Struggling to get up on the board. Falling off as you work your way into the barrel of a wave. Breaching the surface with the foil, causing your board to dig in.
Beginner Foil Surf Tips
These are all challenges new foil surfers face. So, here are some of the best tips for beginner foil surfers!
1. Pop Up Near The Front of The Board
If you're an experienced surfer, you've probably built up muscle memory when it comes to proper foot placement -- but it's that very foot placement that's hurting your ability to reliably get up on your foil surfer.
If you can't pump the board as you transition, or if you find the board shooting out in front of you while you're still crouching, you're simply putting your feet too far rearward on the board.
As you catch a wave and begin to stand, you need to place your leading foot closer to the front tip of the board. Your rearward foot should be placed just in front of the bolts securing the mast to the board.
This foot placement -- particularly the placement of the front foot near the tip -- creates leverage and helps to start an immediate pumping action on the foil as you begin to stand. This promotes lift, control, and better stability.
This foot-forward technique is also helps when you're dropping into steeper waves.
2. Stand Tall, especially Atop Small Waves
In almost all board sports on the water, you're taught to crouch, keep low, and push your center of gravity as far down toward the water line as possible.
All those techniques need to go out the window when it comes to foil surfing.
But as a beginner foil surfer, you're likely learning to surf on small waves -- and it's here that you need to be unafraid to quickly bolt yourself upright and to get into a tall, standing position on the board.
This quicker you move from crouching to standing, the sooner you'll be able to control the foil, leverage the board with pumping action, push the nose forward to really get moving, and, most importantly, generate lift -- something that's actually more difficult to do when you're surfing smaller waves at lower speeds.
Just remember to keep a slight bend in your knees.
3. Minimize Leaning, Roll The Board With Your Feet
Yet again, we're ditching the techniques used when riding most other types of boards.
Unlike surfing or regular wakeboarding, you want to maintain a relatively centered position on the foil surfboard, reducing the amount of lean in any direction, and instead using the heels and balls of your feet to turn the board left or right.
When you're trying to tilt a foil surfboard, you're really leveraging the foil mast below the water to turn. The length of the mast acts as a lever, reducing the amount of roll required atop the board itself to turn the board.
Note that if you lean hard on the foil surfer like you do on a regular surfboard -- exampled above on the right -- you'll likely cause the foil's wings to breach the surface of the water, resulting in a wipeout.
So, when learning to turn on the foil surfer, focus on shifting your weight between the balls and heels of your feet while keeping most of your body weight within the edges of the board (exampled above, top left).
A great way to implement this technique is to focus on using your ankles as levers to tilt the board.
4. Angle Outward, Stay Out of The Pocket
Staying out of the pocket of the wave, instead riding away from it to stay on the shoulder, is a great way to pick up free lift for the foil's wings with less pumping required.
This free speed and lift will allow you to focus more on learning how your board handles, and it'll make learning to turn and carve easier.
Riding the shoulder also keeps more of the mast out of the water, which reduces drag. This makes the foil more efficient which, in turn in, helps to make learning to turn a lot easier.
5. Learn to Wipe Out Safely
Yes, there is some extra danger involved when wiping out on a foil surfboard. In addition to the board itself presenting an obstacle, you've got a hard mast and a set of potentially sharp wings -- both often made from carbon fiber -- that can do some real damage if you impact them while falling into the water.
Thankfully, wiping out on a foil surfer's no different than ditching atop any other surfboard or wakeboard. Just focus on pushing the board away from you with your feet, and try to fall backwards on your back, butt first.
It's also good practice to wear a helmet as a beginner -- you are, after all, falling from a decent height above the waterline, so the potential of bottoming out and rockin' your noggin is greater.
6. Pick Mellow Swells with Little White Water
Picking the right waves is arguably the most important factor in learning to foil surf successfully.
As a beginner, you should avoid big barrels, steep pockets, and lots of white water. Mellow, rolling swells with small breaks and clean caps are the ideal waves for learning to ride as a first-timer.
Low to no wind is ideal, too -- the less chop you experience, the less risk there is of breaching your wings.
It's also a good idea to practice in deeper waters. Shallow waters usually come with more turbulence that can throw you off balance, and you're more likely to encounter obstacles that can throw you off, like coral, seaweed, and sandbars.
7. Pick The Optimal Board
Starting with the right foil surfboard is key. Before you ever get into the water, you need to make sure your board, mast, and wing combo provides the ideal setup for your skill and riding style.
Read our in-depth guide next! Here's How to Pick a Hydrofoil Board For Beginners
