Why I Don’t Consider eFoiling an Extreme Sport

EFoiling can be extreme. You can chase speed, carve aggressively, and challenge large ocean waves—but that is only one way to ride.

The rider decides what eFoiling becomes.

Episode 1: If I Can Do It, Many More People Can

Let me begin with my own physical condition. Over the years, my right leg has suffered three significant injuries: a spiral fracture that did not receive ideal treatment, a fractured toe, and a complete Achilles tendon rupture. Fortunately, my Achilles surgery was very successful. Today, I can still jump. I can still ride. And yes, I can still eFoil.

That is why I often tell new riders:

If I can do it, many more people can do it.

For years, brands such as Lift and Fliteboard have planted a particular image of eFoiling in our minds: a perfectly athletic rider with the body of a Greek sculpture, dancing across the waves like an all-powerful being who occasionally comes down to visit the rest of us. It is a beautiful image. I believe the people who created it wanted to inspire everyone to pursue a healthier, more active lifestyle. But I think they missed an important point.

A person’s lifestyle develops gradually from the day they are born. One sport—and certainly one product—is probably not powerful enough to completely change who someone is. eFoiling does not need to carry that responsibility. The message should be much simpler:

eFoiling can be a bonus added to your short and precious life.

You do not need to change your lifestyle before you can enjoy it. You do not need a perfect body, an extreme personality, or the kind of life shown in an advertisement. Whatever kind of life you already live, eFoiling can add another joyful experience to it. That, to me, is what makes a truly successful product: it adapts to real people instead of asking real people to fit an illusion.

Episode 2: You Define the Experience—Your Equipment Follows

Thanks to all the engineers and technicians who have developed this sport, nearly every part of an eFoil can now be selected to match your body, environment, and riding style. Batteries can be heavy and long-lasting or light and portable. Boards can be large and stable or small and responsive. They can be made from carbon fiber, EPP, or inflatable materials—and each one creates a different kind of experience.

If you want to fight ocean waves, carbon fiber gives you the stiffness and responsiveness to drive through those walls of water. If you would rather not punish your ribs every time you fall onto the board, EPP offers a little more forgiveness. And if you are gliding across a mirror-flat lake and do not want every start to feel like a push-up workout, a large inflatable board can become your best friend. It can also provide enough space and stability to share the joy of riding with your kids.

Masts can range from the 35-plus-inch weapons of ocean fighters to shorter, friendlier 24-inch setups for lake voyagers. You can build an eFoil that feels like a sharp knife slicing through six-foot waves in the Pacific. You can choose a comfortable water scooter for peacefully cruising around a lake. Or you can create a Swiss Army knife: pair the same power system with different boards and wings, and you will have one versatile platform that can do almost everything.

eFoiling does not have an attitude—you do. An eFoil can do many different things, but it will only do what you ask it to do. So before deciding which eFoil to buy, come out to the lake. Contact Steve at rdufoil.com or me, and try a few different setups during a session. Before you learn how to drive, how can anyone tell you which vehicle will become your favorite—a turbocharged German hatchback or a V8 truck? The same is true of eFoils.

Try first. Discover who you are on the water. Then choose the equipment that extends your personality. But knowing yourself is only half the answer. You must also understand the water you are about to enter.

Episode 3: The Water Sets the Conditions

Is eFoiling an extreme sport? Before answering, look at the water. A calm lake can be as smooth as a mirror, while the ocean can build walls of waves in front of you. Even with the same eFoil power core, a 4-foot-11-inch board paired with a competition wing and a 6-foot-7-inch board paired with a cruising wing can deliver completely different—almost day-and-night—experiences.

In the ocean, riders often talk about going “upwind” or “downwind.” Those are useful terms, but they do not fully describe my own riding experience. Wind certainly shapes ocean conditions. But when I am riding, I also pay close attention to the interaction among Moon-driven tides, underwater currents, incoming swell, and the seafloor. Together, they influence how the water moves and how waves rise, change shape, and break.

For my own riding, I divide ocean conditions into three situations.

Against the Wave

When you ride against the wave, the board generates more lift while requiring additional throttle to maintain speed. That is where the challenge begins. As the board climbs the face of a wave, the additional lift may raise it too high and pull the propeller out of the water. You must adjust your center of gravity and guide the board smoothly over the crest. Honestly, I find riding against the waves pretty fun most of the time. Just remember to bring the nose smoothly back down as you cross the top of the wave. This helps keep the propeller in the water and the board under control. Never launch completely out of the wave—unless you have extremely good skills and even better insurance.

Riding the Wave—or Riding Its Shoulder

This is the experience surfers understand best. Once the wave catches you, very little—or sometimes no—throttle is needed. A folding propeller reduces drag and allows the wave to carry you naturally. It feels as if Poseidon himself is pushing you onto the back of Pegasus. The feeling may not last very long, but those few moments are the real magic of ocean riding. And if you can carve a few zigzags across the face of the wave—wow. You are the chosen one.

Breaking-Wave Push

When a breaking wave or whitewater pushes you from behind, the acceleration can be incredible. For me, this is the most dangerous of the three situations. You must be ready to turn and leave the breaking zone. Otherwise, the wave may continue accelerating you beyond your comfortable level of control. The turbulence beneath the whitewater can also become too violent for the foil to remain stable. Stay there too long, and falling becomes a question of when—not if. Both of my worst eFoil accidents happened during a breaking-wave push. Those experiences taught me something important:

The ocean does not care what we call the direction.

What matters is understanding where the water’s energy is coming from, what it is doing to your board, and when it is time to turn away.

Back to the Lake

Now eFoiling is starting to sound like a high-risk sport again, huh? Let’s return to the lake. Most of the time, the surface may look like a mirror or carry only a few gentle ripples. You can cruise slowly, enjoy the scenery, talk with friends, or simply spend a quiet hour alone on the water.

A lake is not automatically safe, of course. Sudden wind gusts, thunderstorms, floodwater, floating debris, and electrical hazards near flooded shorelines can still cause serious injuries. The answer is not to fear the water. The answer is to understand it. Whether you are riding on a lake, river, or ocean, adjust your equipment, speed, and riding style to match the conditions—and know when not to ride at all. This is how human beings have lived with Mother Nature for thousands of years. We do not control her power; we learn to understand and respect it.

When we make responsible choices, we can enjoy speed, freedom, and adventure without turning every ride into an extreme one.

eFoiling is not extreme by definition. It becomes extreme when a rider chooses extreme equipment, extreme conditions, and an extreme way of riding.

The water sets the conditions. You decide how to meet them.

Episode 4: The eFoil Does Not Decide for You

What kind of ride do you want? When Captain Jack Sparrow starts yelling inside your head, you can search for waves, speed, and adventure. When you are riding with athletic friends, you may want a small carbon board and a sporty wing. When you are riding with your family, you may prefer a large inflatable or EPP board with a stable cruising wing. When your child wants to ride with Mom or Dad, the right equipment, an experienced operator, low speed, and carefully selected conditions can create a gentle and controlled shared experience.

The machine may be similar, but the experience can be completely different. Your eFoiling experience can become almost anything:

• Extreme speed and aggressive carving

• A peaceful small-group glide

• A family cruise around the lake

• A sunset wellness ride

• An illuminated night ride

• A lake cosplay ride

• A scientific exploration ride

• A quiet hour alone on the water

  
  

Learning to eFoil probably will not change who you are. It simply gives you another place to express who you already are.

Nobody Needs to Explore Alone

When you have nobody to ride with, join our community: Triangle Outdoor Wellness & eFoil Community. Hahaha—but I am also serious. A community is more than a collection of people who own the same equipment. You do not need the same board, the same skill level, or even the same favorite watercraft to belong. Some members may want to carve aggressively. Others may want to cruise slowly. Some are interested in outdoor wellness, paddling, camping, safety, or simply spending more time around the water.

Different craft. Different speeds. Different personalities. But the same water can connect us. A strong community can help you:

• Understand local lakes and launch points

• Learn about changing water and weather conditions

• Compare equipment before choosing what to buy

• Prepare, launch, and recover equipment safely

• Find patient people to ride with

• Celebrate your first successful glide

• Recover your confidence after a difficult session

• Discover new ways to enjoy the water

  
  

Your first ride does not need to look impressive. You do not need to carve, jump, or even stand immediately. Sometimes the most important person in the community is not the fastest rider. It is the person who stays nearby, watches the beginner, shares useful experience, and makes sure everyone returns safely. Shared joy is greater than solitary pleasure.

Different People Learn Differently

My friend Steve from rdufoil.com once told me that many people who appear unlikely to try this kind of sport can learn to foil successfully in a surprisingly short time. They succeed because they genuinely want it—and because they deeply enjoy that feeling of freedom on the water. I have also trained men who were over six feet tall, much stronger than I am, and apparently much healthier. But after three days in a row, they still could not take their hands off the board for more than a few minutes. And that is completely okay.

Physical strength does not automatically create balance. Age does not automatically prevent learning. Appearance does not tell us what someone can or cannot enjoy. No sport is made for everybody. Some people remain inside their comfort zone. Others choose to break through it. Both choices are valid because everyone is the master of their own life.

All I can offer is a sentence that has been used so many times it almost feels like an old trick:

The brave understand the risks, shoulder them responsibly, and experience the world first.

You choose the water. You choose the equipment. You choose the speed. You choose the experience. The eFoil does not decide for you. Go out and explore. The community will be your steady backup. eFoiling will not turn you into somebody else. It will simply bring you together with people like us—people who support one another as we explore the world and discover more about ourselves.

See you on the water. 🍊🌊

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