FLYING OVER WATER

THE MERGING OF SKY AND SEA

IZZIE PRICE

There was a time when surfing — like sailing — was wholly dependent on the elements. If the waves weren’t there, they weren’t there —and surfers would stroll back along the beach after an unsatisfactory outing, board in tow, feeling despondent and short-changed at the lack of wind and correspondingly large, surfable waves.

But all that’s changed in recent years, thanks to the electric surfboard. Now, we can add ‘water’ to the long list of things over which humans have triumphed. Surfers are no longer at the whim of the weather — small waves can be navigated with ease, flat stretches of water can become the perfect tapestry for a day of extreme sports, and the joy of surfing can be accessed, enjoyed and maximised at any time; on any day; in any water.

The clue’s in the name (though you may also have heard the craze trending as its popular iteration: namely, the eFoil). Electric surfboards are powered electrically, allowing surfers to fly over the waves via man-made means. It’s a battery-powered adrenaline rush; an extreme sport undertaken hand in hand with Bluetooth (quite literally; many electric motors are powered by Bluetooth hand controllers). Through the use of a hydrofoil — a structure powered by an electric propellor that operates like an aeroplane wing, lifting the surfboard out of the water — surfers can cross virtually any body of water they choose. And they can cross it through the haze of adrenaline and excitement that electric surfing offers.

Electric surfboards have taken the surfing world by storm, especially since a viral video of Mark Zuckerberg flying over the water’s surface on a hydrofoil, American flag in tow, did the rounds and cemented the trend as a trend that is, surely, here to stay. But what exactly is it about electric surfboards that has surfers and nonsurfers alike clamouring to hear more about this defining moment in watersport culture?

“eFoiling is an inherently viral sport — if you see someone gliding over water on what’s essentially a magic carpet, people wonder about it and see if they can ride it to experience flight above the water,” explains Nick Leason, co-Founder of Lift Foils, the maker of the original eFoil. “It’s definitely the feeling of flying. I believe people are inherently curious and adventurous, and the idea of flight over water is hard to resist once someone sees and feels it’s possible.”

Leason’s right: humans have a naturally curious, adventurous streak.

As evidenced by the viral video of Mark Zuckerberg skimming over the water’s surface on a hydrofoil, electric surfing has transformed the surfing world forever. So just what, exactly, is the pull of this extreme watersport?

Presumably, it was this streak that led to the creation of electric surfboards in the first place; and it’s a streak that Mathias Bergman, Chief Executive Officer of electric jetboard manufacturer Radinn Jetboards, has experienced first hand. “We are reinventing exploring,” the Swedish CEO has previously said. “You can live here, in little Sweden and have a tiny pond, but with the Radinn, that pond turns into the Grand Canyon. So every ride is an epic ride.”

When it comes to securing that epic ride with an electric surfboard or jetboard of your own, both Lift and Radinn are optimal places to start. Lift’s latest iteration, the LIFT3, offers outstanding specifications across all categories — including durability, battery life and speed. “The boards are unbelievably aerodynamic and tough, they’re made from a custom carbon fibre blend and can be matched with a completely modular set of foil wings and masts to allow riders a customized experience — optimized for efficiency, carving, or ease of learning,” explains Leason. Riders can fly over the water at speeds of 40 kph for well over an hour.

At Radinn, too, the technology is second to none. The Radinn jetboard employs an advanced IoT platform and cloud-based technology, and can be paired with an app via Bluetooth — thus

Photo: Radinn Jetboards

allowing for a range of connectivity features, together with GPS capabilities and data retrieval.

But those are by no means the only brands on the market and electric surfboards can take many and varied forms, powered by an array of technological innovations. Australian brand Flite’s (aptly named) Fliteboard offers a virtual gear system and an LEDpowered Lightbar, thus bringing your ride to life; and Scandinavian manufacturer Awake offers electric surfboards that are more than capable of navigating tumultuous, stormy waters (not to mention aggressive handling by over-zealous riders) through features like ongoing monitoring of temperature and power consumption.

And what of the future of electric surfing? “Electric propulsion allows surfing to take place with no waves and enables people that have never dreamt of being surfers to experience flight above the water.” says Leason. “To me, that’s the exciting part: welcoming new people into watersports and giving people who have surfed forever new challenges and experiences. I believe we’ll soon see an expansion of surfing into the open waters in all forms, from gliding to acrobatics. We’re just beginning to unlock the potential of exploring the water — I’m excited for what the future holds.”