I am on maybe session 10 and it is coming together. Yesterday was perfect, got about 50 waves in 4 hours, with maybe 10 of them super fun 10-15 second rides.
A collection of random thoughts, while I'm still in noob stage and can remember the struggles:
-- I cut my wetsuit on foil on first session. Put on helmet and impact vest after that. Thought about removing helmet then cracked it hard on foil in Session 8....would have been scary bad without helmet. So dunno!
-- first session I learned the lesson about jump away from the foil as soon as you start to lose it, don't try to recover. Also figuring out that, much like riding a bike, going too slow is more dangerous than slightly faster. The jackknife wipeouts are scary and painful. Foil comes up to meet you so fast, can't block it.....impact on forearms and shins, hopefully not face.
-- early rides, concentrate on going straight, or slight down the line angle. Don't even attempt a 90 degree bottom turn!
-- needs more power to get going than I figured it would. Basically the same power as normal supping, but maybe even a little more. (I am hopeful I will get more efficient and need less power). Early take offs worked well in white water, pushes you right up onto foil.
-- the foil will hold down quite well paddling through breaking waves. For anything other than big one, you can turn the foil towards beach, pull down on leash strap and it'll sink through the wave. Or if takes off, let go.
-- best waves I've found: river or reef with deep water to the side and inside. Wave breaks briefly, then walls up without much pitching lip, then dies out in deep water. Easy paddle, easy glide. :-) Don't go out in bigger than head high....I got caught by a big set and broke my first foil mount.
-- I am so far only comfortable going right.
-- delicate balance to be able to get up on foil, then enough weight forward to glide, but not so much to pearl. I finally got the feel of downward front foot pressure and little pumps, like a skateboard or snowboard. So nice. But also pearled about 5 waves in a row when it got a little bigger, so much speed, hard to control.
Thanks to Chris Curran Photography for the Session #8 pic
Agree with your experiences entirely. Just completed my 6th session in 15 to 20 knot wind behind back with fat waves around shoulder to head high. No one else out because of wind chop. Definitely more stable to stand. Got a few with foil wanting to surface early causing me to bail out. Then realised that I had forgotten to go down face of wave with weight forward to surf it as normal, then get the foil up. But once up the turbo kicks in & turns my head to a pumpkin! Losing control & wiping out! Lol!
Definitely more control on smaller waves. But found waist high the best for learning.
