First foil contest held at Makaha, if you think this looks easy, make sure watch the wipeout reel at the end. This is video from the first day of the 2018 Mel Puu contest at Makaha Beach, Saturday, December 1st, 2018. Bradah Mel's Waterman Championship, featuring Austin Kalama- Go Foil, Zane Saenz, Sam Pae, Leleo Kinimaka, and others. Hydrofoiling in the surf at it's best. Foil surfing video by Robert Stehlik and Monique Sanez

This is one of two such competitions held at Makaha Beach on Oahu's west side. Makaha is known for its endless wealth of watermen and women, including Rell Sunn, Buffalo Keaulana, Bruce and Manny Desoto, many of the Aikaus, Mel Pu'u, and more. This event covers a wide range of Hawaii watersports, unlike the mainstream shortboard and longboard contests, including canoe surfing, SUP, longboard, and supsquatch.Some popular competitors in this year's contest were: Brian Keaulana (son of Buffalo, founder of C4 watermen, lifeguard, navy seal trainer, involved in with Hawaiian water patrol), Duane Desoto (world longboard champion, many time waterman award in Buffalo Keaulana's contest, crew on Hokulea), Jimmy Keaulana (son of Buffalo, lifestyle waterman), Max Holloway (Waianae Local, MMA fighter champion), Nalu Froiseth (grandson of Wally Froiseth Big wave surfing pioneer and founder of waikiki surf club), and Phil Rajzman (current longboard world champion).
The foil boarding was just part of a bigger event & it just goes to show what good waterman these guys are in tough conditions... Sure they can run a foiling event in 2 foot fat waves (like they did in Waikiki when I was there but they are pushing the sport & you're starting to see the good foilboarders push themselves in ever tougher conditions....
Here's Derek day 2...

colas said..
Impressive technique (and board shapes!) displayed there!

However, is it only me, or is the spot not really a good foiling spot? Instead of a wide open wall to let the foils freely express themselves, the shoulder is very narrow, constraining most riders to stay in a small "kook zone" ahead of the curl, where the foil looks like more a drawback than an advantage. I think that the visual result is not very appealing (although very challenging with the chop & backwash), In my opinion contests should try to find better places to better showcase what is foiling...

It's just you, whole idea of foiling is to surf waves that conventional boards stuggle to keep you excied as these slow soft waves qualify as.

Yeah Hilly seeing bigger moves everywhere now on foils and much bigger waves ridden . It's evolving so fast. Not long before guys start pulling into a barrel and making it. Also seeing a lot more critical take offs on head high + waves . (gutsy stuff)

scotty100 said..
It's just you, whole idea of foiling is to surf waves that conventional boards stuggle to keep you excied as these slow soft waves qualify as.

I don't know where you surf usually, but these waves do not look slow at all for me :-)

I guess it is a half full / half empty glass situation:
- Some will see the undeniable technical advances displayed there.
- Some will just imagine themselves arriving at this beach and deciding if they get out with or without a foil. Frankly, I was looking at most rides and telling myself that I would have had more fun with a SUP, surfing closer to the curl.

But "Jimmy Lewis Boards" provided me the relevant answer: the spot was not chosen for just foiling, but for all kind of other water activities. Which I do not think is a good thing BTW in these times where some surfers want to ban foiling, we should promote foiling as something you do outside of normal surfing breaks.

Remember that all these guys ARE BEGINNERS!!!!!!!

The majority of Foil videos are of guys going straight. Then someone realized that 'You can turn'.

Now the guys in Hawaii are smashing the lip and getting air and doing 360's. But . . . . oh yeah they have only been doing it for less than 2 years.

Hence - ALL BEGINNERS.

You can't compare this display of skills to your internal perspective from 30+ years of short board surfing.

We'll have to leave it to the kids to figure out because they are fit, skilled and frankly "They are too young to realize what they are doing is impossible."

Yeeewew ripping

Yes. Where are the prones?

Part of me is torn on the whole "performance" foiling.....kind of like performance long boarding.....Im impressed by the skills, but wonder if it detracts from the aesthetic flow of it all.

Maybe part of the progression. Everyone just going as nuts as they can as it's all so new.....and the refinement will then follow....

But, who cares. If it's fun, it's good.
- Plus I can't do anyhting close to what's being done in those clips....Ha!

colas said..

scotty100 said..
It's just you, whole idea of foiling is to surf waves that conventional boards stuggle to keep you excied as these slow soft waves qualify as.

I don't know where you surf usually, but these waves do not look slow at all for me :-)

I guess it is a half full / half empty glass situation:
- Some will see the undeniable technical advances displayed there.
- Some will just imagine themselves arriving at this beach and deciding if they get out with or without a foil. Frankly, I was looking at most rides and telling myself that I would have had more fun with a SUP, surfing closer to the curl.

But "Jimmy Lewis Boards" provided me the relevant answer: the spot was not chosen for just foiling, but for all kind of other water activities. Which I do not think is a good thing BTW in these times where some surfers want to ban foiling, we should promote foiling as something you do outside of normal surfing breaks.

As someone with a love for riding all kinds of watercraft, shortboards, SUP and quite recently foils included... I respectfully, but firmly disagree that foilers don't belong in a waterman's festival or that it is in any way a bad thing. Even more so, I disagree with becoming self imposed pariah, slinking off to crap waves. Familiarity and inclusion can only help the sport and discourage tribalism among people who have much more in common with each other than most stuck on dry land. The ocean / line-up should never invite or casually accept gov't legislation. Personal responsibility, an honest understanding of your abilities and equipment are 90% of the battle and in the cases when that doesn't work- self policing by the lineup are much preferred. Although the pecking order there is rather imperfect and sometimes quite ridiculous, it is certainly heaps better than some mook with a citation book, a badge and no clue about the water telling me when and where I can enter the ocean. Cheers brother.

Yeah for sure that colas. ONE of the joys of foiling is more water-time- having ridiculous fun in waves I'd never consider going out in on a surfboard or SUP. But.... that shouldn't limit the sport to that- prohibit having more fun on a better wave / the freedom to use my responsible, informed judgement. Cheers brotha.