Words by Johanna Harlow
Maybe you’ve been out enjoying a day by the Bay and stopped dead in your tracks at the sight of someone on a board that’s seemingly levitating above the water. This magic carpet ride is possible thanks to a hydrofoil, a slender mast below the board which extends to an underwater wing that creates lift. First used on boats at the tail end of the 1800s, the advent of hydrofoils in board sports is relatively new and was popularized by big-wave surfer Kai Lenny in 2016. Since then, “foiling” has taken the water sport world by storm.
Any water sport using a board can incorporate foiling, says David Wells, owner of Redwood Water Sports. That includes wing foiling (which involves a small handheld sail), kite foiling (with a parachute-shaped kite), SUP foiling (on a stand-up paddleboard) and eFoiling (powered by an electric motor). His favorite is wing foiling, although David doesn’t recommend it for beginners. “You’ve got too much going on,” he explains. “Start with an eFoil. Isolate a variable, then move to the next step.”
Cover Photo: Courtesy of Simone Staff – F4 Foils / Photo: Courtesy of F4 Foils
Not just flashy, this groundbreaking equipment promises a smoother, faster ride. “It’s much softer on the body because you’re flying above the water, not slapping on it,” David notes. “Your knees, your back, your everything—there’s so much less duress on your system.” It’s also breaking records left and right. Take the St. Francis Yacht Club’s SF Classic, a race that welcomes kiteboarding, wingfoiling and windsurfing. “In years prior to foiling, the windsurfers and kiteboarders would take about 90 minutes to complete the course,” says David, himself a fierce competitor in the event. “When the hydrofoil kites entered the mix, Nico Parlier did the course in just over 38 minutes!”
David’s shop, with windows overlooking the pristine Port of Redwood City, has been an invaluable resource to the water sports community. But he’s had to fight to keep it alive. “Retail is under siege by Amazon,” David notes, not to mention the endless other activities that compete for people’s time and attention. “But there is a secret sauce: It’s called community.”
That means water sports stores help each other out, David says. “Don’t schedule on top of me. I’ll promote your activity. You promote my activity. It’s you and me against the bike store!” He also offers plenty of chances for people to venture out on the water. “Moonlight paddles, races, swap meets,” David lists. “Services, services, services, lessons, rentals, storage—it’s gotta be a multi-legged stool to make the business work.”
Photo: Courtesy of F4 Foils
“The foiling community here in the Bay is dedicated and passionate,” says Chris Radkowski, co-founder of F4 Foils, a designer and manufacturer of top-tier watersport gear based in Woodside. His location on the Peninsula is no coincidence. “We have world-class conditions from April through October!”
Not only is Chris the lead designer for F4 Foils, but he also tests the gear. “It’s rare that you get the person who’s doing the technical design also riding the equipment,” says Chris, who competed in windsurfing at the 1988 Olympic Trials. “We’re experimenting with narrower, longer boards,” he says, because they require less energy for lift-off.
Another critical design choice is F4 Foils’ focus on carbon fiber rather than fiberglass or aluminum. The lighter material is stiffer, making it more responsive to the rider. “You can mold carbon fiber into all kinds of shapes,” Chris adds. “That is the magic stuff.” David, who sells F4 Foils gear at his shop, wholeheartedly agrees. Once you give carbon fiber gear a try, he says, you realize that anything else feels like “running in hiking boots.”
Ready to test-drive an eFoil? “Rank beginners sometimes do better than rad dude surfers,” David notes. For surfing, you need to lean back, but you lean forward while foiling. This means surfers have to unlearn their instinctive stance. “I’ve seen a 70-year-old who had never done any of this stuff get it in 30 minutes,” David says.
Photo: Courtesy of Bryan McDonald
“Nobody ever forgets their first time foiling,” Chris says. “Imagine the best powder skiing in the best conditions where you’re floating down the slopes. The hydrofoil kind of feels like that.” What’s more, “You can feel the energy from the waves propelling you along … It’s total addiction.”
That pull to the water is something David feels, too. “There’s something innate in our physical and mental being that draws us all there,” he says. “We’re born in it. About 350,000 years ago, we crawled out of it … We are 80% water!” David adds, “It’s my gym. It’s my mental health.”
One last thing before you wade in: “The most important piece of advice is to celebrate the small victories,” David says. “If you just get it up, that’s a step. If you flew a hundred feet straight, that’s a journey.”
WINGING IT Hydrofoil, like any water sport, is more favorable in certain conditions. “My whole water sports philosophy is based on a Swiss Army Knife. What does the day present to you? Then use the right blade for the job,” explains David. “Windsurfing likes high winds and big choppy waters. Foiling likes medium winds and flat waters. Kite boarding can do either [condition], but it’s incredibly dangerous.”