At low tide one of my local wing spots has a very long walk out over sand and sea grass to get enough depth to get started, somewhere around 80m at dead low tide. There are plenty of stingrays lurking in the sand as well so I now put my board in front of me and hold it up so I can use the foil as a mowing blade to try and get the rays to move on
Coming back in I try and come in on foil as high on the mast with decent speed so I can cover as much ground as possible before having to get off the board and walk back through the "minefield"
Usually I get to the point where it's just getting too shallow (less than a foot of water or 1/2 mast height) and/or I'm losing the wind/speed and I "dismount" by just kicking off the board to the rear or upwind side and falling flat on my back. The other day I did this and a mother and toddler were on the beach watching and when I made my spectacular dismount the young child burst into tears and started screaming. I suppose it does look pretty traumatic and that I've had a big unplanned crash.
So to the question
How do you get off a board with a 95cm mast in shallow water that minimises the risk to yourself and your gear ?
I saw a video recently that showed a pretty slick technique, essentially falling off to the side so the mast ends up roughly parallel to the water. If I can find it I'll post the link. You'd still have half the wingspan to consider of course.
Quick sharp turn with a lot of backfoot pressure make the foil go out and cavitate , i tryed the flying dismount strong backfoot wing above head board goes flying it's was 80cm deep.
This is what I try: fly high and slow and then capsize the entire foil board. Pull the wing over me. It's the end result that counts: mast parallel to water
www.instagram.com/reel/CjI_iNDoTiw/?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==
We have lots of small and crazy sharp shells in our lake, makes it next to impossible to walk barefoot without cutting yourself almost every time, even when being super careful. And it takes at least 50-60 m in one of the spots before getting to the foiling depth. At the end of a session (when the wind blows side shore) I sometimes try to ride as close to the shore as possible, to the depth of ca 50 cm, slow down as much as the foil allows, carve upwind and do a quite tight 180 degree turn, letting the wing go mid turn, and gradually fall to my back, keeping feet in the straps. Sometimes the stopping is super soft and quiet and clean, sometimes I end up touching the bottom with my back at the end (wouldn't want to have a stingray there haha), and a few times I have miscalculated the depth, hit the foil to the ground and crashed big time. It's quite fun actually, adds some totally unnecessary excitement to the sessions : )
Select to expand quoteMProject04 said..
This is what I try: fly high and slow and then capsize the entire foil board. Pull the wing over me. It's the end result that counts: mast parallel to water
www.instagram.com/reel/CjI_iNDoTiw/?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==
That's pretty much my technique as per that clip.
I made the mistake of falling off the board to the downwind side once. You definitely don't want to do that, I was very lucky to not get the foil in my face as the wind flipped the board over.
Select to expand quoteThatspec said..
I saw a video recently that showed a pretty slick technique, essentially falling off to the side so the mast ends up roughly parallel to the water. If I can find it I'll post the link. You'd still have half the wingspan to consider of course.
That's my method too. Carve up hard into wind and fall flat on back. Impact vest helps too.
pump in as far as possible, with wing overhead, then just before catastrophic impact eject, using wing to gently parachute you to the shallows, where you will be greeted with applause and cold beers. No seriously, get ready for impact.
When the ground is sand or mud I find it ok to (very slowly) foil close to the shore, riding high, then jump off to the front, that is over the nose and land on my feet. This way you can even go until the foil touches the ground. Be out of the straps already and ride your wing Mary Poppins style. When the board disappears beneath you, you know the moment has come.
But honestly, I wonder if anyone would want to use any of the recommended techniques in stingray infested waters, whether they involve landing on your feet or your back. 
This is one of only a few situations in which touching the foil seems to be comparatively insignificant to me.
I wouldn't say my entry/exit point at this location is "stingray infested", it's more like random, small stingrays lurk in the sand and in roughly 30 sessions I've probably only had maybe three electric shock type hits to my ankles, so they are there, but it's just a lottery on whether you come across one or not.
