: M ATHI EU F OU L I A R D // 2 1 9 STATE OF P L AY: JA M ES JEN K I N S

LEFT Kyron Rathbone cuts into a moody Southern Ocean ground swell on the south side of Tasmania.

PHOTO: Nick Green C OV E R Some perfectly executed energy displacement by Bevan Gooch out in Pauanui, NZ. PHOTO: Paul Schrader 15

CONT E N TS

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E D I TO R IA L

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ED ITORIAL I won’t lie. It’s been an odd couple of months…

distant adventure. Nourishing stuff at a time I think it’s needed most.

I was going to try and avoid any talk of the worldwide pandemic that the majority of the planet is dealing with right now, and hope that, through all the sunshine and smiles within these pages, we could just use the escapism this magazine provides as a chance to draw breath (which I hope it still is of course) and make no mention of it in this editorial.

So, digging inside, you’ll be taken to Brazil with the F-ONE team, South Africa with the Bouyer brothers, and from Hawaiian island to island with Kai Lenny. You’ll meet the hardy cold water Kernow Foil Crew in Cornwall UK, learn how to tow-in at massive Nazaré (I get sweaty palms just thinking about it), find out how drone technology is being incorporated into foils, and be taken deep down into Texas, where oil-laden supertankers have unwittingly created a small but thriving foiling scene. You’ll also get to know about plenty of choice new kit that’s inbound from the top brands, just in time for you to emerge from any kind of lockdown slumber and get back on that water with extra wide-eyed zeal.

But the fact is, it’s a big and starkly sobering event that’s taken place during our tenure here on Planet Earth, and it’s something everyone has had to confront at some level or other. It does need to be mentioned, but perhaps we shouldn’t dwell. If my meditation app has taught me anything, it’s the moment that counts, and those yet to come.

So this issue is a little different, as you’ve no doubt already come to realize.

Before I sign off though and, and let you go enjoy all that, I’d just like to take this opportunity on my little magazine soapbox to note a message of gratitude to all those who go that extra mile to support us. Subscribers, advertisers, or just someone who shares one of our Instagram posts and in so doing bags us another follower. Without you lot, without this great community, this magazine – be it print or digital – simply couldn’t happen. So this one really is dedicated to you.

Firstly, we’re fully digital… with many bookstores, airports, foil stockists and the like remaining closed around the world, there seemed little point in producing a a print version of the magazine (oh and if you’re a print subscriber, rest assured, you’ll still get the same amount of print issues you signed up for. See this as a bonus!).

Enjoy the issue.

Secondly, it’s free. We figured everyone could use a little boost, and who doesn’t love a freebie?!

Thirdly, we’re MASSIVE… A whopping 222 glossy pages that should keep you furnished with quality reading material for weeks to come.

Cai Waggett

Then, in particular, we’ve strived to fill it with plenty of top-drawer content that highlights our growing foil community, ongoing technical innovation within the sport, and good old-fashioned tales of

E DITOR

LEFT

Social distancing, before it was a thing... PHOTO: Samuel Cardenas 19

E DITOR I A L

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KEEP RISING Building from the success of the Thrust Surf Foil, the all new Jet Surf foil continues to push the bar in developing the most versatile and modular foils in the world. This year our surf wings produce the same or better lift, size-for-size, than previous models and are faster, tighter turning and easier to control. Built on a modular platform, the Jet Surf foils easily change components like the wings, masts and base plates and can be tuned for surf, SUP, wake, downwind, kite and windsurf foiling making it the most versatile foil platform in the world. Experience the next dimension in surfing with Naish Foils.

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P O W E R E D BY N AT U R E

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PRODUCTION TEAM Editor: Cai Waggett Editor-in-Chief: Alex Hapgood Art Director: Nikki Hall Technical Editor: Richard Boughton Contributing Editor: Kjell Issey van Sice CONTRIBUTORS Adrian Geislinger, Adrian Roper, Alex Schwarz, Alvaro Onieva, Annie Reickert, Baptiste Cloarec, Benjamin Geislinger, Brian Solano, Camille Bouyer, Casper Steinfath, Chuck Patterson, Daniel Dingerkus, Debbie Jean Holloman, Erik Aeder, Frankiebees, Gabriel Bachelet, Glyn Ovens, Hanno Dingerkus, Hayato Maki, Hélio António, Jack Bowers, Jade Stent, James Darling, James Jenkins, Jamie Hancock, Jarrason Bitton, Jason Wolcott, Jesse Richman, John Carter, Julien Bouyer, Julien Fillion, Julien Le Prevost, Kai Lenny, Karl Muggeridge, Mala’e McElheny, Mario Legenstein, Mathieu Fouliard, Mikaela Nichols, Mizo Fernando, Nick Green, Nina Medellin, Paul Campion, Paul Schrader, Pedro Gomes, Philippe Caneri, Remi Quique, Ridge Lenny, Roberto Ricci, Russell Ord, Samuel Cardenas, Samuel Tomè, Sascha Baltes, Shannon Stent, Steve Nelson, Thomas Burblies, Timothy S. Boughton, Titouan Galea, Tom Servais, Trish Meyler, Tronic Pro, Valere Caneri, Willow-River Tonkin, Wyatt Miller

A DV E R T I S I N G All advertising enquiries can be sent to advertising@thefoilingmagazine.com SUBMISSIONS We’re always on the hunt for foil adventurers who can write and/or take a good photo. Please send your pitch or previous examples of articles/ photography to hello@thefoilingmagazine.com COPYRIGHT All material in Foiling Magazine is subject to copyright. Reproduction without the express permission of the publishers will result in prosecution.

PUBLISHER Foiling Magazine is published by Water Born Media Limited in Hayle, Cornwall.

United Kingdom E N V I R O N M E N TA L This magazine is printed on paper sourced from responsibly managed sources using vegetable based inks. Both the paper used in the production and the manufacturing process are FCS ® certified.

The printers are also accredited to ISO14001, the internationally recognized environmental standard.

A B OV E Zane Schweitzer dials down his strapless airs at Baby Beach on Maui.

PHOTO: Erik Aeder FIND US HERE @foilingmagazine foilingmagazine thefoilingmagazine.com

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hard at work.

The man behind The brand... armie armsTrong hard aT work.

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photos: GeorGia Schofield

Better By design Built strong Built to last At ARMSTRONG we design and build the highest quality Hydrofoils for multiple disciplines, a no compromise modular approach delivering access to all foil sports.

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a r m s t r o n g f o i l s . c o m

R IDER Dylan Wilcoxen P HOTOGRAPHER Russell Ord LO C ATIO N Kandui Resort, Mentawai Islands Russell: Dylan’s Instagram account name, @alldaydylan, is the perfect reflection of who he is and how he lives his young 10-year-old life. Dylan lives in an area rich in quality waves; surfing used to take up 100% of his daylight hours in amongst a few hours of schooling, and now foiling is finding its way into his ocean time. According to Dylan, foiling is not only a perfect partner to his surfing, it’s opened up so many more waves in and around his home at Kandui Resort, giving real meaning to the area known as ‘Playgrounds’.

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RIDE R Daniel Dingerkus PHOTOG RAP H E R Hanno Dingerkus LO C AT ION Sardinia, Italy Daniel: As a water addict, who is living in Germany, you always got to make to most out of your trips. Since I started foiling, the Mediterranean got way more interesting for me. During winter, storms and wind swells can hit it pretty hard. But the swell windows with good waves are short. Foiling keeps me busy, on those what’s-left-over days, until the next storm hits. Hopefully soon.

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R I DE R Julien Fillion P HOTO GR A P HE R Debbie Jean Hollomon LO C ATIO N Ka’a Point, Maui / Pot o’ Gold Point Julien: This winter in Hawaii I sure focused a lot on foiling, both prone, SUP and mostly wingfoil. Everybody will agree with me this has been one of the windiest winters in Maui, on some days you would see 15-20 windsurfers out there. This was a typical rainy/sunny Maui afternoon, I must have spent three hours in the water shooting with my friend Debbie. At some point she started yelling at me about the rainbow, we had literally 45 seconds to nail this shot… good job Debb!

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RIDE R Alvaro Onieva P H OTOGRAP H E R Samuel Cardenas LOC AT ION Balneario, Portugal Samuel: After a month of bad wind conditions in Tarifa, a thing that is not usual here in paradise, Alvaro and I decided to go to the most famous and mythical spot in our hometown, Balneario. It’s the perfect place with Levante wind and small waves! We arrived really early in the morning but it was too cloudy to shoot… but we decided to go to the water anyway and take some photos with the wing foil. Who would have imagined just a year ago the amazing feelings you get when you go practicing this new “sport”? Now, nobody can tell Alvaro to stop practicing it!

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R I D E R James Jenkins P HOTO GR A P HE R James Jenkins LO C ATIO N British Virgin Islands James: This shot was taken on a trip that convinced me to never travel anywhere without foil gear. The main goal of the trip was to cruise around the British Virgin Islands on a boat looking for good kiteboarding conditions.

While the area typically gets really windy, the first few days of our trip were slick calm. Considering the glassy conditions, we decided to look around for a reef pass that was exposed to the small swell in the water. We pulled up to this beautiful, blue right-hander with nobody around and two of us traded foil waves all day long.

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RIDE R Mala’e McElheny PH OTOGRAP H E R @foilcountry LOC AT ION Oahu, Hawaii Mala’e: The best foiling days are when I can get wing foil and prone foil sessions on the same day. This day I went prone foiling with my friends and then came in and switched to the wing foil. I had a whole zone to myself away from the other foilers and the wind was really good for the 4m wing.

The speed you can get with the wing is awesome. It is an extra bonus to be able to boost. I am stoked that my 4’0 Amundson Customs Fire Bolt works great for both wing and prone. I was using the Go Foil GL140 on a 29” mast.

The GL series works really well for the wing as it gets up on foil quickly, it is fast, and it is also loose! It was so windy I could have used the smaller GL100 for sure. Next time!

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RIDE R Hayato Maki P H OTOGRAP H E R Pedro Gomes LOC AT ION South Chiba, Japan Hayato: A Torii is the gateway of a shrine, and passing the gateway means that you are entering the divine space… This low key spot is located next to a fishing village in beautiful countryside and just 1.5 hours away from Tokyo.

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EEXPOS XPOSUURREE

RIDE R Annie Reickert PHOTOGRAP H E R Erik Aeder LOCAT ION Sugar Cove, Maui Annie: Another beautiful day on Maui with wind and waves! Wing foiling has become a wind sport mainstay in less than a year. Recently, I’ve used a wing on my downwind runs which has added such a fun dimension to foiling down the coast! In this shot, I’m heading into the beach at Sugar Cove after a wing downwinder with a group of friends who were just getting into it. Needless to say, there were lots of face plants and laughs but the learning curve is pretty quick and by the end, everyone had gotten the hang of it.

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RIDE R Rich Boughton PHOTOGR AP H E R Timothy S. Boughton LOCAT ION Burgh Island, Devon FM: Built in 1336 and steeped in maritime history, the Pilchard Inn shelters on the leeward side of Burgh Island on a relatively remote and untouched part of the UK’s coast in south Devon. The island was renowned as smugglers hideout, and the pub is reputably haunted by the ghost of Tom Crocker, a local pirate from the 14th Century. Our very own Technical Editor Rich is photographed enjoying a ghostly quiet wing foil session at sundown in the smooth offshore conditions as the land cools. What would Tom make of this new-fangled apparition we wonder?

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RI DER Jack Bowers PHOTOGRAPHER Jason Wolcott LOCATI ON Nihiwatu, Indonesia Jack: We had just finished surfing four epic days of 8-foot glassy perfection at Nihiwatu. The swell dropped and now we found ourselves ready to foil perfect and fast little waves. It was only my sister Dairinn, our friend Ben, and I in the water catching the wave way on the outside, riding it to the beach and pumping back out, over and over again. The wave was smooth and the backwash at Nihiwatu made the pump back out effortless. When we were done, totally exhausted, and enjoying an epic breakfast with an outstanding view of “our� wave... we all agreed it was the best foil session ever.

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R I D E R Shannon Stent P HOTO GR A P HE R Jayde Stent LO C AT I ON Margaret River, Western Australia Shannon: Fun day at my home break trying out my new custom Sunova 4’0.

This spot is one of the heaviest barreling waves along the coast, but when the swell is small it becomes foil heaven, with rides over 300m all the way to the beach. I’m so stoked to have this place so close to home.

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R I D ER Chuck Patterson PHOTO G R A P HE R Trish Meyler LOC AT I ON San Onofre, San Clemente, California Chuck: Sunset sessions are my absolute favorite way to wash off the day.

Sharing an oily glassy evening, trading waves with good friends watching the orange lava cookie melt away into the sea‌ Absolute perfection.

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RIDE R Alvaro Onieva PHOTOG RAP H E R Samuel Cardenas LOCAT ION Tarifa, Los Lances Alvaro: After 8 weeks in lockdown, just watching the ocean from a distance, we finally heard the news that we were now allowed onto the water again! A few friends and I couldn’t resist it anymore, so we decided to make the most of the 6 to 10am morning exercise slot, and were on the water for a magical dawn patrol. The morning was completely glassy with some small lines coming through from the outside, so I decided to bring the electric board out and do a fun tow in session with some friends, and just really enjoy the magical power of the ocean again. We are so lucky to have had beautiful weather and good environment here.

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RI DER Casper Steinfath PHOTOGRAPHER Frankiebees LOCATI ON Somewhere on Maui…

Casper: One of the things I really enjoy about foiling is how it takes me all kinds of new cool places. Recently, while on Maui, Hawaii, I spent many days driving around the island searching for fun flight conditions with the Naish team. We ended up pulling into a tiny bay one morning just as sunlight poured over the volcano mountain behind us. It was one of those magical sessions in a new location where I hit a perfect state of flow.

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RIDE R Ridge Lenny P H OTOGRAP H E R Brian Solano LOC AT ION Maui Ridge: This session Brian and I really wanted to nail a shot where I was jumping in front of the iconic West Maui Mountains. With nuking trades, solid swell and about an hour and a half of jumping with Brian directing me from land, we came away with some images we are both really proud of. I’m looking forward to continue to push my riding and development of foils with The Hydrofoil Company so that a couple months down the line, this jump will look tiny by comparison. Â

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RIDE R Gabriel Bachelet P H OTOGRAP H E R Bruno Sroka LOC AT ION Crozon, Brittany Gabriel: We went to the Crozon peninsula looking for some waves to test the new SROKA surf foil boards. The offshore wind created these nice looking lines but the low tide made the waves a little hard to ride. One of the advantages of this foil I was using is how easy it is to take off even in the steepest conditions, meaning you don’t have to look at the forecast and tides too much before choosing your board for the day. It is crazy to see how fast this sport is evolving.

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R I D E R (L-R) Mike James, Isaac Hawkins, Dan Raward, Karl Muggeridge P HOTO GR A P HE R Jarrason Bitton LO C AT I ON Gold Coast, Australia Karl: The session we had was at Burleigh just as summer was coming to an end. Burleigh Heads is renowned for surfing and some of the best shaped waves on the planet, and it also caters for the Foil Guys every other day.

Traditionally the swell hits the coast a few times per year which leaves the other 300 days per year for foiling and immersing ourselves in this amazing coastline. It’s not this amazing all the time… but more often than not we get to enjoy the ocean here with a group of mates, and share the waves of the Gold Coast.

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R I D E R : J A LO U LA N G E R E E / P H O TO G R A P H E R : S C O TT S I N TO N

MALOLO K AI L EN N Y

We had a few choices penciled in for this slot, and all were very respectable choices at that‌ But then up pops Malolo, a beautifully filmed video short of all-round Lord of the Seas Kai Lenny breaking three different world records on a foil, filmed and produced by the deft and talented hands of videographer Ryan Johnson. So we hit Kai up with some questions‌

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Hey Kai. Congrats on the multiple records! Are you the first to foil all three of those challenges?

When those races happened in 2018 I wasn’t the only one competing in foiling for the Maui to Molokai or Molokai to Oahu but for the Napali Coast run I was. That season had incredible conditions every day and it really made those races special, exciting and fun. Especially with the Napali Coast run, it is notorious for no wind at the end. That day however it was the most perfect swells to the sand.

How much did your crossing times shave off the records previously set?

Quite a bit, the year before during the Molokai 2 Oahu race in 2017 I paddled my unlimited SUP in a time of 4:07:41, on the foil the very next year it was 2:52:48. Since then it has dropped down to 2:29:38 in 2019. Comparing the speed to any other sport would simply be unfair as the foil is way faster considering the board doesn’t touch the water. It’s just different and has been really fresh and exciting to race with in open ocean swells.

Did you go in with a mindset to break the records or simply complete the challenge?

My mindset was to go as fast as possible. Breaking the fastest records set by crafts that were motorized or sail powered was the goal.

It was the idea of, how fast can it be done with the latest downwind technology? Where could it be taken?

What sort of mast height are you using for downwinding?

I was using an 82cm mast length, 12 centimeters longer then my surfing foil set up. That extra clearance helps for cutting across swells and chops to avoid over foiling. The channel crossings aren’t dead downwind, so I had to take the cutting across the face of waves into consideration.

Could you modify your setup to knock even more speed off, or is it more condition-dependant?

Without a doubt in my mind. Every year the gear gets faster, and I know for certain we can be going way quicker. I believe for the Molokai 2 Oahu race breaking the two hour barrier is very achievable.

I will require a lot of training, the right gear, and great conditions, all very possible on the right day out there.

Speaking of training, it looks like you put some serious gym training in before the event. Did you amp this up for the crossing or is this a day to day routine for you?

I am always training, and this really was a window into my world.

When it comes to the crossings and races my training does shift quite a bit to specific training surrounding endurance. Whereas for wintertime training it is very much explosive movements.

Did Ryan accompany you the whole way?

Ryan was there every step of the way. He arguably had the hardest job considering he was sitting on the boat getting sprayed! He did a good job capturing the moments that mattered.

Who shaped your board, and how does that double concave work?

That board was shaped by KT’s Keith Taboul, and it was the first test run of that deep double barrel concave. It creates a tremendous amount of lift when paddling onto the foil. It also has very low drag during touchdowns. The board was 5’6 x 24” x 5”.

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“THERE IS ALWAYS A CURIOUS CREATURE AROUND! SOMETIMES IT IS A GIANT TIGER SHARK, OR A BIG MANTA RAY.”

How did you prepare yourself from a nutritional perspective?

Drawing on my experience racing in SUP made it easy to transition to foiling since I wasn’t having to take into account the extra time in the water. I had one hydration pack and a bean burrito. Nothing particularly unique, my water had trace minerals and the burrito was beans and cheese. When I push hard my stomach gets sensitive and those items are quite bland compared to the sweetened gels and drinks. It just works for me so well. During training I tried to eat healthy and a lot. Up to four meals a day sometimes.

It’s a long way between those islands. Did you see plenty of marine wildlife?

That’s what I love most about those crossings, there is always a curious creature around! Sometimes it is a giant tiger shark, or a big manta ray. Most of the time it’s a ton of sea turtles and flying fish.

Whenever the flying fish would burst out of the water I would try and chase them through the air. Hence the name for the film, Malolo, which in Hawaiian translates to flying fish.

So there’s one red line missing between a couple of the islands at the end of your video. Any plans to cross between Maui and Hawaii?

Actually in 2016 I did do the crossing between Hawaii island and Maui on a foil. It took four hours and was around fifty miles. There is no race in that channel, so I didn’t do it for the film but I’d definitely like to do all the channels in Hawaii one day, that would be a great challenge.

Finally, that is one nice new truck. We assume it’s a hybrid. Tell us about it.

The truck is awesome. It’s a 2017 Ford Raptor twin turbo v6 ecoboost engine. It’s the perfect vehicle for hauling all my gear around the island!

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S Q U A R E F L E X

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B O A R D S H O R T

B O A R D S H O R T

COCONUT. [ Discarded coconut fibers are recycled into a coconut charcoal filament, which happens to be a fantastic boardshort material.] _ Effects Super flexible, Eco-friendlier, Waterproof & dries fast, Prevents bad smells, Strong & durable.

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STYLE ON LAND_ PERFORMANCE ON WATER.

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S A L T Y

MIKAEL A NICHOLS One of the female groms leading the charge in the next generation of foilers, Mikaela Nichols is already a highly experienced competitive surfer, Starboard ocean ambassador, and dedicated environmentalist. We caught up with her to hear a bit more about her recent foiling adventures…

Hi Mikaela. So what can you tell us about yourself?

I recently turned 12, and I live in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It’s a small beach town as far north east in Florida as you can go, just across the border from Georgia. I have lived here my whole life. I was really young when I first went surfing. My dad would push me into waves when I was only a couple of years old, and when I was five when I competed in my first surf competition.

When did you first see a foil, and what did you think?

It was probably about two years ago when my dad and I went over to our friend Steve’s house. Steve had just gotten a foil and was starting to learn how to ride it. I’d never seen anything like it and thought they looked really neat. When I saw them ride one it looked really really fun and made me want to learn how to foil. The first time I rode a foil board was February 2019. It was really cold, and I had to wear my wetsuit!

How hard was it to learn?

Not too hard, my dad and his friend Steve gave me good instruction so I don’t think it was too bad. My dad was all into it and probably more excited than me! When learning the first time I was really nervous and a little scared because I did not want to get hit by the wing and the cold water was not helping. Although my mom was supportive, she was terrified! She made me wear a helmet the first time and several times after that until my dad convinced her I knew how to bail off the foil without getting hit, then she let me not wear it anymore, although I did get a really bad bruise on my leg one time.

LEFT Mikaela’s helmet days (we think it looks fine!)

RIGHT The international language of the shaka. Someone’s stoked!

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RISING UP

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How did you first learn to foil – straight into the waves or behind a boat?

I learned by just heading straight out into the waves. My dad waited for a really good day that was not too big for me. He and Steve would get me set up out in the surf and push me into the wave then start yelling to lean forward… then yell “pump, pump, pump!” I took a few good wipeouts but I was able to finally catch a couple good rides that first day. I really want to go behind a boat someday, that looks really fun.

What does your setup look like, since you’re a little smaller than a lot of foilers out there?

The first board was my dad’s prone board. It was 5’6 but really big for me. The first foil I used, my dad actually took an old foil mast and cut it down so it was not so tall – I think he didn’t want me to fly too high at first. He also had a small wing that I used. Since then he has worked with a foil company that actually made a foil set for me! They named it the Mikaela Signature Series and it is specifically for groms.

It has a 20-inch mast and I have two wings: one for really small days

and one if there is a little more wave. The pink 4’4 I ride now was shaped by my dad. It has my motto “Be Brave” on it which I needed when learning to foil.

Have you met any others kids under 15 who foil too, and do you have any advice for those who might want to try?

No, I haven’t yet met any other kids that foil, but I see videos of them on the internet so I know there are some kids foiling out there. Just go for it… start with a helmet and lean forward and pump! When you start flying you just have to stay calm.

Since you’re already a successful competitive surfer, how does foiling compare to surfing for you?

Well, with surfing I am able to really move around the wave a lot more, but with foiling it just feels like you are flying, which is hard to explain. It is super fun and really good for those days when the waves are not so good for surfing.

What’s next for Mikaela and foiling?

I need to improve my turning and get better at flat water pumping. I would like to have some time behind a boat to help with some of that.

Lastly, tell us why it’s so important to be good stewards of the ocean?

I always try to be an ambassador for our ocean since we need to protect our playground not only for us but for all the ocean animals. We need to keep our planet healthy and happy for our future. Whenever I go to the beach, I make it a point to pick up any trash, even if it’s not mine and leave nothing but my footprints.

LEFT Best. Wetsuit. Ever.

RIGHT Mikaela carries her motto around with her...

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Somewhere north of Los Angeles, this pristine wind zone has been windsurfed and then kiteboarded since the early 80s. Then came kite foilers. Now the latest craze has turned all the kiteboarders and kite foilers into wing foilers! Deer have been seen on the beach, elephant seals breed there in the winter and are so thick on the sand you can’t even get through them to the water in late winter. The surrounding area is like God’s country, so much open space, craggy coastlines, and home to many native species.

Seen here are local sailors Treve Jones (on the outside) and Donny Baxter. Two guys who seem to have grown gills, spending countless hours daily in the cold water doing what they love!

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S E C R E T S POT

TEXAS TANKER WAVES Certainly, deep low pressures and open ocean swells create the majority of waves that you or I would go hunting for on the daily...

But there’s a small but growing movement of people, Sascha Baltes included, who travel the world with a foil, looking for tidal bores and super tanker wash from which to get ultra-long rides and plenty of intrigued looks from the shore‌

W O R D S S A S C H A B A LT E S P H O T O S N I N A M E D E L L I N ( U N L E S S S TAT E D )

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T H I S PAG E The London Star transfers some energy to a wake hunter in Galveston...

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ince the movie Step Into Liquid, it’s gotten pretty famous to surf waves coming off of ships. In surf mags and on the web, you can read endless stories from people trying to surf these waves, mostly without success…

Those spectacular scenes of the tanker surfing in Texas definitely look perfect: long waves with rides that are many minutes long… essentially a dream for every surfer. But it’s not as easy to surf these kind of waves like they do in the movie. I’ll let you know why it’s not so easy, and what you need to do if you want to go surf them…

When you watch Step Into Liquid, it looks like the guys surf these waves in the open sea, driving there with a speedboat to catch them.

Well this is totally wrong… This was all filmed in Houston Bay, Texas, right here in the shipping channel in Galveston. There’s big oil business here, which is why there are so many super tankers coming through at some significant speed. This ship traffic stirs up the sands and sediment, and deposits it onto the sandbanks, where it remains, and makes it possible for these waves to break. Nowhere else that I know of do you have so many sandbanks like you do here, and this is the primary reason this area is so famous for surfing the tanker waves.

The best tide for surfing the Galveston tanker waves is at low tide.

The reason being that at low tide the sandbanks aren’t deep under the water, and the waves have more chance of breaking. When Step Into Liquid was released, there was a tanker surf tourist boom, and now there’s named spots, like Mom’s, Kiddie Pools, Cohiba Shoal, and more.

RIGHT A graceful line of swell emerges from the supertanker highway.

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“IT’S ALSO BEST WHEN THE SHIPS ARE FULLY LOADED, AS THIS MAKES THE WAVES EVEN BIGGER.”

PHOTO: Steve Nelson

Although there are spots similar to this in other countries, there’s one main reason the tanker waves are so impressive here: speed. In most countries there’s a speed limit for tankers, and traveling at low speeds, tankers will only produce mushy waves. But when they’re shifting, everything changes. It’s also best when the ships are fully loaded, as this makes the waves even bigger. But this also makes it difficult to surf these waves any longer than a few minutes. When all the conditions line-up perfectly, you’ll often get the chance to ride waves for five minutes to the shore. These perfect conditions happen at low tide, with a light offshore wind…

For every foil surfer with a passion for long rides, Galveston is basically paradise. I think, with a foil, it might be possible to get the endless ride in Galveston. With a foil, the deep-water sections aren’t a problem, and you can easily keep surfing on the unbroken wave, and when all the conditions are truly perfect, you can foil surf these waves for up to 30 minutes… It’s a dream come true!

You can also get yourself a boat trip to the outside tanker waves by getting in touch with the pioneering Captain James Fullbright, from Tanker Surf Charters. He was one of the first to surf these waves and started up his tanker surf business. He knows all the sandbars in Houston Bay and when and where they work best. He’ll drive you right outside, to where the waves are longer and more powerful than they are close to the shore, so look him up and prepare to have your mind blown!

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T E XAS TAN K E R WAV E S

BEYOND THE BAR A passing storm conjures up some solid swell for an east coast foil crew in NZ. Photographer Paul Campion gets the call, and finds himself hanging off a jet-ski in epic conditions, trying to avoid crowds, sharks and near castration‌

WORDS & P H OTOS PAU L C AMP ION

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id-January this year, there’s a lot of chatter as Cyclone Tino is forecast to head down from Fiji and pass east of New Zealand heading south, generating some very welcome and potentially huge swell on the east coast here after a relatively dry spell.

On January 20th I get a message that everyone’s heading south to Whangamata, just south of the Coromandel Peninsula, for a couple of days. So I pack my camera gear and make the two and a half hour drive down from Auckland after work. I arrive in the dark, but it’s not difficult to spot the house, with 4x4s, jet-skis and foil boards covering every inch of free space on the drive and front lawn.

I’m greeted by Aaron Candy who I regularly ride with, Jeremy Stephenson, and “JP” Tobin, an ex-Olympic windsurfer, plus a very welcome offer of leftover dinner, beers and most importantly a spare bed, and the instruction that whoever gets up first goes and checks the surf. It’s not forecast to start working until after lunchtime, so for once there’s no rush for a pre-dawn start.

Despite that, we’re still up at 6am the next morning, and a short drive to the beach at the end of the road reveals a glorious sunrise, and the swell starting to pick up. Down at the far end of the beach I can see

A B OV E JP kicks off to find the next one...

TO P L E F T Found it!

B OT TO M L E F T Who doesn’t love a shortcut...

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RIGHT Paul gets close to the action.

B OT TO M Doubling up into something heavy...

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a break called the Bar (one of the best waves on the East Coast) is firing and crowded with prone surfers. Aaron offers to take me out on his jet-ski and drop me off at the break, and then run safety for me while I figure out what the currents are doing, as it’s my first time in the water here.

“ALL THE SURFER’S HEADS TURN IN UNISON TO WATCH US, LIKE A BUNCH OF AQUATIC MEERKATS...”

We launch from inside the harbor, drive out through the harbor mouth and past the break, getting more than a few angry looks from the surfers at the jet-ski approaching the lineup, although they always tend to soften when they see a photographer with a surf housing sitting on the back of the ski.

Aaron drops me off at the break, and I spend about twenty minutes trying to get some shots. But Aaron’s waiting around on the ski outside the break, and I’m conscious there’s not much for him to do, so I call it quits, swim over to him, and we go to check out the various other breaks around the islands that sit just a few hundred yards off the beach to see if they’re big enough to foil.

A young hammerhead shark basking on the surface gets a surprise as the ski cruises past. By now it’s mid-morning and the swell’s starting to pick up, so Aaron calls Jeremy to meet us at the beach.

Aaron’s up first, riding his JShapes board and foil, Jeremy towing him into cruisy 6ft walls, while I’m riding backwards on the ski taking photos. Luckily it’s not too choppy, but it’s still a mission trying to hang onto the ski and hold four and a half kilos of camera and surf housing steady while trying to get the shots.

The location is spectacular, sandwiched between a rocky headland on one side where the Bar is, and by Hauturu Island on the other side, both providing some stunning backdrops as Aaron carves up the increasingly bigger lumps coming through. Even better, we’ve got it all to ourselves.

Every now and then Aaron gets a ride that takes him towards the Bar and the pack of at least fifty surfers there now. All their heads turn in unison to watch us, like a bunch of aquatic meerkats, scanning for danger, probably swearing at us and hoping that the ski doesn’t get too close, then looking jealously at the guy on the foil effortlessly getting half mile rides on empty waves all to himself, over and over and over again.

After an hour of non-stop rides, Aaron’s done. We head back to the beach to quickly swap Aaron’s board for Jeremy’s new custom Robert Teriitehau carbon Kevlar board. It’s not the best way to ride with three people sitting on the ski as it can get too unbalanced, so I lie on the sled, holding onto my camera with one hand and hanging onto the sled with the other. But the foil board is on the sled as well, so I’m having to lie on top of it, with the foil mast sitting precariously between my legs and threatening to cut my nuts off if I lose my grip and slide back down onto it!

Now it’s Jeremy’s turn being towed. The swell’s building and he’s scoring some big empty walls, then pumping back out to start connecting up to three waves at a time. Then we spot JP out on his SUP foil board, so while Jeremy’s pumping back out to pick up another wave, we pick up JP and start a taxi service, alternately towing each of them into the waves.

That progresses into double-up towing them together into some shared waves. Even with two of us on the ski it’s still relatively effortless, and we start wondering how may foils we could tow with a single ski for the ultimate party waves…

An hour and a half later and we’re all getting hungry, the ski needs filling up, and we’re done for lunch. We drop Jeremy off at the beach and Aaron and I cruise back past the pack of jealous looking surfers at the Bar, feeling more than a little smug that after several hours of long rides and non-stop empty waves, we’re lucky enough to not be in the pack fighting for every single wave…

TO P L E F T Outrunning the peak.

B OT TO M L E F T Enjoying yet another half-mile-long ride...

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DYNAMICS

BY JESSE RICHMAN

The professional kiteboarder and multi-discipline foil rider highlights the importance of solid connectivity in his equipment choices, and how that broader connection between himself and the ocean creates a unique natural harmony.

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FOIL CO N N ECTION S Life is comprised of countless connections; one of the most paramount is our relationship and bond with the ocean. Being immersed in the elements with nothing between us and Mother Nature is a freeing experience that awakens the senses. But everything is amplified ten-fold when we implement tools and toys to link ourselves to the elements; when we put something between ourselves and nature in order to better harness her power. All of a sudden we feel more than just the wind in our face; we feel the ocean swell and the current beneath our feet, we feel the pull from our sails, we feel it all, as we glide over the water on our foils. With a wing or a kite and a foil, an invisible chain is created. Wind links to sail. Sail links to the hand of its navigator, through his body and feet to the foil, and finally into sea. If the chain is fluid and perfect, you’re in for the ride of your life, but if there is a chink in it, the connection is lost, and our dance with Mother Nature becomes a clumsy and frustrating battle.

With modern-day foils, it doesn’t matter how good one single component is if it doesn’t all fit together flawlessly. Seamless, high-pres-

DY N A M I C S

sure, load-distributing connection points are critical to feeling a direct and responsive ride. These connections must be engineered and manufactured to fit together perfectly.

I’ve had the great pleasure of working with the North Kiteboarding development team, who have taken inspiration and utilized technology from their parent company North Technology Group (the largest sailing group in the world). Here, North’s design philosophy is at its most pure: stripped right back to only the necessities. One of the high-stress points on foils is the fuselage to the mast connection.

On the Sonar system, North has engineered a technology called GeoLock. This is a tapered geometry locking system that provides a more effective load-bearing connection between the mast and fuselage. The GeoLock connection joins them together, so they feel like one piece. The perks of this technology are that it transfers all the load to the fuselage, allowing the screws to bear minimal load while holding the fuselage and mast together. Hence, there is no excessive load on the screws and much more efficient load distribution.

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These days there exists the perfect setup of gear for every type of condition, and all these setups differ slightly. The right setup for the right day makes all the difference when it comes to having the best possible time out on the water. Here’s a quick rundown on what combinations I chose for different sports and why: Prone Foiling. I go for the North Chase board with North Sonar Foil System with the 1150 or 1650 Sonar Front Wing and 70cm Mast.

When the wind dies, the waves are small, and I feel like getting wet, it’s straight to the prone foil. I like being able to kite and prone the same board/foil to really know my foil; I get to do this with the Chase and the 1150 Sonar foil. I’m a smaller guy at 5’4/140lbs, and the 1150 feels perfect for me. It has plenty of lift to pump and turns on a tight and smooth arch. Such incredible maneuverability makes it my go-to setup. I size down to the 70cm mast as it keeps the foil a bit more controllable and helps with shallow water breaks.

absolute favorite ways to fly on a foil is to go Mach 10 in big glassy surf. Tow foiling is an exhilarating sensation that requires confidence in your riding and your foil. You will put your skills and foil to the test when banking a turn going full speed. I find the small board with straps helps keep things controlled, keeping in mind that the strap position needs to be dialed in. Then pair that with the fast ride of the 850 wing and the long mast, and it’s go time!

Tow foiling. A great tow partner! North Scoop 120cm board with North Sonar Foil System 850 Front Wing and 85cm Mast. One of my

Wing Foiling. North Sonar Foil System with the 1150 or 1650 Sonar Front Wing + 85cm Mast. Watching this sport develop before our eyes has been exciting as it’s another incredible approach to riding a foil. How quickly this sport has evolved is crazy. Still, it can easily be attributed to the vast sea of knowledge we’ve pulled from its sibling sports, with which we are more familiar. I love that with wing foiling, I can utilize my modular foil system, swap out a few parts, and I’m ready to go. I’ve found that my favorite wing foil days happen on the 1150 Wing when it’s nuking winds and pumping wind swell. With these intense conditions, downwinders on the wing foil are hard to beat.

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HERE Main shot: Jesse enjoying some quality foil time with fellow team rider Jalou Langeree Other shots: The many happy faces of Jesse Richman foiling...

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Kiteboarding - North 9m Reach Kite, 22m Lines, North Scoop 120cm board, North Sonar Foil system with the 1150 Sonar Front wing and 85cm Sonar Mast. When kite foiling in light wind, I find having a bit more foil lift beneficial. The 1150 wing can pump through the wind lulls, and at times the foil will provide enough power to maintain planing speed and actually keep the kite in the air. Also, I find that the 1150 is very playful, excellent for wave riding, and it’s a stable base that’s great for learning new maneuvers. For mid to strong wind kiteboarding, I’ll use the North 4m to 6m Carve Kite, 20m Lines, North Scoop 120cm board, North Sonar Foil system with the 850 Sonar Front Wing and 85cm Mast. When the wind picks up, I love having a tiny kite in the air with shorter lines than usual; this creates a super-tight connection in the sky. I then go down to the 850 Front Wing to speed things up. The 850 is an ideal size as it’s still stable enough to fly on waves smoothly and fast enough that you can really push down and get your hair blowing in the wind. The small kite, short lines, and small foil wing setup reacts at lightning speeds. It’s a step up in difficulty to control the light wind setup, but as I spend more time foiling, I find myself wanting to go faster and faster.

That’s where I’m at now. However, my preferences change regularly as these sports, and the equipment, evolves rapidly. I’ve realized that, when going foiling, bring everything to the beach, and don’t forget the impact driver to speed up swapping wings and masts out. Life is simplified when you have a modular foil system where everything works together perfectly.

Many people ask about the difference between the 70cm and 85cm Mast; the two major deciding factors I look at are water depths and desired control. The long mast is a great way to bust up a fresh new foil if it’s shallow. The shorter mast also is a bit easier to control, especially with a larger wing. However, standing tall and mighty on the long 85cm mast makes clearing white water easier and gives you more room to play with when banking turns.

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The key to these sports is in the connections. Pay close attention to what you are connecting to, and how you are making that connection. We are directly linking to the ocean: the board is connected to our feet, the foil is connected to the board, and the foil guides us through the water.

K A I L E N N Y & M AT H I E U F O U L I A R D

With the fast pace of change in this sport, it’s often the case that no two sessions will match up, as new equipment steadily enhances the fun, new maneuvers are forged, new disciplines and ways of riding gradually bubble up on social media channels. But the fact is there are just some sessions that are going to stick in the mind for a very long time.

Here’s a new section to celebrate that…

PHILIPPE CANERI

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KAI LENNY & M AT H I E U F O U L I A R D PHOTOGRAPHER

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MARCH

TAHITI

9TH

2020

KAI L E NNY & MAT H I EU FO U LI A R D

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t was a sunny day during the hot and humid Tahitian summer.

My roommate Mat told me the evening before, “A friend is coming from Hawaii tomorrow to surf with us, we’ll go foiling at the pass, would you like to come with us?”

Hmm, okay, why not, I’ve shot foiling once or twice before... “My friend is always on time. Be ready at 8am and think foil photos…”

THE NEXT MORNING… 8:10am – Mat’s friend calls: “Hey guys, I’m leaving home now.” Mat and I rarely check the forecast, we just look out the window and if it’s on, it’s on.

9:00am – It’s really on! The sun is firing, the sky is a deep, deep blue…

Two weeks without rain, and the ocean in Tahiti is just so clear, infinite visibility, and the coral reef is showing all its colors, loaded with turtles, fish and small sharks. Perfect 3 foot waves are rolling at the pass, 500 meters from the house. I check my camera gear and it’s ready.

After three coffees, I am too.

A B OV E If there’s one man who epitomizes effortless style on a foil board, it’s Kai...

9:01am – Mat’s friend, who just happens to be Kai Lenny, rolls up with Marc in their pretty little car, and it’s loaded with some amazing foil and video kit. The sea, the sky, the light wind and the waves are all perfect. Mat is waiting with the jetski at the front of the house. It’s fortunate we have the jetski today because, as beautiful as the ocean looks, the current is super strong and I had to swim hard non-stop just stay in the same spot.

R E D L ETTE R DAY

RIGHT Tahitian perfection.

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A B OV E Pretty certain people would pay good money to watch shows like this. Julien gets the shot of the shot.

LEFT Casually poppin’ tricks while the camera looks on. Steeze.

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“COMING IN HOT, KAI DECIDES TO LOOP JUST ABOVE MY HEAD. IT WAS A GREAT IDEA TO BRING MY HELMET!”

9:14am – Kai gets his first wave. Oh man, I thought I could shoot surf foil, but this is foil formula one! The foil swings toward me, and my camera autofocus has to do its best as my proxy eyes and arm. I have the perfect sunlight, the shutter speeds are pretty high, and this is just perfect for what I want to shoot. Coming in hot, Kai decides to loop just above my head. It was a great idea to bring my helmet!

9:16am – Kai, Marc (shooting video) and I find ourselves drifting away from the line-up. It’s a really strong current. I’m already tired but so impressed by the display that we have to push on. I try and swim against the current with my 3kg camera… I think it’ll be a long session.

9:17am – Mat heads over with the ski and at 09:18 we’re ready to start again!

10:23am – 10 back loops, 25 carves, seven 360s later, Kai and Mat decided to start running tow-ins! No words. Just imagine a formula one car with a reaction turbine…

10:45am – All of us were sunburnt and tired, so we head in. It’s 31C outside with 90% humidity, so we have only one choice: burgers under the air conditioning unit.

11:30am – As we feast away, Kai thanks everyone for welcoming him to the spot. 3000kcal later, it’s time for me to look at the results of my second time shooting foiling. I’m stoked to see how the photos are a good representation of this amazing session. 900 photos, two SD cards, two batteries, and just the one ejection into the lagoon for me.

This is Tahiti, this is friendship, this is foiling.

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VALERE

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unday 15th, there’s no wind forecast close to the Horue headquarters, and the decision on Coronavirus confinement in France is expected to be announced in a couple of days by the President, and we are in a hurry to get shots for some tutorials, specifically a railey and transitions. Furthermore, we have some prototypes of a rear wing on their final test and validation process. So Valere Caneri and I decided to drive 2.5 hours to L’Almanarre, where the forecast and current wind measurements showed potential for a good session.

“IT FEELS LIKE THE SAND AT THE EDGE OF THE SHORE IS THE ONLY LIMIT TO PLAYING HERE… IT’S JUST AN AMAZING FEELING.”

We arrive to warm, clean water, and the perfect wind at around 15-20 knots blowing offshore with some side gusts. Valere grabs the camera with a waterproof housing, and a 4m² wing so he doesn’t have to pump to the beach spot from where we’ll shoot. I take the 3m² wing, and we both take the Moise Pro 90L with Vini V2 Pro XLW foil. The 971cm² front wing is the right one for these kind of conditions… Fast and early take offs, strong, but the 3m² handheld wing is clearly too small for this wind, especially as we have to go about 1000m upwind.

But it works with some pumps.

We switch up the wing so that I have more power to jump, and the shooting starts. The cameraman is in the water, about two meters from the beach, but it’s already about 2 meters deep. L’Almanarre is a very well-known spot for close-to-the-beach riding, and it’s especially good for foiling. I try to pull the best moves as close as possible to the cameraman. The deep water also allows me to tack and jibe real close to the beach. It feels like the sand at the edge of the shore is the only limit to playing here… It’s just an amazing feeling.

LEFT Three reasons why this was a standout day for Philippe...

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“THAT SUNDAY EVENING, IT WAS TIME TO EAT LIKE AN OGRE TO GET OUR ENERGY BACK, BECAUSE THE FORECAST FOR TUESDAY LOOKED PERFECT ”

After two hours shooting, with plenty of jumps and tricks in the bag, it’s time to go back home. I take a look at my GPS… I’ve ridden 20km, with a top speed of 22 knots. Not so bad. The session allowed us to test some new stabilizers. Although the shape may have been confidently developed in the workshop, there is still an uncertainty on the profile, so further tests will help us decide on this.

But this session really allowed us to validate a new building process for our wings and mast. This new and innovative process is the result of three years of brainstorming between our three engineers, working hand in hand in our factory in France.

We are very proud of this new step, and we believe that, with this new product, we’re ahead of the curve in the foil sphere, and we are pretty sure this new process will enjoy more than 50% of the market share in the next three years, and will spread into other foiling (and non-foiling) domains.

TO P L E F T Philippe takes in the view from above.

That Sunday evening, it was time to eat like an ogre to get our energy back, because the forecast for Tuesday looked perfect for surf foiling… No wind at all, 1.5m waves, and the option of tow-ins to beat the crowds. And so it was…

R ED L E TTE R DAY

RIGHT When you’ve been on your feet all day...

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SIGNATURE STEALTH 200 / 1290

STARBOARD X AIRUSH WING

FLITEBOARD AIR

NAISH HOVER SUP

We featured the Signature Stealth 175 in the last issue, but along comes the ‘big brother’: the 200, angled towards the, shall we say, stockier surf and SUP riders amongst us…

Performance-design and built to handle high speeds, it’s full carbon and brings Signature performance to the masses.

Airush Kiteboarding (the flying side of AK Durable Supply Co) and Starboard have kept their powder dry for a while but have now joined engineering forces and released their wing surf weapon into the ever-growing wing market. The FreeWing is an accessible wing for all riders in all conditions and with the healthily sized window you can get your wing-groove on without worrying about what’s in your way…

The AIR is Fliteboard’s inflatable board, and a great option for anyone starting on their eFoil journey (literally). Double the volume of a standard board, and equipped with the full Fliteboard set-up, including the standard 60cm mast so there’s not too far to fall when you’re learning. And fall you will…

Versatility without affecting performance attributes in what it actually sets out to do is attractive in any product. Enter the Hover SUP from Naish, which can be ridden with or without a foil, and in the surf too. Compact, but with 100-140 liters of volume, this is a foil with enough stability to suit anyone.

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AXIS HIGH ASPECT FLAT WINGS

NORTH SCOOP

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LIFT HIGH ASPECT SERIES

AXIS have just dropped their full next-gen high aspect flat wing collection. These include the 1150, the widest in the AXIS range thus far. Built for the lightest winging conditions and the tiniest of bumps, while maintaining tons of control and great speed for the size. Then you have the 1010 which is built for efficiency and speed in any foil discipline… And finally the 910 – the smallest in the collection – offering tons of speed and fast, easy turning.

We do appreciate a product name that accurately reflects the product… Case in point is the North Scoop, which has an ultra-scooped nose rocker to prevent nose dives and give you that extra leeway to get back up and riding quicker, while the concave deck is built to offer perfect balance. Perfectly paired with North’s Sonar foil.

Summer’s here, so it’s time to get comfortable and Manera’s new hybrid shorty aims to do just that. Taking the warm TRIPLEX X10D jersey from the 3/2 steamer, the hybrid enjoys much the same attributes of serious flexibility and comfort, enhanced also by their Strategic Structure methods to make sure all stitching and panels are placed for optimum strength and flexibility. Looks great too doesn’t it?

Lift have just released a series of high aspect surf wings for added efficiency when you’re out on your Lift set-up, thanks to their low-drag profile and 37” wingspan. Shown here is the 170 for the lighter rider who wants to get out in the waves, rising up to the 250 for the sturdier rider and definitely one for the downwinder fans.

These also transfer onto the Lift eFoils, with the higher aspect giving the added bonus of increasing the already impressive battery life.

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HORUE NOHA

RIDE ENGINE ESCAPE POD

SROKA WING

ARMSTRONG CF1600

Known for producing some of the coolest movie content, Horue’s board line-up is equally stand out. The extremely eye-catching Noha is their small surf/pumping board, that’s optimized for flatwater pumping sessions or gentle beachbreaks.

Also just as happy behind a boat… Sizes available are 4’9, 5’1 and 5’6.

We don’t know an awful lot about this new range of boards coming in from Ride Engine yet but we’re going to actively find out more for the next issue of the mag. The Escape Pod pictured here is pitched at the more advanced surf foiler, enjoying a light construction and contoured hull with a deep double concave. Stay tuned…

SROKA’s offering to the wing market comes in two sizes (4m and 5m) and they’ve particularly pitched this one as a versatile all-rounder that’s good for a multitude of uses. Designed to get you up and riding in 10 knots of wind, and, being as this comes from the hands of a former 3x kitesurfing world champ, we imagine it’s pretty efficient at doing that too…

Armstrong describe the Carving Freeride (CF) 1600 as their go-to foil wing, one of the most versatile in their range, providing plenty of progressive lift even at low speeds, and enjoys ‘built-in speed control’ once it’s up and going, making this a great choice for those relatively new to the sport and looking to expand their wing range without overplaying their skills.

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NO BLUE Long the UK’s favorite surf destination, the coastal county of Cornwall is now at the forefront of the country’s nascent foiling scene, with hardy foilers battling the odds that are stacked against them by some fairly hefty Atlantic weather. One group of riders in particular – the KFC – are building a foil community from scratch. Writer, photographer and KFC member James Darling explains how it all came to be…

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NO CLEAR BLUE SKIES. No boardshorts. No beautiful turquoise waters lit by sub-tropical SUNLIGHT...…

This is Cornwall.

The Isle of Kernow. Land of the black and white flag. Pasties. Mizzle.

A long leg of England extended gingerly into the jaws of the Atlantic Ocean, where legendary fifth century healer St Piran landed and brought Christianity to the heathen Cornish. Thrown from the cliffs in Ireland with a millstone around his neck, he floated to Perranzabuloe where he set up a church and performed miracles. Now it’s home to the Kernow Foil Crew, aka the KFC. A loose collective of aeronauts (not a well-known purveyor of chicken buckets) brought together by a love of small crumbling waves and high-octane flights.

Chris texts me. “Foil session at the usual winter spot?” I look outside: it’s February mid-winter, semi-dark with curtains of rain washing across our inland valley in the onshore gale. There’s no color. Just faded browns and greens beyond the veil of grey rain and grainy skies. I cross-check the surf forecast instinctively. 10ft @ 12 seconds.

20-30mph onshore winds. Yep, it’s on.

Eighteen months ago – as a surfer and SUP boarder – I wouldn’t have even bothered. Our Atlantic winters are a series of storms queueing up like planes out at sea waiting to relentlessly unload waves and wind on Cornwall’s craggy north coast. Yeah, of course there are a handful of semi-sketchy spots where you can cower under the cliffs and maybe claim a few clean waves. Or you wait for the wind window between storms when the gentler south coast goes offshore. Or man up and go big at Watergate or Polzeath. T’Cribbar or ‘Leven if you’re proper crazy.

But foiling has changed all that. We can go out nearly anytime, in any conditions. Just when I thought I’d got all my surf spots N O B LU E SK IE S

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TO P R I G H T In the Cornish summer, chances are you wouldn’t see much of the beach for the flocks of tourists who descend on the county. It’s left to the locals to enjoy the rare few treats that winter brings...

TO P L E F T It’s rare you’ll find anyone in the county in much less than a full wetsuit, at any time of the year...

B OT TO M Taking a moment to savour the sweet Cornish set-up from the comfort of a cabbage patch.

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“KAI IS THE CLEAR SCAPEGOAT. I BLAME HIM COMPLETELY. ” wired for wind/swell/tide combinations, all the permutations and variations... foiling arrives and completely blows my world apart.

Opening up a vista of unimagined possibilities – of new beaches and waves, rivers, dock starts on lakes, towing behind a boat, windwinging on flat water, tow-ins on outer reefs, e-foiling... the list goes on.

Olly texts. “Got kids sorted to get the bus back from school, work quote booked in Padstow later now, hopefully will all come together and I’ll see you guys there.” Will replies… “I’m meant to be back to cook the kids’ dinner. It’s not gonna happen.”

Ah. Foilbrain. The official affliction brought upon those that hydrofoil. You thought surf addiction was bad? Wait til you get the foil fever. Work, wives, children, family life, girlfriends, boyfriends, booze, dogs that need walking, non-foiling friends... they all go out the window. Gotta, absolutely gotta get down to the beach and fly.

There are many symptoms of foilbrain, other than the sheer need to be flying. It’s a complete obsession and those symptoms can strike without warning, at any time. If, like me, you find yourself standing in the Post Office queue and suddenly you’re subconsciously flexing your knees simulating pumping the foil like some deranged zombie... then fear not, this would be a common symptom. Gazing at soaring birds, wondering about their wing aspect ratios? I’ve stared long at low aspect buzzards in my valley, high aspect red kites at 120kp/h on the motorway... or perhaps the more raked wings of seagulls? Driven past pumping surf beaches, ignoring them, looking instead for that small, fat, backing-off foil wave? These would all be common foilbrain symptoms.

And how about that carefully accumulated rack of surfboards, that perfect quiver that covers all conditions (you thought)? Now dusty and unused. Surfing mates, with whom you used to talk barrels, bombs and epic wipeouts now can’t process your frothy tales of 500 meter flights in unlikely locations. “You were foiling where?” they ask quizzically and then drift away looking wary, unconvinced, slightly scared.

How did we get here? How did the KFC ditch everything and contract this all-consuming virus?

Kai is the clear scapegoat. I blame him completely. All the KFC do.

100%. The foil wunderkind for the 2020s. His emerging videos with Naish circa-2017 and ‘Paradigm Lost’ movie switched on the first lights of the uninitiated and blazed a foil trail into the mainstream glare. It’s hard to believe now with the avalanche of foiling videos on Instagram, but Kai’s early clips back then looked like voodoo witchcraft or digital trickery. What was that board? Where could I get one? Just how was he generating so much speed on so little swell? And as for pumping back out and into a second wave (or third, or eleventh) – it was mind-blowing.

If Kai blew the bloody doors off foiling, then Laird and Kalama were perhaps its original pioneers. With that tiny, wrought aluminum foil

LEFT Foiling is still somewhat of a novelty in the UK. So it’s rare to have a crowded line-up when the foil conditions are A+...

RIGHT Maui it’s not, but it has its own magic...

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and hard snowboard boots bolted onto a tow-board, they hit up the open ocean swells off Hawaii and Maui. But it was pretty experimental and far out. Even for them, and especially back then. There is an epic sequence of Laird foiling high across a sizeable unbroken wave in Channel 4’s 2001 big wave documentary ‘Ride The Wild Surf’ – my first conscious memory of hydrofoiling. A few years back I dug out an old VHS copy that I’d taped straight off the TV. It’s still wonderful and unreal and bewitching, though the Lenny Kravitz soundtrack is too obvious. Should have been MBV, Slowdive or Mogwai. Did my 20-something-year-old-self think then I’d ever be doing this twenty years later? In Cornwall?

Today Laird is foiling Cloudbreak, Chicamas, Nazaré... and probably those same Hawaiian outer reefs. Kalama shapes and rides some of the best SUP foilboards out there. Both are still firmly pushing boundaries. Not bad for guys approaching retirement age. But the reaction to foiling has been mixed, to say the least. Even Laird’s exploits have been questioned, scorned, derided. “Waves like these are meant to be surfed properly”, “Jittery, not flowing”, “Does not belong here”… or simply “lame.” Many surfers regard foilers with the same suspicion reserved for the paddleboarders before them, and the longboarders before them.

There are also concerns – absolutely legitimate concerns – about safety. How do surfers and foilers mix in the water? The KFC’s take on this has always been to avoid crowds, to avoid any other surfers.

This has happened organically: the spots we foil are not regular surf spots because of the nature of the wave – it just doesn’t work for regular surfers. So we only see the occasional paddleboarder or lone logger. I can only remember a single incident in two years of foiling – where a longboarder dropped in on KFC newbie Jack, requiring not only a swift education on surf etiquette but also a stark illustration of what Jack’s foil could have done to him and his very pretty wood veneer Firewire longboard. Safe to say he won’t do it again.

For the most part, the KFC’s (ongoing) voyage of discovery in finding suitable foil spots around Cornwall has been the best bit. Like reliving the first days of 1950s surfing I imagine. We’ve pooled our collective surf knowledge and pioneered places that you wouldn’t bother to look at, in conditions where you’d normally opt to stay at home and huddle up in front of the logburner. Big, open rivermouth bays ringed by dark Cornish cliffs and inhabited solely by large seals.

Sparkling south coast inlets, normally flat, which come alive with the small diffracted lines of giant winter swells and are still offshore in howling westerlies. And one particular pointbreak, normally the preserve of SUP tankers, where this past winter the KFC anchored up almost daily and weaved long mazy flights into the hill. I left a lot of my front wing on its reefs and Will clocked up the KFC’s first 500m waves. Onshore or offshore... it didn’t matter. It was like this was how the wave, a perennial and fickle mystery, was meant to be surfed and in return, relieved, it kept giving us better and better days.

The learning process ain’t great. It’s brutal and lonely. For me, it was like the first sessions learning to surf on a tired waterlogged foamie,

“AS WE PULL ON OUR

5MM WETSUITS, HOODS AND GLOVES IN A FREEZING CAR PARK IN FEBRUARY, IT FEELS EVER SO SLIGHTLY LESS GLAMOROUS. BUT MUCH MORE GNARLY.”

years ago. Except that when you fall, you risk severing major limbs on any of the various and many sharp edges of the foil. But once you get that first, magical, micro-second flight... when the foil engages, lifts and accelerates into soundless warp speed... that’s it, you’re hooked, and you just crave more.

The good news is that the equipment is now much better, more available and more affordable than it was. The UK has no homegrown foil industry, so our closest brands are all in France and Matt at foilsurfing.co.uk has been a constant resource for more bespoke kit. But the reality is a world away from watching sponsored riders on Instagram in their boardshorts with all the latest wings, foiling in super-blue seas. As we pull on our 5mm wetsuits, hoods and gloves in a freezing car park in February, it feels ever so slightly less glamorous. But much more gnarly.

This was when the KFC started – a Whatsapp support group for North Cornwall’s emerging flight fanatics. To begin with, it was just Chris and I, hopelessly foiling completely inappropriate spots, devouring Blue Planet Surf YouTube videos, selling our surfboards to buy foil gear and wishing we were 20 years’ younger (maybe 25 for Chris). Ski instructor Nicko hooked us up with some crucial boat foiling behind his RIB and showed us what could be done on a kitefoil, then the KFC logo designer Olly joined. Next came international kite legend Will and we found our regular, established spot... which in turn led us to Newquay locals Jan and Jack. Though I still maintain none of us has actually seen Jan foiling (Jack doesn’t count, they’re mates). But I have seen videos of him windsurfing the Cribbar (a famous Cornish big wave spot) so I’m not gonna call him out on this...

Starting at the bottom of a progression curve doesn’t appeal to everyone. Going from hot surfer to kook foiler takes a certain level of courage. But Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, who featured in a previous issue of this very magazine, affirmed: “I enjoy feeling like a kook again – learning something new.”

Maybe it’s surfers’ collective vanity, or maybe it’s the high financial cost, or maybe fear of permanent disfigurement – but the uptake on

LEFT The KFC... a tight knit crew but the smiles betray that welcoming Cornish spirit.

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LEFT For a peninsula that’s ravaged by Atlantic storms, Cornwall’s a very good looking place when the sun does come out.

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“WE’VE POOLED OUR COLLECTIVE SURF KNOWLEDGE AND PIONEERED PLACES THAT YOU WOULDN’T BOTHER TO LOOK AT, IN CONDITIONS WHERE YOU’D NORMALLY OPT TO STAY AT HOME” foiling has been markedly lower and slower here in the UK than it was even for paddleboarding a few years’ back. Personally, I’m with Twiggy all the way. While initial progress is slower when learning new disciplines, in the long term this broadening of skills feeds your overall ability. KFC’s Will and Jan are classic examples. Jan is an international-level sponsored windsurfer but has embraced SUP and now SUP foiling as part of his quiver of options, asserting that the skills are transferable. Will, who spends more time in the water than out of it, has leapfrogged all of us in ability despite only taking up foiling last summer – because he’s already a kite instructor, surfer, SUPer and kitefoiler. It’ll be interesting to see how Nicko, with his huge skiing background, and Jack (surf/kite/SUP) progress this summer on their new rigs.

Otherwise, we’re a rare breed. St Ives waterman Glenn Eldridge and Polzeath’s gifted Alex Murray are lone beacons. There’s a couple of good F-ONE kids from the clay country in Cornwall’s heartland, and we see the occasional visiting foiler (mainly those dastardly Devonians from across the border). And there are whispers too, of a west Cornwall coven. But that’s it. Not exactly crowded. And we’re not complaining, but a few more guys – and girls – would be fun, and most welcome.

Hit up the KFC on Instagram @kernowfoilcrew, check out Erik Antonson’s superb Progression Project foiling podcasts, or just get in touch with us if you want to talk about gear, aspect ratios or strong west country cider.

LEFT With a wealth of inlets and estuaries, Cornwall is prime foil territory, without the crowds.

RIGHT Empty breaks and cold, cold water adds to an even greater level of satisfaction when the day is done.

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C R U SA D E R S An invitation to Cape Town became a voyage of discovery for team riders Julien and Camille Bouyer (who are probably better known under their YouTube moniker, JUJUCams) and new team rider Bowien Van der Linden, as they took the new RRD Wind Wing on a journey into the expanding frontier of wingfoiling in South Africa…

P H O T O S S A M U E L T O M È ( U N L E S S S TAT E D )

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e were completely stoked when we got the opportunity to go to Cape Town in February 2020. This was our first time in South Africa, and we got invited, along with a few other team riders, for the latest RRD video and photo shoot. Wingfoiling is a relatively new sport in South Africa, so for us this trip was all about discovering new spots and experimenting in new riding conditions.

Babooning around in Platboom

First day, first experience. Our first wing session was at a spot called Platboom, which is located right inside Cape Point National Park.

This spot is usually used by windsurfers and kitesurfers with the NW wind coming in from the right – exactly the opposite direction to the usual winds in Cape Town, which tend to come in from the left. This is certainly an amazing spot for doing a shoot, with white sands and clear turquoise water, and there was a nice peak quite far from the shore. It was easy to catch the waves but they usually finished with a closeout!

“PLATBOOM IS NOT REALLY AN EASY SPOT FOR WINGERS, AND YOU NEED EXPERIENCE AND SKILL ”

Just a little time to warm up and then the fun started... We spent the day pulling crazy jumps and enjoying thrilling rides and spent hours in the water without realizing the time. Most of the shots and video clips from the shoot came from that very first wave session, as we just couldn’t stop trying new tricks and combos... 360s, backloops, and just boosting jumps right in front of the photographer. We also nailed some big aerial attempts and rode some steep waves at full speed. My brother Camille and I, together with Bowien Van der Linden (who also joined the RRD team recently) were the only three wingfoilers out there, and we were sailing with many windsurfers and kiters who were looking at us like we were from outer space…

Platboom is not really an easy spot for wingers, and you need experience and skill as entry is through shallow water and you have to pass a closeout section to get out the back. So you need to do a quick water start and get through some white water before getting into the open sea.

At the end of the session we were welcomed by the famous baboons that live in the park. What surprised us was how close they came to you and how aggressive they are when looking for food… to the point that they can enter the car, find and steal everything you have inside.

Luckily for us this didn’t happen, but we took some funny pictures, and the first intense day of the shoot came to an end.

LEFT Recent RRD team signing and wingfoil specialist Bowien van der Linden breezes into some choppy SA lines.

RIGHT Enjoying some punchy Platboom insiders.

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Go big at Big Bay or go home…

Our second wing session was in Big Bay. It was at least 30 knots, maybe 35. We decided to go with the 3m Wind Wing and Dolphin 140. There were lots of windsurfers, but they were all riding the waves close to the shore; we decided to go further out as there was a big swell and we could get some big ramps to jump off. This spot is just insane for jumping… we had a lot of speed and the ramps made by the swell were massive! We could also surf the bigger swell coming from outside the bay right up to the shore.

We could also film each other with the GoPro while doing big jumps, and we met some seals who were joining in the fun and swimming around us. We just had such a blast and did not really think about anything but the session. It was definitely one to remember, as it was the first time we got to experience the famously strong winds of Cape Town: the Cape Doctor.

Big Bay is a very good spot for using the wing. It’s quite safe with generally a little less wind, you have to pass a small shorebreak to get out and you have various wave options that you can ride around the bay without having the waves actually break on you.

When we’d finished up, we went to watch the Red Bull King of the Air which was under way at the time, and got to enjoy the semis and the finals. That was the perfect way to relax after such a powerful session.

TO P L E F T Aerial antics in Big Bay B OTO M L E F T Bowien in full power stance...

RIGHT Photographer Samuel Tomè places full faith in Julien Bouyer’s landing skills...

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“WE WERE RIDING BIG WAVES AND AT TIMES COMING IN VERY CLOSE TO THE CLIFF AND TAKING OFF ON 2-3 METER HIGH WAVES.” A B OV E A N D A B OV E R I G H T Camille and a classic Cape Town perspective.

RIGHT Who wouldn’t be stoked on finding themselves here? Camille cuts into a delicious little right.

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Going downwind to fly high: Scarborough to Witsand.

This day was a day to remember…

We rode all morning at Scarborough. Scarborough is a conservation village with a nice white sand beach and super clear water. The tide was high, so the waves were not breaking too much (like they normally would) and we could ride some really sweet ones. As the wind was not too strong, somewhere between 12 and 15 knots, the conditions were perfect and very accessible for wingfoiling. We were using the 5m Wind Wing, just surfing waves and using the wing to get back to the peak. These kinds of conditions would be perfect for learning in, or riding your first wing waves. In the afternoon, however, the conditions became pretty extreme as the wind picked up, and with the low tide the waves got big and started breaking. It was at least 40 knots, and the waves were 2-3 meters high.

After talking to Roberto Ricci (who knows the area very well) and Matteo (RRD team manager), we decided to get in the water for a downwind from Scarborough to Witsand. The idea was to find the biggest waves between those two spots and perform some crazy stuff. It was insane when we got in the water at first, with strong gusts making it difficult to keep hold of our 3m Wind Wings. But as we get used to it we became more confident and started pushing our limits and trying everything possible. We were riding big waves and at times coming in very close to the cliff, and taking off on 2-3 meter high waves. One time we got caught inside the reef, but fortunately we managed to get out back again after many duck dives!

This was certainly one adrenaline-pumping session. We surfed our biggest waves so far with a wing and had our biggest wipeouts. Definitely one for expert wingers only! It was an epic session, the best one we had during our whole Cape Town trip.

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HERE Gunning for a distant shoulder...

PHOTO: John Carter

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LEFT Who’d have thought a few years ago that chop could be this much fun? PHOTO: John Carter TO P R I G H T Julien and Camille pop and punch their way out back. PHOTO: Baptiste Cloarec B OT TO M R I G H T Wings and duckdives... a skill in itself. PHOTO: Baptiste Cloarec

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“NORMALLY THERE’S NO WIND IN THE MORNING SO YOU WAIT UNTIL THE AFTERNOON AND THEN RIDE UNTIL IT GETS DARK...”

Something about Langebaan…

Langebaan is a very easy spot to ride. It’s flat and quite shallow which makes it a great spot for learning, cruising and improving your skills. We enjoyed many freestyle sessions there, doing big 360s and other fun tricks on the flat water.

It is also a very scenic place too, as you are riding in between the mountains and a small island. If you ride further upwind from Langebaan, you find yourself in a spot called Shark Bay, where the water is even more clear and blue and therefore the perfect conditions for shooting...

The spot is located an hour’s drive north from Cape Town, and you can normally find a good sea breeze there when it’s not windy around the Cape Peninsula. Normally there’s no wind in the morning and you can just wait until the afternoon to have your session, and ride until it gets dark.

We met a lot of seals who were bobbing around in the water.

It is like they are sunbathing, and you definitely need to be aware of where you’re riding so as not to hit one. Most of the time they dive around you and sometimes they don’t hear you coming, so you can see them very close up.

LEFT Julien, charging Langebaan...

RIGHT Bowien, also charging Langebaan...

PHOTO: Jamie Hancock

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To the lake we go!

Rietvlei Lake is a wetland reserve which offers many activities – one being recreational watersports. The lake is the perfect spot for testing and cruising as there is a consistent gusty wind, but also because you can park the car on the spot and rig the gear on a very nice layer of grass right next to the water, and there’s no sand to cross to get in.

It’s a very good spot to learn at, as you also have all the facilities to relax when you get out of the water, including a restaurant!

You can ride there with various wind intensities. Normally it is light in the morning and becomes stronger in the afternoon. The first time we got in there, there was strong wind and we did many jumps and landed our first backloops. We also got on a light south-westerly wind which was perfect for cruising with our 5m wings. There is a proper wingfoil community here, with many riders of all levels, who are all very passionate about this new sport. It was great to share and exchange knowledge about wingfoiling with them.

This trip with RRD was a great experience and surprising at times. We are stoked to have shared it with our new teammates, and we also can’t say enough good things about the new RRD Wind Wing that we helped test and develop. It works amazing in all kinds of conditions, from 7 to 45 knots, from flat water to big waves. We were stoked with it!

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NO BBAA D DAYS No messing about by F-ONE… When they want a product shoot done right, they pull out the Brazil card, where consistently epic conditions are generally par for the course for pretty much any water-based fun you care to name. It also happens to be the home of team rider Remi Quique’s Sossego Surf Camp. Which made it all the more convenient…

We caught up with Remi, Titouan Galea and Mizo Fernando to find out about the highlights of the shoot and why Brazil has seemingly limitless potential…

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Hey guys. So what can you tell us about the plan for the trip?

TG: We were in Tibau Do Sul, close to Pipa in Brazil, where there were plenty of small waves and light winds, and boy did we have a lot of fun during this shoot! We got to surf some sick beach breaks and had loads of surf foil and SUP foil sessions in 1-4ft waves. We also scored some unforgettable wing sessions, with some sunset, moonrise and full nights of riding! I also had some of the best paragliding flights of my life.

MF: Remi has an amazing surf camp here. Everything worked out great. The crew were made up of some awesome people and we were quite lucky to have great conditions.

RQ: Yeah this is around my camp in north east Brazil, where I have been living since 2005. There are a lot of perfect point breaks and beach breaks, perfect for foiling without the crowds.

Brazil has an amazing reputation for kiting and surfing - does it have the same level of potential for foiling?

TG: Yeah, it’s a really nice place for surf foiling, every single day there is a good wind swell, short swell period, and generally small waves… perfect for surf foiling. It also has so many different breaks, river mouths, sandbars and reefs.

MF: The Brazilian coastline is so huge it absolutely has the potential for so many disciplines, from very windy spots to absolutely perfect waves for foiling. There’s a lot of talented surfers and kiteboarders out here too… As soon as the majority of riders open their mind to foiling, the sport will grow a lot here.

RQ: Yeah, 8000km of coastline, a lot of river mouths with long waves, and some perfect spots for downwinders… the potential is truly massive.

TO P The points lining up in the distance betray some of the endless potential to be found in Brazil.

RIGHT Where others might run for cover, Titouan is just having too much damn fun to let a storm halt play.

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HERE Point break perfection.

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HERE Looks like hard work. Hopefully there were some caipirinhas waiting for the boys at the end of the day...

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IT ’S PERFEC T FOR SURF FOI LI NG .

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B RAZIL I S HA RD TO COMPA RE W I TH OTHE R PL AC ES. How does Brazil compare to other places you have traveled to for foiling/kiting/surfing?

RQ: For me, it’s the best place for all those sports, and that’s why I left France and moved to Brazil in 2001!

TG: It just has a really cool vibe, the people are really nice, and I really loved the food… A lot of fruit and juices!

MF: It is hard to compare with other places. I think every place has its own attributes. One really good thing about Brazil is that the majority of the coastline is warm. Another great thing is that there are so many empty places to explore, and with the hydrofoils, it opens things up even more thanks to their versatility. The people are also very receptive and welcoming.

What was your daily routine and what time of day was best to foil did it get windier as the day went on?

TG: There was no set routine really, we were going to different places depending on the conditions. Most of the time, mornings were better to foil because it was pretty much glassy all the time. And it would get windier most evenings.

MF: Depending on where we planned to shoot, our day consisted of waking up before dawn, drinking a good natural fruit juice and heading straight to the ocean to shoot some foil surfing before the wind and tide picked up. Most afternoons the winds got light, but there was usually just enough to wing foil in some very beautiful places.

RQ: We’d usually head out at 5am for the first session, which was generally the best one, with offshore wind. The wind picked up around 9am because of the configuration of the coast. We’d always have a wind protected spot for surfing, and another side of the spot for kiting or getting out on the wing, and we have a world class spot which is on the offshore winds side. It’s a secret spot, so no crowds...

Was there one moment that really stood out for you during the product shoot?

TG: The time we rode at night, we had some spotlights on our boards.

I will always remember that moment!

MF: For me it was a great opportunity to learn winging skills with Titouan, who’s one of the best out there. It was also great to watch Titou and Remi paragliding right above my head! These guys are very skilled at what they do. And when we went foil surfing at Praia do Madeiro with dolphins of course…

RQ: Riding with Fernando and Titouan was really cool. It was so good to share the stoke, I made a lot of progress riding with them. They are legends!

HERE Mizo and Remi work it for the camera...

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We know Brazil is good for food and drinks. Tell us your favorites...

RQ: Acai is an Amazonian berry, it contains a lot of energy and is an antioxidant. It is perfect for lunch before the afternoon session.

TG: I loved the acai for sure! And the coconut water here is so much sweeter than anywhere else…

MF: Definitely fish and fruits. All the meals we had in Sossego Surf Camp were amazing. They are really good at cooking great food every day.

Who impressed you the most on this trip and why?

TG: Probably all the young riders who surf in Pipa Playa Central, they were all sending 180 or 360 aerials!

MF: Remi impressed me with his skills in every discipline he practices.

Also, the way he conducts his business and his family. His humility makes him a very special person to be around. Titouan impressed me too. Watching him winging is amazing… Such a great opportunity for me!

RQ: Titouan was riding with the wing in 8 knots of wind, making it look so easy, riding for two hours and never stalling or falling. Amazing!

Give us one secret about Brazil that you think the wider world should know...

TG: You can be completely safe and happy in Brazil, and in Tibau Do Sul in particular.

MF: Brazil is a magical place, it is such a great and diverse country.

There is so much culture and different things to explore. From north to south, its coastline is huge and there are so many unexplored places to go and shred.

RQ: Here people understand and apply the expression “Enjoy your day like it will be your last”. I travel a lot, all over the world, and the happiest people I have met are those from my village in Tibau Do Sul.

HERE Popular surf breaks might get crowded... but you can always find some space in Brazil if you have the right toys.

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WI LLOW-RIVER TONKIN

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He’s already graced magazine covers in the world of kitesurfing and is a waterman through and through. After just over a year of foil surfing, Willow-River Tonkin is already reaching impressive heights, and he’s only just getting started as he pioneers our sport in the furthest reaches of the Indian Ocean. Plus: he’s got the coolest name…

I N T E R V I E W K J E L L VA N S I C E PHOTOS THOMAS BURBLIES

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You just got out of the water from a foiling session, right? How was it?!

I was out today at Small Reef here in Le Morne on the south side of Mauritius. It’s the wave I foil the most since it works at low and high tide and the bottom is mostly sand in the channel which works perfectly for the foil. Today was my first time ever using straps besides kitesurfing on a twin tip! I loved it so much. Normally when I’m kiting I really dig strapless – that’s kind of my thing – but I decided to give straps a go. I made them from old windsurf straps, actually. I took out the hard plastic molds, kept the soft foam looped over some bits from a kite bag, then put some holes through it. It only took fifteen minutes and held pretty solidly! Basically today I was just getting a feeling for it, learning the different kind of takeoffs to get my feet straight in. I even started going for some solid airs and managed to do quite a few good ones, so I’m frothing!

What was the transition like from pro wind sports to surf foiling?

How does foiling fit into your enormous quiver?

I found the transition pretty easy because I had experience from kite foiling. I actually got my first surf foil setup in South Africa and went straight into the waves! At that point I was mostly working on popping up and getting clean take offs. Otherwise, I’ve been pretty much hooked on the idea of surf foiling since we all started watching the videos of Kai Lenny a few years ago. It’s been about 12 months of surf foiling for me now and I’m dedicating a lot of time to it. Wherever I go now, I take my foils with me and try to ride as much as possible. It’s so awesome that you can travel and foil anything almost anywhere, and it really works so well with kiting because I can get out pretty much every day.

What was your perspective of foiling as a legitimate sport when you first started and how do you see its potential now?

I think we’re right at the beginning and it’s going to blow up really big and completely outgrow kiting and windsurfing. There’s been

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A B OV E Getting distracted during the setup...

MIDDLE Wing breach betrays some serious speed in the turn...

RIGHT This is what just a year of foiling can look like if you spend your life in the water...

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“I THINK WE’RE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING AND IT’S GOING TO BLOW UP REALLY BIG AND COMPLETELY OUTGROW KITING AND WINDSURFING. ” this crazy trend with everyone getting into it, especially with guys like John John and Nathan Florence getting on board and even the WSL sharing foiling content. I hope that’ll help push the competitive side to grow, too. Unfortunately I was never able to get into kiting or surfing when they first started up back in the day, and a big reason I took up foiling was to be a part of this developing sport and to be one of the guys pushing it in different ways. I can really implement my kiting and surfing knowledge into it. The sport is so new that anyone can have their share and get involved to bring in their own ideas, making their own changes to gear and improving it for everyone. I see so many new aspects of foiling opening up from wing foiling to downwinding, paddle and tow-in surf foiling, and even flat water foiling that means no more down days. Despite how much better our gear already is, I think foils and boards are going to become even easier to learn on and will make it a safer sport to get into for the average person.

Are people’s preconceived notions about foils in the lineup changing in Mauritius, especially given how localized the spots in the south are?

To be honest, when I started a year ago, nobody was really into it and even less were keen on having foils on spots. Now though I see more riders coming up and liking the idea of foiling. I think that’s mostly because they realize you don’t need six foot barreling surf to have fun and you can go out when nobody else is and have the time of your life! There are still so few people on the island who do it, though – I’d say out of all the local surfers we have here, a max of 10-15 people are into foiling and maybe five are actively doing it. It’s getting pretty popular to wake foil behind boats when there aren’t waves, and so is flat water pumping as well. People here in Mauritius are so curious about foils and are always asking me about the device under my feet, and I absolutely love sharing what I’ve learned in the time I’ve been doing it. It’s also awesome to see the curiosity from non-surfers, and I actually understand a lot more how the foils work from speaking with pilots and engineers, which I really love.

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How’s Mauritius for foiling?

I would say we’ve only explored a small percentage of what Mauritius offers for foiling. There are so many breaks all around the island that would be amazing for foiling, but as I live in the south that’s mainly where I go. In the last year I’ve already found probably four or five waves that can be really fun, and three of those work often. Even though it can be quite tricky to find a good foiling spot since we have so much shallow reef, there are loads of channels everywhere so just sticking on the sides of those leaves a lot of absolutely perfect opportunities for riding the foil. I also think that wing foil and SUP foil downwinding is going to be huge here as we have so much wind and great swell! Just a few days ago I found an epic little spot with no road access, just a forest walk type of vibe, that I can’t wait to go back to when there’s a bit better swell.

What’s been your gear progression, and what have you learned?

I spend a lot of time checking Foil The World, Kai Lenny, and all you guys out there with your new gear! I went deeply into looking at Kai’s gear from shapes and designs to sizes and volumes since I’m getting my own boards made custom now. Lately I’ve also been watching everyone chop down stabilizers and try different wing shapes and different mast lengths, which I’ve quite enjoyed giving a go myself.

At the moment, I’m working with Clifford from Uni Foil out in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. He’s giving me prototypes of all shapes and sizes to test out, which I’m really liking. I’m currently riding his 150 Vortex which is super small and reactive, and also the 170 Hyper which turns so well for its shape. We also have plans to put together some experimental stabilizer shapes in the coming months. As for boards, I’m working now with a shaper from Durban on a funky shaped thing, based on Kai Lenny’s boards, that’s 4’5 x 19 1/3 and 31L. I’ve only had a couple sessions on it so far but I’m loving it, and it’s full carbon and extremely light. We got some help from my kiting sponsor to make this board really strong and stiff in the box. In the past, I was riding the MFC foils which I really dig as well, but I only had one wing and realize now that I really needed a few for different conditions. At the time, I was also riding a 24L, 4’10 KT board. Even though I loved

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riding it, as I’m over 80kg, the volume was just too low for me for paddling on that particular board.

One problem I’ve been running into is that I’ve broken quite a lot of foil boxes in my boards, mainly when pumping. I used to run my foil plates all the way forward in the board and I think that overstressed the boxes until they crushed, which is definitely a downer when you’re having a good session!

What do you think the future of surf foiling might look like?

Snowboard-type maneuvers are on my mind, and I’d be keen to see surf foiling go to launching off waves and incorporating different types of airs to put on a show. I’m also really into wing surfing even though I haven’t really been able to try it yet. It just opens up so many possibilities to different spots and ways to ride foils. One Eye, one of the best waves on the island, is world class for wind sports and would be perfect for wing foiling. I just can’t wait to get my hand on one of those things! Since foil shapes are getting smaller and smaller, and people are even going out with no stabilizers or fuselages, I’m really keen to see where new designs might take us.

A B OV E Of course he’s happy... THE MAN IS LIVING THE DREAM. RIGHT We’re not sure what’s going on here either, but we can guess what he’s off to do next...

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L E F T A N D T H I S PAG E Willow enjoying a quiet session in Cape Town.

How’s the foiling scene in South Africa?

I’m in Cape Town, South Africa, for basically the entire off season for kiting in Mauritius. My foils are with me and I spend my mornings foiling and kite in the afternoons. Obviously South Africa is a big place, but foiling is getting popular for sure, and there are so many spots to discover. Nathan and his dad Ivan from Signature are total shredders who I really dig riding with down in Cape Town, and it’s sweet to see that whenever I go down there, the crowd keeps growing.

Isn’t it awesome when you catch a tiny ripple and ride it for miles?

I had a session here in Mauritius on this knee-high little foamy wave that rolls in from the channel and goes all the way into the beach, probably about 700 meters. I hooked into that thing and pumped in all the way to the beach, which was quite sweet. That was probably the smallest wave I ever caught!

But catching a big wave is better, right…?

I have towed into some pretty big waves out at Manawa at Le Morne here in Mauritius, which is a pretty mellow wave but with quite the size to it. As for paddling, the biggest I’ve gone for so far is just over head high. I must say though, the lift and speed you get from a big drop on the foil is quite scary!

Most memorable foiling session?

My most memorable session was in Cape Town with my friend Taylor when we were just starting to foil. We headed out for an evening session with this dreamy, crazy sunset that was virtually picture perfect.

Back then we were a little less good on the foil and our wings got locked up as we slowly collided into each other on a wave. I somehow managed to recover and ride off while Taylor bailed over the side of his board. We were both laughing and having the time of our lives, honestly. That was really great.

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Through our communication with John Amundson, it’s been clear from the start that the man absolutely exudes stoke, not just for the sport and for those he supplies with boards, but for the building of the boards themselves, a talent and trade he’s honed from his early teens. His boards also look damn cool, but as we found out in our interview, being “cool” doesn’t cut it. It has to also be a fine-tuned and perfectly engineered piece of kit to make it out of the Amundson Customs shaping bay…

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“I WAS HAVING FUN BUILDING THESE HULLS FOR FRIENDS AND HAVING A GREAT TIME DOING IT. I GUESS NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED ALL THESE YEARS LATER.”

Hi John. So let’s kick it off from an early age… What are your first memories of the ocean?

So tell us how you got started in the shaping industry. Where did that begin?

My first experiences in the ocean started from birth. My first memories were camping in my father’s VW bus on the beach in Mexico and San Onofre in California. My dad was in the San Onofre Surf Club for many years. Needless to say, I spent many hours and days on that beach playing in the shorebreak, and later, playing in the surf. I was also lucky enough to visit the Hawaiian Islands as a very young child. My cousins lived on the beach on the north shore of Oahu. We would spend a lot of time with them every year, playing in the ocean.

At 15 years of age, I got into the board industry by picking up a ‘How to’ surfboard shaping book and proceeded to make a mess out of my mom’s garage. I have always liked to build things and surfboards just seemed like a fun thing to build. Never thinking I would do it for a job, I was commissioned by a few friends to make them custom boards. It still did not feel like a job, I was having fun building these hulls for friends and having a great time doing it. I guess not much has changed all these years later.

You clearly have a strong lineage of love for the ocean in your family, with both your father and grandfather having been accomplished sailors. How does this influence weave into your board design?

And then when was your first encounter with surf foiling?

I would have to say that the influence from my family and sailing has given me the mindset of an ocean voyager. A truly great ocean voyager should know how his or her vessel was built, how it performs, why it performs and how to fix or improve performance. That would be the direct influence on my design. Having the mindset of a voyager not only allowed me to enjoy surfing but also have an open mind to other forms of traveling across the ocean, like kitesurfing, tow surfing, foiling of all kinds, paddle, Polynesian sailing, canoe and modern sailing.

My first experience with surfing on a foil was around 2000. Around that time Laird Hamilton, Derrick Doerner, Rush Randal and others took a lake foil concept and adapted it to a surfboard. After seeing this, my good friends Guy Perre and Brendan Shea came to me proposing a partnership in building a tow-in foil board. This was a mind-expanding experience as a designer and as a rider. I will always remember my first wave, it was like a dream, I was flying over the water like a pelican.

You moved to Hawaii from your birth state of California in 1988. What was the main motivation to head out to the islands? Was it those fond memories of the North Shore?

My motivation really started as a very young child. My grandparents met on the beach in front of Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki in the 1940s.

They loved the Hawaiian Islands and spent a lot of time there throughout their life. This was reflected in their life in California. When I would visit their home, my mind would wander to Polynesia on the car ride and I would physically arrive in Polynesia once I walked through the door. The painted tile at the front door “E Komo Mai” (Welcome), the art on the walls and the music in the air all brought me from California to the islands. I knew from a very early age that I would end up in Hawaii.

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A B OV E Shaping has been a lifelong passion for John Amundson.

TO P R I G H T John on the ‘Uncle Nubby’.

B OT TO M R I G H T Quality and functionality are key to John Amundson’s creations. So first-hand tests are crucial.

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“DOES IT WORK? IF IT DOES, I STICK WITH IT. IF IT LOOKS COOL BUT DOESN’T WORK, IT GOES IN THE TRASH. ”

So from that experience, was it a natural step forward to start the Amundson brand? Or was it something you worked toward for a while?

Well the term brand sounds very official. Amundson Customs is a name that is saturated with passion, enthusiasm, dedication and experience. I have had passion, enthusiasm and dedication since that first board that I built in my mom’s garage but now I feel I can add experience to the list. I guess what I am trying to say is anyone can make a ‘brand’ but what is behind it? I have been working towards this point for a very long time and feel like there is much more to learn, experience and develop.

Can you tell us about your first kite-surf boards that you built?

TO P R I G H T John, Mala’e McElheny and Tomoyasu Murabayashi. Three beacons of stoke right there...

How important is innovation like that to you? Or are you just happy to make great kit?

Oh ya, kiting. When I first started kiting we were using tiny wakeboard-style boards (twintips). There were opinion leaders in the sport demanding that these twintips were the ultimate wave riding vehicles. I didn’t believe this and other surfers in the sport did not believe this. Early on I was developing kite surfboards with some of my friends here on the North Shore. It was obvious that a surfboard-style board was much better that a twintip in the surf. At the time I was designing boards and riding as a professional for North Kiteboarding (now Duotone). I worked closely with the entire design team and riders. After a few years trying to convince our Brand Manager Till Eberle that we needed to introduce a kite surfboard into the board line-up, he finally agreed. We were the first in the industry to present a production kite surfboard to the kite world.

Innovation and making a great product are everything! They go hand in hand. I am always willing to try anything in design, but it simply comes down to the question: Does it work? If it does, I stick with it.

If it looks cool but doesn’t work, it goes in the trash. I will always put out a no bullshit product and chase the design that works better.

B OT TO M R I G H T John, pitching hard turns close to shore.

TO P L E F T You can forgive a man for wanting to spend as much time on his creations as building them...

B OT TO M L E F T Party wave fun with the Banzaigrom himself.

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That’s a great attitude. You work with some top foil brands for your boards… Have you ever been tempted to move into the world of building foils themselves?

There are temptations all around me everyday, but I always stop and ask myself “Is that going to make my life better or worse?”. I love being in the water. I love spending time with those I love. With that said, NO WAY! I very much respect Alex Aguera and the other designers who tinker away on the foils that we love. That is a full-time job and requires 100% of one’s energy.

What have been some of the bigger innovations for you in terms of materials and shaping over the years?

Surfboards were a great introduction to design and basic construction. Design wise, it is the most complicated design to understand and takes years to master. Material wise, it is a very easy thing to understand. When I moved into the kiteboarding world, I learned about vacuum construction. I learned about different composites like carbon and Kevlar and how they perform. I learned about the many different foam types and how they perform. Probably the most significant advancement was the introduction of CAD/CAM (computer aided design / computer aided machining) to the surf world. This tool has made surfboard shaping a science, where traditionally it has been more of an art. Designing on the computer allows the designer to have total freedom to design any shape with accuracy. It is the best tool in the quest for a better board.

And tell us about your goals for Amundson Customs for the future.

Do you think you’ll expand the range further, or move into other spheres?

I want to keep Amundson Customs a passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated experience. It is important to me to stay connected and build with stoke. I am always open to new ideas but always come back to “Is this going to make my life better or worse?”. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, and I will not spend my days chasing a dollar. I will spend my days chasing a good session though…

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A B OV E An otherwise lazy right hander throws up all manner of possibilities with this kind of set-up... John leans back and enjoys the potential.

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AXIS Foils have a reputation for high spec engineering and some extremely refined and high-performance products. They started out as a kiteboard brand back in the day, and are now fully invested into the foil market. We heard from Adrian Roper, Head of Product Development, about how the brand started out and how having a feel for what’s under your feet is key to their design process‌

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LEFT Evan looking pretty happy with some AXIS high aspect engineering.

PHOTO: @arnold1956newman TO P R I G H T Evan making the absolute most of a ‘work’ trip to Thailand...

B OT TO M R I G H T Adrian gets some test time in on a punchy little NZ right...

Hi Adrian. AXIS has a rich history in water sports and as well as building top class foils, you’re also a successful kiteboard brand.

Where and when did it all begin?

I built my first windsurfer when I was about 14 or 15 years old. My parents wouldn’t buy me one, but they helped me translate from a French windsurf magazine and I built my own board in the back room of the house, made of polystyrene and plywood. I really enjoyed building things and it developed from there. When I finished school, I did mechanical engineering, which has helped me a lot in everything that I’ve done. I got into windsurf competing in New Zealand and ended up getting a job building windsurfers in Auckland.

When I was 19, I moved to Hawaii and I worked for Sailboards Maui and we built a lot of speed boards for some of the top riders in the world. I also got into speed sailing and ended up getting the New Zealand speed record.

Cool, and when did you start your own business?

Well, I worked for a bunch of different people in Maui over the next eight years. I was traveling back and forwards to New Zealand and after that first trip I started the windsurfing company Underground.

When kitesurfing started, we began building kiteboards and we sold them to 54 different countries around the world, all exporting from Christchurch. The factory even burned to the ground and we rebuilt it, but by the time we’d done that the exchange rate had changed such that it wasn’t really competitive to build from New Zealand anymore. Someone in China offered to buy company, and I sold it and worked for them in China for quite a few years. I learned a lot about working in China and what to do and what not to do, and when that all finished up it was pretty sad, because it was my brand that I’d spent my whole life building.

But when that finished, I was very excited to get together with Evan Mavridoglou in San Francisco. Evan has been a great friend of mine since the beginning of kiteboarding, and a savvy waterman and experienced entrepreneur. When Evan and I start AXIS, we were tired of companies making compromises and not good enough gear. We wanted to focus on making the best kiteboards and kite surfboards

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ever made. We were in fact successful with that, making the best kiteboards we have ever ridden. But when the first foils showed up in San Francisco during the America’s Cup, we slipped into building kitesurf foils and then that morphed into everything else foiling. Now foiling has completely taken over everything for us. That’s what takes up all of our time and all of our passion.

What’s your design and training background?

Well I did mechanical engineering and that teaches you how to build things strongly, but a lot of the stuff that I’ve learnt has just been hands on, like a lot of the stuff I did when we were working at F2 building windsurfers. We basically just had to get the materials and have a go and by using trial and error over the years we’ve worked out a lot of processes. Also when I had my own company in New Zealand, I was working with Steve Palmer who was my factory manager and he had a background in F1 car building. Between the two of us we came up with some really good ways of building things, and that was a really good learning experience as well.

I’m not necessarily the best foiler on the water, but I’m quite good at feeling things. If I think back to the windsurfing days, I wasn’t the fastest in racing but my gear was very balanced and easy to ride, and when I swapped with someone they couldn’t believe how easy my setup was to ride, and I couldn’t even ride their stuff, it would just throw me in the water! So to me, it’s all about getting things balanced and I think foiling is all about balance…

What’s the best seller currently in the AXIS foil range?

That’s a difficult question because it changes from time to time. I guess our biggest selling wing would be the 900. It was originally designed as a windsurfing front wing and it works very well for that.

It also works very well for SUP foil, it’s very fast and you can pump it for a long distance and it surfs unreal too. So that has been our biggest seller. We have a whole range of new wings coming out now and it would be hard to pick which is going to be the most popular out of those ones. For AXIS, we want to have the best foil wings for every discipline, condition and style of riding.

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“WE ALWAYS FIND IT INTRIGUING SEEING THE STYLE AND CONDITION DIFFERENCES ACROSS VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD, AND THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOVE INCORPORATING INTO OUR DESIGN AND FUTURE RELEASES.” The new sport of wing surfing has sprung up from nowhere like a young upstart over the last year and people are really frothing about it. How have you adapted the AXIS range to cater for the wing market?

Well we have a wide range of wings and all of those wings seem to cross over for all sorts of different applications. Our 1000 wing seems to have been one of the most popular on the market for wing foiling.

Our 1020, from our all round series is actually the easiest wing to learn on. That wing was kind of considered mostly a pumping / dock starting and tiny bumps type of wing, but now with wing surfing, that has become the easiest foil of our whole entire range to get up and learning on. It’s got a lot of area and it pumps really well and it’s a great wing to get into it. The 1000 is a lot faster and carves pretty good, and that seems to really suit the wing foil market as well. It’s something that we’ll be working on a lot in the future. People are also getting on the 900 (for even faster wing surfing or bigger winds), as well as the flatter high aspect wings, such as the 1010. Specifically for wing surfing, we are about to release our most recent creation, which we feel will dominate the market. The 1150 (1150mm wingspan), is the bigger version of the 1010. It is incredibly easy to lift due to our new foil section we have been working on, and super smooth to control.

And it rides pretty fast too. So many possibilities on our range of wings and foils. Something for everyone and every level!

LEFT AXIS build foils for all disciplines, including kite foiling.

TO P R I G H T Plenty of attractive AXIS goodies ready for the session...

B OT TO M R I G H T Adrian in the shaping bay.

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We’ve seen some great videos of AXIS team riders. Who’s involved in the testing and development process and where are they based?

We have many incredible team riders around the world. In West Australia we’ve got a crew of three riders that are very high level, and great to work with. East coast Australia, we’ve got a few riders that are really good as well. New Zealand is where I’m based and I design the foils with Kevin Trotter, and we do a lot of our testing together and there’s also a lot of good riders in Auckland that we use to test things out after that. With Evan being in California, he has a select crew in America across all foiling disciplines, as well as our tight group of riders and testers in Maui. Portugal, Spain and France have recently become a hotspot for testing for us, specifically for downwind, wing, SUP and surf foiling. So we get pretty direct feedback as to whether we’re going in the right direction or not. I do rely on my own feedback because it comes through my feet or my hands more directly, but it needs to be backed up by everything else that’s going on as well. We always find it intriguing seeing the style and condition differences across various parts of the world, and that’s one of the things we love incorporating into our design and future releases.

And what’s on your computer right now?!

What we’re working on now is some wings that have a lower camber and a much higher top speed. The lift of a foil is a little bit like a volume knob on your stereo... you can wind it up so that you have more lift, or you can wind it down so that you’ve got less drag. You can’t have everything in one wing, it’s an impossibility, but we think there’s a long way to go in terms of development and we are making some really really fast wings for downwind competition, for big wave surfing. We’ve got quite a bit of prototyping involved in fast wing R&D right now and we can’t wait to see what the results will be. It’s an exciting time in foiling and we are really only just starting to be honest.

We want to carry on being successful in every different part of foiling so there’s lots to work on, and a lot of fun to be had.

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BIG WAVE FOILING It is impossible for anyone who’s witnessed big wave tow surfing at Nazaré first-hand not to have the utmost respect for those riders every time they throw themselves at those salt-watery monsters, instead of padding for the mercy of the distant horizon. From achieving supreme fitness and increased lung capacity, to dialled down technique and riding mastery, as well as the trust and faith they put in their tow partners to pull them out of the way of a one-way ticket to poundtown as the next set wave rolls through, this is a serious game…

Gradually but confidently, foils are entering the big wave mix, with several seasoned riders now pushing the limits on what’s possible in big surf. Welshman and regular Nazaré fixture Glyn Ovens is one of them, and here he lays out what it takes to get into big waves on a foil…

P H O T O S H É L I O A N T Ó N I O ( U N L E S S S TAT E D )

RIGHT Benny Ferris, in the crosshairs of some of the world’s biggest waves...

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THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING HOW TO BIG WAVE FOIL

STARTING OUT Big wave foiling, or tow-in foiling, the key things you have to prepare yourself for is that you’re going to be going fast – really fast – and having experience in bigger waves is key. Managing fear is probably the key thing you’ll have to face when you want to start out and you’re thinking about going to ride these bigger waves, because sooner or later you’re going to get hit by a big wave, and you’re going to have to deal with taking it on your head, and that alone can be horrifying, but having a foil near you is even more terrifying. So that’s the first thing you have to consider – whether your mind can handle what you’re going to see and have to deal with.

Typically, the wings we use are smaller to create less resistance, allowing them to go quicker and slide easier through the water more effiecently. These also give less lift, which in normal circumstances would be a problem, but with the speeds you are going at in big surf you need as little lift as possible, so smaller wings than average are key. Also, when we’re talking equipment, we also need to talk about a driver. You need a very skilled and experienced jetski driver, and as most of this will involve towing you need someone who understands foiling and has some knowledge of the sport. If the driver knows how to foil, that is going to be a huge advantage to you.

You should also be used to riding foils at quite a high speed. You’ve got your downwind stuff and your lower speed stuff but with big wave foiling the speed you’re going to be going at will be something that you’ve probably never experienced before. The speeds are phenomenal and, if you have experience of foiling, then you know that the faster you go the more lift you have, so these are the factors that you’re going to come up against and manage when you are trying to ride these bigger waves.

A driver with good ‘rope knowledge’ is a must too. Slackness on the rope happens a lot due to the efficiency of the foil, with the foil board and the foil catching up with the ski easily. So a very attentive and experienced tow-in driver with good experience in big waves is essential.

EQUIPMENT The first thing to note is that big waves mean more power, and more energy. More energy means more speed, more lift, more forces in every direction. So you need to look at your own protective equipment, so that when (it’s not if, it’s always when) you crash, you’re going to hit the water very hard compared to normal. Falling off a foil on any day can be quite painful, but now the speeds are going to be amplified so it’s advised that you wear body protection and padding.

I wear at least a couple of impact vests for buoyancy in big waves, but also for impact to protect myself from winding and injury. A wetsuit is also recommended to protect yourself, and just to shake off some of the bumps and scrapes when you’re splatting into the water at breakneck speed. I always go for a helmet as well, because my face usually tends to break my fall, which can be deemed as fortunate or unfortunate, depends how you look at it...

Equipment wise, you need to make sure that the board is reinforced.

So the amount of torque on the boxes, on the attachment point, whether it’s a Tuttle or twin fin box – whatever attachment system you have – it will be tested to its absolute limit with the speeds and the forces that you’re talking about. Also, crashing the board by stopping instantly is going to cause a huge amount of strain on the board, and on the wing and mast, and all the other working parts.

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A B OV E Glyn and his Fanatic set-up.

RIGHT Laird Hamilton and Benny Ferris play swapsies on some high stakes Portuguese monsters...

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TOWING IN… Good rope skills are essential when being towed behind a jetski, making sure you keep the rope tight at all times in conjunction with the driver. You should see it as a partnership, working together to make sure that the rope is always under tension, and therefore the foil is always under load and you are under control. As you’re being towed, make sure to watch out for the wake crossing onto waves. This will aerate and cavitate the wings, which can be devastating if it happens at the wrong time…

Knowing how to grab the rope before you get to the handle is also an essential skill, especially when you’re short on time. These skills are best practiced in a calm and stress-free environment before you actually get into the waves, because getting into and off big waves in the moment is a different story, and highly stressful if you’re not confident in what you’re doing.

KICKING OUT So you’ve managed to get up on the rope, your driver’s towed you in the right spot, you’ve let go of the rope, you’ve gone faster than you’ve ever gone in your entire life on a foil, you haven’t fallen, you’ve made it almost to the end the wave, and now you’ve got to kick out.

Hopefully as I mentioned you’ve been able to see what’s behind, and hopefully there isn’t a monster coming down to slay you, which is usually the case when you try foiling Nazaré…

So, kicking out, you’ve got three options: First option, if there’s a lots of time, your driver can come in and give you the rope, and you can walk your hands down the rope to get to the handle, then get up and get towed back out and maybe into your next one (if you’ve not already have enough and want to go home!).

I ride with foot straps and a very wide stance. Now, it could be argued that this gives you less room for adjustment, but, in big waves, the wider the stance the better as you’ll have more control. With your front foot being so far forward, you’ll sometimes find that the foil will barely fly under rope speed. But once you let go of the rope onto medium to large or very large waves, then you’ll start to appreciate the front foot pressure. Staying low and wide will help you manage the bumps and manage the twist and cork that the foil will want to do as it goes through the chop and over any turbulence.

Once you let go of the rope and set off on the face, always keep the thought in the back of your mind that there may be a bigger one behind it which is going to take you out when you kick off, so keeping an eye on that is really important. If a bigger wave does come from behind, you should carry your speed as far down the line as possible and then try to use that speed to start pumping and pumping out into the channel and away from trouble. So always have that in the back of your mind and keep an eye on your driver, who should be there with you all the time to make sure you’re safe, but these are the anxieties that you’ll experience when riding, dodging, and just being amongst big waves.

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TO P L E F T It’s smart to get your technique down before attempting anything out of your comfort zone.

PHOTO: Tronic Pro B OT TO M L E F T Heading out of safety and into the dangerzone... PHOTO: Tronic Pro RIGHT Benny Ferris enters the critically short period of time between kicking out and jetski pick-up...

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Option two, if you’re absolutely knackered and you’ve still got time, the ski can come in, you can flick your foil upside down and pop it on to the rescue sled. It can’t be understated how absolutely essential this piece of equipment is... don’t even bother going out on a ski if you don’t have a sled. This is the most undervalued piece of equipment that people put on their rig, with some people spending a huge amount on a ski and then just not bothering with sled. It’s a cardinal sin, so you have to have a sled. So you can flip the board upside down, throw the foil onto the rescue sled with the foil wing in the air, climb on and off you go.

Option three, if you’ve got foot straps and you are proficient and practiced in this, then the ski driver can come around the outside of you and present the rope to you. If the rope is of a thick, squishy, tow-in style, an HSA or equivalent style rope, you can grab that, roll it over your forearm and into your hand, grab it with both hands, and you can get yourself up and foiling, and as you’re getting pulled out of the way you can work your way back to the handle and go from there. This is an advanced technique which does need a lot of practice, and if it isn’t done correctly, then it can cause quite a few problems. This technique needs to be mastered in calm water first, away from the pressures of big waves.

Alternatively, you’ve kicked out and there’s a absolute bomb detonating in front of you, and you are now stuck there with your foil.

You’re hopefully not using a leash, because that would be absolute suicide in huge waves, and you have to accept that part of riding big waves is that you might lose all your kit. If for some reason you’ve made the idiotic decision of riding with a leash, then take that off as quickly as possible. Push the board sideways as far away from you as possible and swim the heck away from it, because you do not want to get caught anywhere near it. A number of times we’ve lost equipment or skis and we’re all mixed up together. You bump back into your equipment all the time. So you want to get away from that and hopefully your ski driver can then come and pick you up and get you out of trouble, then you can go back and find your foil, if it’s still in one piece. We have had instances of the foils ripping out of the boxes and you’re left with just a board, with a nice bit of pricey carbon or aluminum on its way to create a lovely artificial reef down below.

HEADING HOME To get back from a foil session with the ski, strapping the board onto the sled is typically what we do. We also carry the wing bags and the mast bags in the ski with us on the way out and on the way back. I’ll put them back on just to protect the wings in case they come flying off, hit us, or more likely get damaged when we’re loading and unloading the ski from the trailer or onto the dock. You can strap the mast horizontally to the back seat of the ski as well and have the board in one gunnel and the wing in the other using the bungee setup, but again, you need to make sure all the bags are on it to protect you and the equipment from any damage.

Big wave foiling for me is the next frontier. It’s still early days, and to be doing something that’s so unpredictable when you’re going at these speeds on waves this big is just so exciting. I mean, who knows where it’s going to go? How big we can ride? Is there a point where tow-in boards can no longer go fast enough? This is the natural progression we’ll figure out. It may not be for everybody… the wipeouts are taken at very high speed and they hurt, but the rides are phenomenal, and you find yourself in places where you wouldn’t normally surf, out amongst big ocean swells, where you’ll see the seabirds gliding around above you, setting the example as they foil the air updrafts while we foil the massive waves. It’s just such an amazing thing to do and I love it.

Hopefully you’re doing this in partnership with another foiler as your ski partner. It’s really important to rotate and swap out regularly to stop yourself tiring. As you tire, which you will very quickly, more mistakes will be made and you’ll find that the board becomes more twitchy and keeps spitting you off, and you just can’t seem to handle the speed anymore. That’s normal. That’s your legs tiring. So regular breaks are required, and that’s something you can do when it’s your turn on the ski.

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LEFT Glyn gives the international sign for “Let’s go surf something utterly insane”.

TO P R I G H T Glyn prepares to commit...

B OT TO M R I G H T Laird Hamilton stares into the abyss.

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MARIO LEGENSTEIN

A chance encounter with hydrofoiling 11 years ago gave Levitaz’s chief foil designer Mario Legenstein the buzz to try them, and, soon after, the push to start creating them himself… The rest, as they say, is history. We got the full story…

P H OTO ABOVE L-R: Michael Ochs, Product Manager; Mario Legenstein, Foil Designer; Alex Schwab, Board Shaper.

Photo: Alex Schwarz RIGHT Levitaz team rider Lukas Haigermoser Photo: Benjamin Geislinger W I NG CO M MA N DE R

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Hi Mario. So firstly, what’s your background and how did you end up in the foil design sphere?

In 2009 I took part in the first European Kiterace Championships in Douarnenez/France where I saw the first kitefoilers. Marc Blanc impressed me a lot with his easy and effortless riding style. I got hooked immediately and started riding foils right after that event.

But the foils which were available in those days (there was just one brand) had a poor hydrodynamic design and very limited performance. I felt that there was a lot more potential in this new sport. So I dug into the physics of hydrodynamics and started building my own foils. As it turned out they worked a lot better, so I got even more enthusiastic on designing and trying new things.

You started building foils in 2010. What have been the main and most critical changes to foil design in the last decade in your opinion?

Actually, it is a permanent process of evolving and optimizing for the demands of the riders. The skills of the riders increase a lot over time. If you take kite racing for example, these riders go way faster and push a lot harder nowadays. Therefore, modern designs not only have a better lift/drag ratio, but they also have to match the increased mechanical stress.

You hooked up with Levitaz just three years into your foil-building career. Dream job?

For me it is still very satisfying to go through the whole process of formation. Starting from an idea through to the point where I can actually ride and feel these foils under my feet. We have a very motivated working atmosphere at Levitaz which definitely enriches my working life.

Geislinger, the Levitaz brand’s parent company, make some interesting industrial composites, can you give us the background on that?

Yes sure, Geislinger GmbH is the company behind the Levitaz brand.

Geislinger is very innovation driven, and equips the fastest ferries, and the largest wind turbines in the world with their couplings and dampers. With more than 25 years’ experience in developing fiber composite couplings and shafts, and with extensive experience in carbon fiber technology, Geislinger turned out to be the perfect partner for developing Levitaz Hydrofoils.

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A B OV E Alex Schwab provides some light lunchtime entertainment.

Photo: Benjamin Geislinger

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“WE’VE GAINED A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN HOW THINGS PLAY TOGETHER THROUGH YEARS OF DESIGNING, MANUFACTURING, TESTING, FEEDBACK, RETHINKING, DESIGNING… ”

The finish on the Levitaz carbon products really stands out. Can you let us in on a few production secrets?

Geislinger has years of experience in composite technology. Besides machines and automation technology, there are still essential manufacturing steps which are made by hand. Very skilful and precise handiwork is needed to guarantee high quality standards.

There’s not a whole lot of surf in Austria. Where do you guys head for a strike testing mission?

There is actually a growing scene of river surfers in Austria. Close to the company HQ are some lakes where we can go wake surfing to get a first impression on how the surf foils behave in waves. Quite often we test the pumping performance at a dead flat river spot in the city of Salzburg, where we have ‘laboratory’ conditions for this purpose. Adrian Geislinger, Levitaz Brand Executive who is familiar in the kite racing scene, improved his skills a lot in surfing. As he has been living in Portugal for the past few years, he often gets perfect conditions for testing our gear. Besides that, our team is testing our surf foils on spots all over the globe in diverse conditions.

And you guys had the opportunity to test foils in those amazing Austrian meltwater standing waves right?

Yes, that´s really possible! Lukas Haigermoser and Alex Schwab, our Levitaz board shaper and a pioneer in this sport, are top river surfers with some experience in this game. For sure we will see more of that in the future.

How has kite foil design influenced your surf foils, and how much crossover is there from a design perspective?

Basically, every type of foiling has its own requirements. Before I start to design a foil, we always define the basic parameters, like target speed range, riding characteristics, anticipated forces on the foil…

We’ve gained a lot of experience in how things play together through years of designing, manufacturing, testing, feedback, rethinking, designing… Today it has got a lot easier to translate the riders’ needs into the design parameters.

How big do you see the surf and SUP foil scene getting?

There are so many more spots where you can foil than just classic surf spots all over the globe. Furthermore, we’re witnessing the crossover from kitesurf, wake surf, wing foiling… It seems to be accessible from different sides. I think we are just scraping the surface right now…

Can you tell us any interesting future developments you have in the pipeline?

I can tell you that my head is full of ideas waiting to get “materialized” and I am getting permanently inspired by our team. There is a lot to come – be prepared to be surprised!

Who primarily tests your foils and how do you gather feedback?

We have an excellent team, consisting of Levitaz staff who are experienced and passionate watermen as well as our professional riders, who are not just masters of their sport, they can also give very detailed descriptions of their riding sensations. Additionally, we work with back-to-back tests, with narrowed down Q&As to get a clear picture. I think this is really essential for designing and improving a foil.

TO P L E F T Who needs the sea anyway? Not Lukas Haigermoser... PHOTO: Adrian Geislinger TO P R I G H T Adrian Geislinger woos a slightly older crowd with his wake foil skills... PHOTO: Benjamin Geislinger

Why do you opt for a stainless steel fuselage?

It is possible to make a very slim and hydrodynamic design with stainless steel. It is almost everlasting and in comparison to aluminum, absolutely corrosion free.

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B OT TO M R I G H T Lukas & Adrian in yet another dreamy location.

PHOTO: Benjamin Geislinger

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EQUIPM ENT TESTS TO B E C O N T I N U E D. . .

Well, the fact is the world went and got a bit weird as we were pulling together tests, so we decided to do the right thing and put them on hold this time round.

But rest assured, we’ve got plenty done and a whole lot more in the offing now things are opening up again so issue #5 is going to be test-tastic… Sign up here to subscribe and get it delivered to your door.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

And if you haven’t checked our tests from the first three issues though, then you can fill your boots on our website here.

TAKE ME TO THE TESTS

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F-ONE PHANTOM

We’re hearing great things about F-ONE’s new pumping and downwind-happy foil set up, the Phantom 1480. We hoped to get one on test, but those who had one of the few available at the time simply did not want to part with them – which is a good sign… Rest assured we’re going to get it on test for issue 5, but in the meantime here’s the full lowdown from Lead Engineer Charles Bertrand and F-ONE foils boss, Julien Salles.

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So tell us first what the main characteristics are that mark the Phantom apart from the Gravity…

CB: The differences are all in the shape. The Phantom wings have more span (+20%), less chord (-10%), thinner sections (-25%) and a shallower arch (ft view curvature). The Gravity wings have an earlier and more progressive take-off, they offer a lot of lift but in a controlled way to make them easier to handle. On a Phantom, you can trigger the take-off a little later, but the lift is immediate. Once in the air, it feels like you will never touch back down on the water, you can keep flying for way longer, which gives you time to find the next slope that you’ll ride. The amount of lift you get from using a higher aspect ratio is very impressive, the Phantom 1480 provides as much support as a Gravity 1800 for example.

We are seeing more high aspect designs which mirror the growth of wing foiling… What sets the Phantom range apart from the pack?

CB: We wanted to achieve a higher aspect wing design that would still be fun to turn. Whether you are surf foiling or wing foiling, it’s cool to fly without a wave but the real stoke still lies in the turns and carves that you can make when riding a wave. The hype about the HA designs came from the downwind and racing foils that enabled the surfers to pump and ride uncountable waves without coming down.

However, we felt there was a need for a foil that pumps and connects very efficiently while remaining really intuitive and fun to turn when actually surfing. It seems we did a good job in that respect, using the right shape details where needed to get that extra ease and feel when surfing/turning, together with more efficiency than you need to connect the waves. The extra span makes the wings quite stable and the glide and the turning ability, both ensure that intermediate and expert riders can really improve their riding once they get their hands on a Phantom.

JS: I think one of the real strengths of the Phantom wings is that they have very good rail-to-rail behavior, which magnifies the feel of surfing and that’s an awesome feeling. The wings that are coming from race designs tend to miss the agility of the Phantom when you want to bank in a turn. The Phantom is also very pumping-friendly, with

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the right balance of speed vs pump effort/frequency, which means you’re not burning up the cardio to maintain enough speed to keep gliding. All in all, it’s a really versatile foil, you can do so many things with it.

How was the development process? Was it a difficult development journey or was it straight from computer to production?

CB: We now have a nicely harmonized foil range in terms of shape.

Each model has its own specifics, but you can see the same trend in all the foils in our new collection. Some parameters favor the efficiency and some others favor the maneuverability. For the Phantom we tested a few options to find the right balance between glide efficiency and the feeling when turning the foil. Once the team had agreed that we had found a sweet spot, we could go ahead and prepare the production.

The Phantom wings will use the same manufacturer, materials and construction process as the Gravity wings. The quality is great and the solidity is impressive. It feels good to be able to transfer this know-how (which has taken a while to develop), straight into a new product. The Monobloc construction is a great asset for this new Phantom design.

Which boards have your paired it with that stand-out?

CB: The Phantom wings can be used for surf foiling, wing foiling and SUP foiling, since all three sports can make good use of their glide/ turning combined ability. We launched the Rocket Wing boards last autumn and have updated their shape for the new 2020 season to keep track with the fast development. The boards become even easier to use in all aspects. The Rocket Surf line has had a major overhaul for the 2020 collection and I think you will be pleased with the new boards which have made a big leap forward in terms of ease of padding, control when flying, and overall look. Finally, the Rocket SUP has also been updated. The shapes keep their identity with a focus on the ease of paddling and take-off, but we were able to pack a lot more volume for a given length, meaning that you can use a shorter board which in turn makes flying easier.

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“IT GIVES A LOT OF POWER, SPEED AND GLIDE IN MELLOW CONDITIONS. IT ALSO PUMPS SUPER WELL SO YOU CAN EASILY CONNECT SEVERAL WAVES” You recommend the Phantom with the smaller C275 stabilizer.

Does it work with the existing C300 stab? How does it perform?

CB: The line is built so you can plug various stabilizers on the fuselage but there is always a favorite and that’s the one we include in the package. For the Phantom, we recommend the C275 as this stab provides a bit more speed, a nice balance between control and looseness in the turns, and good pumping efficiency. In short, this stab has the same sweet spot as the Phantom and that’s why these two are a perfect match. You can use the existing C300 but it will feel a lot more locked-in, when the Phantom kind of needs some ability to pivot to initiate the turns and go carving. Also it’s worth noting that we’ve now paired the C275 with the much re-vamped (and smaller) Gravity 1200 and 1500 to further improve the turning as well the pumping ability.

What weight and level of rider is the Phantom aimed at?

JS: First you have to figure out what sort of waves you want to ride: if you’re in the Mediterranean you’ll find plenty of 50cm foam waves, but in the Basque Country you’ll have 14-second swell reforms that are going quite fast. And you need a different size of foil for a different type of wave, just like surfing. We recommend the 1780 (the biggest wing in the F-ONE Phantom range) for heavy guys (above 90kg), SUPs and downwinders. The 1480 is a perfect weapon for waves up to 1.2m, as it gives a lot of power, speed and glide in mellow conditions. It also pumps super well and you can easily connect several waves/chop, which is what you want to do in these conditions. Finally the 1280 is great for bigger and more powerful waves or for smaller guys (under 70kg), it is very similar to its bigger brother but faster and more maneuverable. Thanks to its reduced size it holds more power and performs really well in fast waves.

The Phantom is a high-performance foil, so we designed it mostly for intermediate to expert riders, but the goal was not to make a foil that only experts can control. The Phantom offers great stability so a complete beginner would be able to handle it. Although I would still advise a Gravity for beginners, as it will go slower and have a much more progressive lift.

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How does it perform with a wing?

JS: When wing surfing you want to be able to glide effortlessly, freefly on any small chop around you, and handle every tack/jibe. That’s exactly what the Phantom excels at. The Phantom is a very efficient foil and can glide for a long time without coming down. It allows you to surf and carve even on the smallest chop, and lets you connect easily with the next wave. Jibes, tacks and tricks become easy as the Phantom gives you plenty of “air” time, even when the wing isn’t pulling. My guess for the next few years (or more likely months!) is that every keen wing foiler will have two foils in their quiver: one Phantom to surf the chop, head downwind, do tricks, and then one smaller wing (800/1000cm2) when there are waves, and you want to carve/surf. That’s something we already do at F-ONE with our Mirage or IC6 foils. That’s also something we can see in foil surfing… the best guys use a high-aspect ratio foil to surf smaller waves and focus on a smaller, more carving-oriented foil when the waves get more powerful. Just as you have a longboard or a fish to surf smaller days, but you’ll use a shortboard for bigger waves.

What advice would you give people transitioning to a high aspect design from a more standard foil?

JS: Don’t quit after the first wave! High aspect designs give you plenty of lift and power and it can be surprising on the first few waves, especially during the take-off. It’s kind of like driving a sports car, you need a bit of time to use the power efficiently. It doesn’t take hours, perhaps 3-10 waves before you find out how to handle the beast. But once you can turn all this power to your advantage, you’ll have plenty of fun.

Especially in small waves, as HA foils allow you to carve the smallest bumps, pump and connect easily, and provide a great glide feeling.

So come on then Charles… What have you got up your sleeve next?

CB: Ah, well! We have a smaller Phantom size in the pipeline, due for later in 2020. We are working on some racing designs to help Titouan’s natural talent shine on the downwind scene. Wing foiling is rapidly evolving and we can already see some new patterns in the way we will approach the overall foil line in the future. And our experience in smaller kitefoil designs will probably merge with the larger foil designs. Overall it’s just great to see this evolution unfolding.

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UNIFOIL 150 VORTEX

Unifoil are on the up and looking to increase production to meet demand for their super popular foil line up‌ They recently brought the high-performance Vortex 150 into their line up, so we got in touch to find out where it slots in, and also to get a little more insight into the brand itself‌

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First up, can you give us a brief history of Unifoil?

Where does the 150 slot into the current Vortex range?

Unifoil was started in 2014 initially as just a bit of fun. Clifford is an avid kite-surfer and had his own a CNC machine to play around with. Naturally he started tinkering around with some kite-foil designs and testing them in the waters of the Jeffery’s Bay on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Even though the first few Unifoil models were kite-only foils, it didn’t take long before a few local surfer friends asked Clifford to build a surf-foil version and it has built from there... After years of R&D and refining his designs, word spread and top foilers from Hawaii, Brazil, Europe, and Australia started asking for Unifoils. Clifford was struggling to keep up with demand working from his small factory in South Africa and had to hire a team to help him with all the orders. In the six years since we started, Unifoil has grown from being a bit of fun helping out mates to making foils for top pros and becoming a global player.

The feedback we are getting on our gear has been great and we intend to continue refining, innovating, and pushing the sport forward for many years to come.

The Vortex 150 is the younger brother of our bestselling model, the Vortex 175. The 150 model is smaller and has less surface area than the 175 which means it is faster and looser for carving and sharp turns. With the added speed you need less wing area. It’s designed to be ridden like a shortboard for foilers wanting to progress. The 150 is ultra-high performance and fun, and has great stability and a lockedin feel due to the double bottom concave on the wing. A thinned out leading-edge keeps the foil down and means less chance of your foil breaching with the added speed. The Vortex 150 can be used by beginners/intermediates who weigh under 70 kgs. All our team riders who like to carve and ride the wave with high performance in mind have transitioned from the Vortex 175 to their new fav, the 150.

You can then unlock the tail with a chopped 12-inch or 14-inch tail wing option, adding to the speed and free flow riding style. The Vortex 150 is also perfect for tow foiling with the reduced surface area.

How important is Clifford’s experience in foil design in creating good quality foils?

There have been many hurdles to jump along the way, from sourcing materials and manufacturing, all the way to design of the foil itself. Clifford has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s top kite and prone foilers, and this has given him valuable feedback on his designs and the tweaks needed to make them perform even better. Having his own CNC machine and factory based in SA has made it much easier to change things around and test new designs quicker. Another key area that has worked very well is having the same modular mast to fuselage interface for the past three years, so wings that were made three years ago still fit the current setup, and different wing variations can be tested easily. All Unifoil parts are completely modular throughout the range: a sign of great design.

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Which team riders had input into the design and where has it been tested?

Wow… Too many people to credit for feedback, but let us try! Willow River Tonkin is one of our local crash test dummies, far from dumb, River pushes the limits from the ocean surface to 20 meters in the air. He is the ultimate professional kite/prone/surf/wind-wing foiler, Unifoil team rider, and key design development officer…. Willow tests in Africa, Mauritius, Hawaii, and a lot of other places along the way. Mr Adam Bennetts pushes the riding boundaries in Australia/Indonesia, and has been a dominant rider for feedback and product development. Then we have Dylan Wichman, a young up and coming foiler from around the J-Bay area in South Africa and he has been doing crazy airs and backflips on our foils. Watch out for this kid in the future. We expect big things. Then other key riders and testing grounds include: Ocean Baby, Tedford Mahiko, John Oury and many more in Hawaii, as wel as Matt, our production guy, testing in Australia, Hawaii, Maldives, Indonesia, California and Mexico!

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“WE ARE WORKING ON SEVERAL NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND MATERIALS THAT WE BELIEVE WILL REVOLUTIONIZE THE WAY HYDROFOILS ARE MADE, BUT WE CAN’T SHARE ANYTHING JUST YET.”

The Vortex 150 is pitched as a foil for beginner through to more experienced riders. Do you need to make compromises with such a versatile foil?

We say the Vortex 150 is a foil for all guys who already foil well and want to take their performance to the maximum level. The beginner will be assisted by the Vortex being small enough that it won’t over lift and breach in the learning stages, as too much lift is the enemy of the new foil student… Once the beginner foiler learns to tame “the bucking horse” and wants to evolve, he is already on one of the best foils in the industry under his feet and won’t need to upgrade. Compromises? None….

And it is exciting times for you guys as you upscale production and begin to take Unifoil to the next level – what can we expect to see next?

Unifoil has recently launched our new and updated website, unifoil.com. Customers can now order all our foils, boards, and windwings online and we ship worldwide. Then after over a year of R&D, we have just released our brand new wind-wings, which have been a massive hit, and we have just made the full range of our proven high performance foils available to the public. All our foils now come with our split-wing/fuselage system for ease of travel, and to make it super easy to switch up parts and experiment. Also, our new foil-board range will challenge any other foil boards out there, from prone to wind-wing to SUP. All purpose-designed and built with lightweight carbon to be super strong, with double reinforced twin tracks. All our boards are now available in our proprietary “Cloud Tech” construction, which features a carbon bottom, with a full wrap soft foam EVA deck and rail system, for both added safety, weight, grip, and performance.

Finally, we are working on several new technologies and materials that we believe will revolutionize the way hydrofoils are made, but we can’t share anything just yet. All we can say is watch this space!

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RRD WIND WING

Roberto Ricci has had more experience in the various tangents of the world of watersports than 99.9% of everyone else on the planet – he has ridden the waves of windsurfing, kitesurfing and foiling and now, of course, the latest wind-driven incarnation: Wings. RRD were not amongst the first brands on the market with a Wing, but they did their research and spent plenty of time on the water, and their Wind Wing has immediately jumped into the top tier of wings on the market… We caught up with Roberto to find out more about the wing and – this being Roberto – a few other things as well.

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When did RRD see the potential in bringing the wing to the line-up?

Well, it was the first time I tried it! I actually made a prototype in June 2019 as I thought that it would be interesting to try it out, and that’s what we did. The first impression was great... I thought it would have been kind of like a little toy to have fun with, but I was wrong, because when you actually used it with a proper foil, you could actually start to plane at very low speeds with the wing. It’s a phenomenal piece of gear. Then when I first tried it on the Pocket Rocket 180 with the KSH hydrofoil, I immediately understood that there was huge potential.

We feature Camille and Julien Bouyer having a lot of fun on the wing in this issue. Are they primary test pilots, and who else got a run at the Wind Wing before it went into production?

Well, the Wind Wing was tested by Paolo Migliorini first of all, who is our Brazilian-Italian rider and he has been riding the wing since last year. He was the very first tester of this wing, and then myself and Matteo (our Marketing Manager for windsurfing) got good at it straight away. Basically Matteo and I were able to test out a large variety of wing designs and shapes with different leading edge thicknesses, tensions on the body, struts, booms, basically anything that was viable! Then we came up with the final concept of the wing as it is today, and I decided to use different types of shapes and profile depending on the size of the wing. We all loved it, and then even Jacopo Giusti, who is SUP surf and kite manager for the company, started to use the wing and he loved it. And then when we went to Cape Town, Camille and Julien, who had already given us a lot of feedback on the last prototypes when we sent to them to Brittany, told us that these are best wings they had tried and it was much like a no-brainer: let’s go into production.

Where did you test it primarily?

We tested the wing for around six months. Firstly in the light winds

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of Castiglione, Italy where we live, then quite a bit in Lake Garda.

Eduardo, our agent for Italy, and Matteo tested the wings quite a bit in Lake Garda with strong winds, then in Sardinia in the summer I was out there testing the 4 and 5 consistently, comparing them with other wings from other brands. And then the final test was done by Camille and Julien in Brittany. So that was really the whole testing process, and then in August last year we sent two Wind Wings to Mathieu Fouliard in Tahiti, so he could use them in lighter winds and big surf, and he was really able to give us great feedback. Then the final approval of the wings was done in Cape Town with really strong winds and big surf. So we really tested out the Wind Wings in every type of condition you can possibly imagine pretty much all over the world.

What ingredients make a good wing?

Well, it’s a combination. The wing has to be super small when packed because you want to travel as light as possible wherever you go. That’s the beauty of wing foiling. A small board, small foil, and a small wing and there you go. You just get out of the car and go for it! Then the wing has to be powerful enough to get going, but at the same time having enough tension through the whole body of the wing, so it doesn’t flutter or lose shape when a gust hits you. So it’s important that the leading edge is stiff and has the correct vee shape to avoid the wing to roll from side to side once you depower it behind your back. Some of the wings we see out there in the market, they are really hard to control when you’re actually wave riding. We tried all types of vees and designs of the wings, starting from five degrees all the way up to almost 40 degrees. So we went through this huge range, and this equasion between the vee of the of the leading edge and the end of the tips is an important parameter. Our wings are designed for the right way to get enough power and control when it’s strong but still to be able to control them when they are depowered.

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“OUR WINGS ARE HEAVILY REINFORCED WITH KEVLAR LEADING EDGE STRIPS AND ON THE TIPS SO YOU CAN USE THEM ON SNOW OR CAN USE THEM SKATEBOARDING. IT’S A VERY EFFICIENT STRUCTURAL REINFORCEMENT AND ALSO LONG LASTING. ”

And what sets your wings apart from the others on the market?

And what are the board options for riding the wing?

An important feature is that we have two different profiles on the wings... The 3 and the 4 have the middle strut which is directly attached to the to the body of the wing itself, so it gives you more direct feel on the wing and also flattens out to be the profile itself so you have more high-end potential. The 5 and the 6 on the other hand are the more ‘normal’ design for use with lighter winds or with bigger riders and you have a much better low end, then we have the middle strut which is attached a little bit lower in position with more distance from your body, so the main profile of the wing lets you get more power in your pumping. We have different types of profiles and settings which I haven’t seen in any other wings on the market.

The two Dolphins, the 140 the 160 are a great matchup for the Wind Wing. I mean, you need to water start these boards, therefore you need to be good at it. Then the best option for when you want to start using the Wind Wing is the Pocket Rocket 180 for the time being and then we’re going to come up with new wingfoil boards in mid-summer . We also already have the first step for wind winging and wing foiling which is the H- Flight, which has 150 liters and is 8’0 and is very easy to jump on and try to pump the wing and get going.

So yeah, if you’re an expert rider, the Dolphin is the way to go, but you need to be pretty fit and used to riding these kind of things and, let’s face it, I see a lot of guys of my age – 55 and upwards – who are still able to try out wing foiling and let’s not forget about those guys as they are a big part of the market these days!

Then our wings are heavily reinforced with Kevlar leading edge strips and on the tips so you can use them on snow or can use them skateboarding. It’s a very efficient structural reinforcement and also long lasting.

Also, we have a dump valve on the main strut. When you deflate the wing you want to deflate it completely, especially if you are traveling, and you are just not able to do it properly if you have just one valve, so we put another dump valve on which allows you to really roll it super small.

Then the final thing is the positioning of the two handles on all the wings. We have two handles in the front, one in the middle and two in the back. The middle handle is super important because when you want to start – especially on a small board – you can position your wing overhead properly without too much of a jump from the front handle to the middle handle. The middle is really important to get enough lift on the wing for stability. You really have a very small window when you need to be super quick, and to grab the middle handle makes things much easier. So we have it, and other brands don’t have it.

We saw some great video of Abel Lago riding a wing with a tiny twintip kiteboard. How much wind did he need for that stunt?

And do you have any developments in your foil line up planned?

Yes, we have already developed new hydrofoil wings, with both the front and rear wings enjoying new designs with higher aspect ratios, slightly faster but still very stable, that can take about two to three knots extra speed. We really wanted to improve the pumping ability, ride waves and do faster maneuvers and things like that, but the new hydrofoil wings are going to come out at the mid to end of summer 2020.

Where do you see the wing side of the sport going in the next five years?

Well, who knows? No limits, I think! It’s just going to be developing lighter and stronger equipment and for different uses, depending on where you ride. So who knows, it’s a great way to get on the water and you can start with it almost like a toy. It is a great way for kids to never learn how to windsurf or kite and it is a very ‘spontaneous’ way to approach the water. Then for more serious riders, there are no limits! I think it’s going to be a beautiful development and I am very excited to see what the future brings and to be a part of it.

Well you need to be super light to be able to go with a twintip! But you can use the wing with a surfboard or with a SUP board – it just depends on your skill and your level. I think the day that Abel was out riding with the wing he was using a 6m and the wind was over 25 knots.

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TA AROA iUP

Taaroa are one of the most established foil building brands in the market. As we go to print, there’s increasing chatter about the iUP, a new Taaroa hydrofoil that is bristling with sensors, powered by artificial intelligence, and incorporates drone technology. Sound pretty intense? We thought so too. After a brief walkthrough of the tech over the phone, we had to find out more details‌

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Hey guys. Firstly, can you give us the lowdown on the history of the Taaroa brand?

Taaroa is a hydrofoil company created in 2012. We started by designing a racing kitefoil named the SWORD and then expanded into windfoiling, and more recently SUP and surf foiling with the UP collection – which is our most modular and easy to use foil. We are a team of enthusiasts living between Lausanne (Switzerland), Biarritz (France) and San Francisco (USA) with varied backgrounds who share the same goal: pushing the limits of maritime mobility by using our experience to imagine new products, to develop increasingly more efficient foils, and to create innovative technology mixing hardware and software.

So there are some pretty exciting rumours doing the rounds about this. In a nutshell, what is the iUP?

The iUP is the world’s first intelligent foil. It was designed to bring a new dimension to water sports, by making foiling accessible, efficient, and safe. It has the ability to adapt and mount to any board across surf, windsurf, kitesurf like a classic foil.

How long has it been in the R&D phase?

It began 24 months ago when we set ourselves the goal of creating a hydrofoil that would make the practice of foiling safer and more accessible to everyone, inspired by aeronautics and technological progress in the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) industry. Since then we have conceptualized this crazy idea, validated the design, and programmed the navigation rules of the autopilot according to the different scenarios of use. Since May, 80 riders have been testing the iUP with us in all kinds of conditions in order to validate this technology on a larger scale.

Ok, mind blown. Can you explain how it works? What’s onboard and what effect does it have on the performance of the foil while it’s mounted?

The iUP integrates an onboard computer with control software coupled with sensors and automated flaps on the front wing. This architecture allows for active control of the foil dynamics and height above water, with moving flaps to adjust pitch and roll. During navi-

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gation, external factors such as wind, waves or poor balance can create instability. In this case, the onboard computer detects and compensates for this instability using the flaps. Specifically, the electric actuators, controlled by the onboard computer, activate the control surfaces to change the lift of the wing and restore balance. On the other hand, the foil is able (through the moving flaps) to adapt its geometry to the different phases of navigation and thus optimize the lift of the wing according to the speed. One of the main constraints we faced was to keep the weight as low as possible. So we were quite creative in designing a foil that weighs only 500 grams more than a classic foil.

Can you tell us about the sensors that are onboard and their role?

There are many sensors. They are used to calculate all the parameters to control the foil: height above water, acceleration and speed. Basically, they measure all these parameters to give the onboard computer all the information needed to enhance the experience of the rider.

And what kind of motors move the wings?

They are small electric motors powered by a battery, placed in the waterproof black box above the mast. The autonomy is sufficient for a very long session.

You mentioned the internal measurement unit (IMU) in our conversation previously. Does this gather all the information, like a nerve center?!

Yes absolutely, good comparison! The IMU is like the nerve center, and the onboard computer is the brain of the foil.

So the software gathers all this information and tells the foil what to do. What parameters can be set here and what options does the pilot have?

The onboard computer – the brain of the foil – can be set up via a mobile application to configure the level of assistance or choose a particular flight mode. There are three basic modes that will determine the level of support: beginner, intermediate or expert. We have also integrated a navigation mode that uses the rider’s position to manage the foil in “segway” mode. When the rider leans backwards, the flaps extend to increase lift; when the rider leans forwards, the flaps retract as the speed increases.

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“IN LESS THAN 90 SECONDS YOU CAN CONNECT TO THE ONBOARD COMPUTER VIA WIFI, CHANGE THE SETTINGS AND UPLOAD THEM INTO THE SYSTEM. IT’S EXTREMELY SIMPLE AND ALLOWS EVERYONE TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE FOIL’S CAPABILITIES.” Is it easy to change the settings/navigation mode?

Absolutely. It is very easy and intuitive via a mobile application that we have developed. In less than 90 seconds you can connect to the onboard computer via wifi, change the settings and upload them into the system. It’s extremely simple and allows everyone to make the most of the foil’s capabilities.

The front wing measures 1000cm2, but you explained to us that, with the trim, you can go from a 1000cm2 wing to a 2000cm2 wing in terms of feeling. How does this affect the feel of the foil under your feet?

It’s actually quite linear. It’s as if you are changing wings in real time depending on the conditions or speed, the lift increasing or decreasing because of the position of the flaps (fully extended or retracted).

So the front wing of the iUP is equivalent to at least three classic front wings.

Do you need to adapt your navigation style with the iUP?

In fact, the iUP adapts to you! The iUP allows reduction in some flaws, and will increase the performance of the foil for more experienced riders. A good analogy would be driving a sports car with or without driving assistance. Anyone can find pleasure and progress quickly – it is obvious that the iUP is also an accelerator in the overall understanding of the dynamics of a foil.

With so much technology to make everything work perfectly, this has to be an A1 priority. Are you sure you’ve succeeded?

Actually, we see things a little bit differently. We’ve created a solid base and we’re proud of that. But as the platform architecture is rela-

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tively open and the embedded intelligence can learn from the users if they decide to share their impressions, it will be up to all users to take the technology where they want to take it… the iUP can evolve to become the reference long distance foil or the most efficient foil for pumping or big wave riding: it’s up to our user community to decide what it will become tomorrow!

Who are the main members of the design team and what different skills did you need for the iUP?

The team is composed of mechanical engineers and software engineers specialized in autonomous navigation, all passionate about foiling and technology. To put it simply, the iUP’s challenge is to transfer the experience of experienced riders into software, so that every iUP user can fly over the water in complete safety. The result is daily exchanges between all the team members to approach that ideal.

Where do you see this technology heading and what would be the next steps for you?

This architecture is obviously a first step. We are a hydrofoil technology company and we already have similar projects for boats equipped with foils.

So let’s get down to business. When can we expect to be able to order an iUP and can you give us an idea of the cost?

With the price, we believe that the iUP should remain affordable, so remain in the price range of some high-end foils on the market.

Pre-orders will start at the end of June in our network of partner shops and on our website.

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SLINGSHOT SLINGWING V2

Slingshot are about to drop V2 of the SlingWing into the super fast-growing wind wing market. Wyatt Miller, Slingshot’s Wing Brand Manager, filled us in on how the tech is developing and what’s fresh in V2…

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“SO MUCH OF THE JOY OF THE SPORT COMES FROM LUFFING THE WING AND LETTING IT DISAPPEAR BEHIND YOU AS YOU CONNECT FROM SWELL TO SWELL ” It looks like the SlingWing has been on a serious weight loss program from V1 to V2 – take us through how you’ve achieved this and your reasoning behind that.

Weight is everything when it comes to a wing. So much of the joy of the sport comes from luffing the wing and letting it disappear behind you as you connect from swell to swell or rip turns down the line. The lighter the wing, the more it disappears and the easier it is to control with one hand. Beginners in light-air conditions also benefit from a light-weight wing with reduced arm fatigue, while advanced riders have an easier time flying the wing during deep-water starts. Weight was our top priority going into the V2 and we shaved it off wherever we could. We reduced the weight of the bladder material, used our lightweight 4x4 canopy material, reduced the number and weight of the handles and limited the diameter of the leading edge which provides a significant portion of the weight.

So with that in mind, how have you kept the airframe stiff?

Airframe stiffness is the key to efficiency, your ability to pump the wing, unweight the board, and get up on foil. If the wing deforms while pumping you spill the wind and lose all your get-up and go. You have two options to achieve stiffness: a massive leading edge diameter that can only handle low pressure and creates a messy wind draft, or a smaller LE that handles higher pressure, is more efficient and faster.

We went the middle route with a medium size LE but doubled up the stitching on all the seams to handle as much pressure as possible (10PSI for the three smaller sizes, 8PSI for the two bigger wings). The cambered dihedral shape is also key to providing rigidity.

We see you’ve added a great selection of new sizes to the range with the V2 – what’s the best quiver for an 80kg rider starting out?

Your personal efficiency in wingfoiling changes quite quickly. In my first week I may need the 5.4m to get going, and then a few weeks later I am making a 4.0m work in that same wind. The size of your foil wing matters a ton also. Going from our Infinity 76 wing to our Infinity 99 wing roundabout halves your necessary wind speed for example.

So if you are 80kg and your average wind speed is between 1020mph the majority of the time, then the 6.4 and 4.4 is your quiver.

If you live where you have 20-30mph most of the time, then I would go 5.4 and 4.0 to cover those conditions. Check out the tech chart below.

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Talk to us about the battens in the trailing edge, is that the best option for flutter reduction?

If you talk to riders using all the first generations of wings, there are two big complaints; a constantly fluttering wing and rubbing your knuckles raw while luffing due to the material under the LE handle.

Truth is, the high degree of canopy tension that we worked tirelessly to achieve on these wings cancels out the flutter, we pretty much tossed a coin to decide whether to remove those trailing edge battens or leave them in. Heads won. We also made sure to include a soft neoprene patch under the LE handle so you don’t come back from a session with beat up knuckles looking like you just got in a fight!

The 6.4 must be a light wind beast, what sort of low-end wind speeds are we talking about for cruising around?

Well it all depends on your personal efficiency and the size of your front foil wing. Either way 6 knots should not be a problem, and if you are willing to pump your butt off… well the possibilities are pretty endless. No whitecaps necessary for sure.

We’ve seen some great promo videos of wave riding with the V2 which looks like it may be in Maui, who are the riders and did they have input into the R&D? Yeah the Spencer brothers, Jeffrey and Fin, are Maui foil masters and were a huge part of our development process. They can paddle up onto foil on tiny sinker boards in dead flat water and they win all sorts of downwind foil races. The poor guys have tested so many prototypes that we had to come up with long charts outlining which wing was which, just to be able to communicate about them all. I think they will be happy to finally settle into dialing their skills on one set of wings, constantly switching tools can be hard.

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F O R ESIGHT MAT H I EU FOU LI A RD French ex-pat and now long-term Tahitian resident and RRD Brand Ambassador Mathieu Fouliard puts his case forward on what the future of foiling looks like from his particular viewpoint…

For four years now – since that day Kai connected multiple waves in one single ride – several new frontiers of water sports were revealed, where riders are not limited to large waves, single waves, crowded line ups, or waiting for the wind. That day Kai generated two concepts: the concept of linking waves and riding open swells without limits, and the concept of maximizing the number of sessions and practicable spots that would not be interesting for regular surfing. With Wind Wings now adding to this, the only boundaries are your own imagination.

It’s like riding a spot in 3D, switching between using the wind to go upwind to join the peak, and coming back using the wave by surf foiling.

For the last four years, steady improvements have been made.

Super lightweight gear with full carbon fuselages, masts, wing constructions and even straps are going to help what’s already here, and then we’ll see more aggressive carving and big airs off of waves, just like the moves being made by the next big foiling stars like Mala’e McElheni or the Spencer brothers. From what I’m witnessing these past few months, it seems that we are on the way to producing a foil that you can use for all disciplines. The high aspect wing is definitely the future, and using one foil for all disciplines could be awesome.

When you see all the disciplines laid out – surf foiling, windsurf foiling, kite foiling, SUP foiling, with each providing a unique connection to the ocean, the limits are endless. A spot which is boring for regular surfers or a light wind day becomes awesome for us – the next generation of gliders. That 3D foil feeling is another level of fun and we’re just at the start of something big. The hype is real and foiling is here to stay. On this magic discipline that is the flying carpet, you can enjoy every day in the water.

From what I see around me, foiling is definitely an addition to other water sports. Most foilers have a background in ocean sports (surfing, windsurfing etc) or river-based sports like wakeboarding. It’s also a great unifier. If we look what happened in Maui first and then also here in Tahiti, it’s clear that whether you’re a surfer, a wind winger, or a SUPer: the hydrofoil takes a typical day on the water and makes it feel magical for everyone. It’s intriguing, all that speed without noise, and that feeling of flying. The cool thing is, whatever the foil toy, the feeling is exactly the same: unlimited levitation.

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A proficient waterman and filmmaker raised amidst the watersport crucible that is the Outer Banks of North Carolina, James Jenkins has his say on where the sport is at, and why it works for him…

Foiling has opened so many doors for me in my life and I can’t wait to see where it goes in the future. Being in the water is what makes me the happiest, and foiling allows me to do something in the water almost every single day. Whether it is prone surf foiling, kite foiling, winging, tow foiling, or just cruising behind the boat, the hydrofoil has gotten me in the ocean on days when I used to not even consider it.

I come from a surfing background and got into prone foiling a few years ago. Dave Kalama gave me my first lesson behind a ski, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Learning the sport wasn’t easy and I definitely put in plenty of time eating shit. However, I knew I wanted to figure it out because watching Dave and other guys like Kai Lenny do it just looked so much fun. Living in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a great place to do it because there is almost always a little swell in the water, and we get a lot of wind, so kite foiling and winging are great options as well.

It’s all about having fun for me. The reason I started surfing was because I had fun doing it, and I knew foiling would be the same. With the different disciplines within foiling, I can see what the waves and wind are doing every day, then pick the best discipline for those conditions. I think the versatility of the foil is why I am so hooked on it and it is something I will never travel without. People take surf trips and get skunked. That is just the reality of surf travel, however, if you have a foil in your quiver, then there is a good chance that no matter what your conditions are doing, you will have a good time. I have an entirely new perspective on some of the places that I have grown up traveling to for surfing such as Nicaragua and Fiji. Going back to these places with a foil is like going for the first time again.

Waves that were unsurfable are now foilable and avoiding crowded spots is easy.

There are definitely a lot of opinions about the sport and the way it is portrayed in the media. Unfortunately, foiling gets a lot of hate. I

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LEFT A master of many foil disciplines, James’ perpetual stoke is clear to see...

“THE SPORT OF FOILING IS GROWING QUICKLY, AND MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE HOW AWESOME IT IS. I THINK IT IS BY FAR THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO RIDE A WAVE AND THAT EFFICIENCY TRANSPIRES ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES.”

could scroll through Instagram and any big account that posts something foil-reated will most likely have its share of negative comments.

“Foiling is kooky, dangerous, stupid, etc.” In my opinion, don’t hate on it until you try it. I think a lot of people who give it a go and are not successful with it at first can be left with a bad taste in their mouth.

Nobody learns how to foil in one session. I think the cool thing about foiling is that it puts everyone on a level playing field, whether you’re a competitive surfer or just the average joe. Some people may pick it up faster than others, but everyone struggles at first. I sure did.

TO P L E F T James with Annie Reickert B OT TO M L E F T Resting the legs mid session...

TO P R I G H T James enjoys some of those endless possibilities...

B OT TO M R I G H T Leg placement 101 (with added style).

STAT E OF P L AY

On the other side of the spectrum, the sport of foiling is growing quickly, and more and more people are beginning to see how awesome it is. I think it is by far the most efficient way to ride a wave and that efficiency transpires across all disciplines. For example, using a foil with a kite allows you to ride in barely any wind at all. The way that other sports are adopting the foil is really cool to see as well. I have always had a love for sailing and it blows my mind how fast the foiling sailboats are moving.

While there are both positive and negative opinions about the sport, I do think there is a right and wrong way to get into foiling. Firstly, I think it should be approached with a humble and open mindset. Regardless of how well you surf, take it step by step and accept the fact that you’re going to be a beginner. I think the only way that you could be a kook on a foil is to rush into it then go and put yourself and others at risk. The beauty of the foil is that you don’t need a high-quality wave to have fun, so surfing the most crowded spot isn’t necessary.

Find an uncrowded wave, wear a leash if there are others around, and just keep going for it because eventually it will click!

Ultimately, foiling has changed the way I look at the ocean and it has inspired me to keep learning other disciplines and become the most competent and diverse waterman I can be. Foiling is evolving so much every day by so many people across the world and it is really special to be a part of it. It’s really cool to see women like my friend Annie Reickert pushing the limits of the sport across all disciplines and inspiring other women and young people to get into it. I am looking forward to the progression of the sport over the next few years and am stoked to see more people catching on because it really is so much fun.

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