Kami say in another thread: And yes GORGO, to reply to your questions Are SUP's still the go for surf foiling? The profile of prone surf foiling seems to be on the rise. Is this part of the burst of enthusiasm for something new or the natural refinement of the equipment?
I reply that's SUP is the go-to foil and I 'm very enthusiastic about the natural refinement of the equipment.
I am curious to hear other people's experiences on the division between sup and prone (aka "surf") foiling. I have been sup foiling a year, but always intended to pursue the surf foil ... just starting the transition now. I am more than a little stoked, gobbling up all the posts and news and media I can find online.
Seems to me this all started with SUP foil, with videos of kai lenny downwinding between islands on big sups. For a year or two, sup foils were all over videos. But over the past year, I'd say the videos and discussion online have strongly leaned to surf foiling. Since the first multiple wave videos (kai lenny again) and then daily doses of fast carving from the west coast foil club guys, my feed seems to be nearly all surf foil.
I suspect part of this is because it looks so much better on video -- you can show videos of sup foiling all day long and get 5 seconds of interest until the
Around here (South Van Island), there's only a handful of us chasing waves on foils. Me and a buddy are on sup foils, another sup foil has joined us (windsurfer, sup'er), but the other 5-6 people on the path are all getting surf foils, and seems that pretty much anyone who asks about it is pursuing this angle.
What's it like at your local?
[and then a side note...I am obsessed with potential for wind wings on a sup foil...will be interesting to see if this is a fad / hype or something that actually takes off....I figure it will be way more doable on a sup than trying to water start a low volume board. But that's a different thread ;-) ]
At the spot I normally go (north shore Oahu) it's prob 80% sup and 20% prone, but the sup guys are all over 50yo. When I go to other spots it's like 90% prone.
I think the biggest factor is what the person did before. Prone surfers probably aren't going to become sup foilers. That being said I know at least one sup foiler who is trying to learn prone. He says you can prone in almost all conditions, but if it gets too windy sup foiling becomes too hard.
Select to expand quotebigmtn said..
At the spot I normally go (north shore Oahu) it's prob 80% sup and 20% prone, but the sup guys are all over 50yo. When I go to other spots it's like 90% prone.
I think the biggest factor is what the person did before. Prone surfers probably aren't going to become sup foilers. That being said I know at least one sup foiler who is trying to learn prone. He says you can prone in almost all conditions, but if it gets too windy sup foiling becomes too hard.
Hehe, yeah, sup foilers tend to be old guys, much like sup'rs generally! (present company included, too tired and lazy to prone paddle, but also: I get way more waves supping alone than bumping elbows)
Paddling a sup in wind does indeed suck ... hence the surf wing idea! But another prone foil advantage: so far I am finding it easiest to take off in white water, on sup I tend to get knocked off. This makes me think that steeper, pitchier waves may be more doable, wait inside a little, catch the white water, then can ride the reform ... but wouldn't be catchable with sup foil. Plus there's spots where SUP is verboten, but no rulebook on foils I've seen as yet. ;-)
Anyways, your post raises a further poll question: any women pursuing this in your area? Grand total of zero here, and the videos are roughly 99 to 1 "sausage party". I know there are gals doing this, and ripping, but seems low thus far.
