Surf Foil General Discussion

Spam alert

Not sure if id call it a spam post (yet), not trying to sell anything, it's related to surfing.

Could just be a guy/gal into foiling that just wants to talk foiling.

Personally don't have much interest in foiling, i think it sucks if done among surfers as those foils are just so dangerous.

But if you were into it, gee's it would open up so many different spots without crowds, just were i live there is some waves that are just so fat they are rarely surfed but have beautiful swell lines that you could just keep going with for hundreds of metres.

Question. Do they cut you totally in half or just part way if they hit you?

Sitting out at Greenmount the other day one came by at 20km+ per hour straight at me on a critical long wall. There was no point moving to get out of the way as the lines they take are unpredictable. So I sat and watched the vertical guillotine pass by metres away hoping for the best. More dangerous than jet skis, SUPs and probably most sharks yet free to roam in the crowds.

I watched one at a semi closeout beach break a while ago thinking it might somehow be able to make use of this type of wave before it broke. No dice. A closeout is a closeout and there were only some brief bits of fun for the rider before they escaped doom in the impact zone and then faced trying to punch through out the back with a big razor blade nearby in every tumble. I was better off on my surfboard by far.

They belong where surfers don't bother.

Drove past one on the way to work this morning.

Looks almost as ridiculous upside down on the roof of a car, as it does in the water.

I agree frog but that said I have seen a guy having a great time in small weak conditions, surfing one wave then crossing over to another getting really long runs. Safety is an issue and if they cannot self-regulate then regulations may need to be imposed. But given the abundance of empty shitty beach breaks, I think they have a place. It's just another way of riding waves and having fun, so if it can be done safely, why not?

I'm of the opinion that they should be both officially regulated and socially shunned from anywhere that other people are in the water. As fun as it may be, they are unquestionaly dangerouys and don't belong in the surf zone.

'socially shunned'

haha!

How effective has self-regulation worked in the past?

Fair point Stu but at the moment, in my experience, the numbers are minuscule and I haven't seen anyone using them recklessly. frog's experience indicates that's not true everywhere so yeh, regulate them. 200m clearance with the responsibility on the foil rider to move on if surfers get closer. With their ability to ride unbroken and pathetically weak waves I can't see that it would cause too much hardship.

On the gold coast the tweed bar is always empty and ideal for them. Lots of peaks with fat walls. If they see a shark out there they can just cut it in half.

they have their place which is nowhere near anyone swimming or on other surfcraft. seen a few in line ups in sydney and further north and i haven't seen anyone surf one well yet. they are bloody dangerous and should be regulated. all that said, they look like heaps of fun

The guy at Greenmount knew what he was doing and the crowd was light, but once a long wall stetches out 100 metres down the line and they hit top speed the temptation to gun it through a crowd and to pick critical lines to make sections would be huge. Even if they bailed to avoid you I would not fancy tumbling around near them in a wipeout.

Totally agree with this thread
We should regulate leashless hipsters, surfboats, sups, goatboats, boogie boarders in packs of more than 2, learners, and also bring in a kook licence to not enter a critical zone until you pass your surf P’s by a paid government regulated test.
In fact no one should be allowed to surf on boards under 5’9 and over 6’2 that are not manufactured by licensed named brands who don’t sponsor a pro. Anyone driving with a stupid looking board or acting outside a list of accepted non-kook behaviours should be fined and socially shunned and kept out of our cool club.
A surfing tax to fund surfing rangers on jetskis and watchtowers to enforce these regulations is a logical step to make the sport more enjoyable.
The more regulation the better. It’s very scary when people are different to us so they should be quickly regulated in case they have no common sense or in case something happens which even if it hasn’t statistically it might so therefore it must be regulated. Any surf injury self inflicted or otherwise, should immediately have the cause regulated.
I propose this forum would be the perfect place to form a short board of regulators. We are really onto something good here team...

Yeh let's be totally cool. We don't need regulation in the surf. Let the jet skis roam free, let the foils fly, pull down the flags! The revolution is here comrades, we have nothing to lose but our freedom from traumatic injury.

There are some that regularly surf (??) them in the bells/pt addis area on smaller days.

Foils like other novelty toys have their place but not among surfers, but what would I know?