+ Flying over water, who would've thought an underwater airplane would be such a big hit? Foiling is such an incredible and interesting sport, constantly evolving through design, technology and innovation. The sport has taken off in the past half decade or so and seems to only be rising in popularity. The only question now is,+ Summer 2020 was when I first got my hands on a hydrofoil. I got lucky and timed my learning perfectly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nobody was on Maui, so there weren't many bystanders or video cameras to witness the drowning cat act I was putting on. Looking back on the foil I learned on compared to the foil I ride today is insane! Even though it was only four years ago, foils have come so far in design and efficiency. With new materials, different sections and fresh ideas, foils, boards and wings are constantly evolving. Whether it’s new hydrofoil sections from Armstrong making foils more responsive and efficient or innovation in wing design like the Fusion wing from Ozone and even the KT Ginxu step bottom foil board, all aspects of the sport are being looked at and pushed forward by different brands alike.+ Coming from a surfing based background, prone foil surfing was how I learned to foil. The idea of catching one wave and having the thrill of riding five more is like no other. I think the “chip and dip” (as Sky Rama calls it) is when you catch a wave and pump to the next one out the back. Guys like Oskar Johansson have pushed this to the next level by staying on foil for over two and a half hours. Other than staying on foil for long periods of time, foil surfing seems to keep evolving in the sense that there are more maneuvers being pulled off in more of a surfing fashion. With maneuvers such as snaps and aerials, prone foiling has a lot in common with surfing. This goes for the other aspects of the sport as well, like winging. For me, when winging in waves I try to incorporate my surfing style. Getting low, doing wraps and hitting the white water, as well as sliding on the bottom of the foil and producing spray.+ Taking ideas from other sports is how foiling is going to grow and evolve even more. I think in the future we are going to see more and more maneuvers that are very similar to moves in windsurfing, kiting and surfing as well as other sports like wakeboarding. We are already seeing things such as handle passes that come from kiting as well as the clearing of sections like in windsurfing. Guys are getting barreled at Teahupo’o and riding 60-foot waves. The possibilities are endless. You can dock start, downwind, prone, wing, or wake foil just to name a few. Whatever the conditions are calling for, hydrofoiling provides the most fun with what’s at hand.+ It’s such a unique and interesting time for the sport and the people involved in it. With an array of different disciplines to choose from, new products and new maneuvers being discovered and produced each month, one thing is for sure: hydrofoiling will keep you on your toes and having fun in the water.
