Just tried to catch a few reform bombs at Cresent Head this arvo in the big swell.
Apart from atrocious rips and choppy wind it was very difficult as the swells seem to be moving too fast and the whitewater would end up behind the peak when it was possible to catch .........I guess that's why they invented tow foiling. The wave buoys reading 9m swell down here atm.
Select to expand quotekobo said........I guess that's why they invented tow foiling.
Yep.
9m is huge.
I have been paddling into big waves at Mavericks on a SUP. I am not sure how you would ever do it prone.
1) I am using a Big SUP (by foil standards) 7' 4" board because you need the board speed
2) High aspect wings. GoFoil GL210 and GL140. Once you get up you need speed to stay with larger waves anywhere from 20 to 24 mph or up to 40 kmh.
3) I have been taking off on the seam between the whitewater and shoulder that is steep enough to just drop and run. Sometimes you get lucky with a chip-shot whitecap takeoff But with big waves you then have to be fast enough to crawl over and back into the trough.
4) I can't convince anyone to come out with me. The only exception is Haley Fiske who has the skill and is far crazier than I am.
I would say the bowl at Mavericks No-Way (but some kid may prove me wrong). The shoulder at Mavericks is softer but moves really, really fast. I can catch 20-30+ footers there but I have been on a 12' SUP gun with a good amount of speed.
These were 12 to 15 foot faces. On the GL210.
This was a 15 to 18 foot takeoff on the GL140. Filmed with a GoPro Max you can pause or circle the image around and see exact what I was taking off on.
GoPro's make things look smaller but that's just the deal. I was out for ~ 1 hour and had already been cleaned up by a 12 foot wall of whitewater swinging wide. Fortunately it was a 'soft' wall of whitewater and didn't break all my gear. But it did shave my confidence back 2 notches.
The ability to get up to near foiling speed, get the little kick and then pop is crucial to catching these types of waves. Cleaner may be easier but Choppy can give a few more 6 foot white cap take off opportunities.
Good stuff Beasho , I agree the sup is better for getting onto waves earlier ,its just that I really suck at sup and I'm comfortable on the prone. Have tow surfed my Armstrong 1200 setup and it's good for the big waves but I just wanted to try paddling in.When the sets came through there was whitewater 100 m or more across and I was trying to catch this but I couldn't get out in front of it before falling off the back of the swell. There was a really strong sweep which kept pushing into the deeper water in front which didn't help either.
Your gofoil really loves to sing along on the ride , thanks for the post cheers Kobo !
