James, your own peers have been flogging these machines at the detriment of surfers, suppers and in the end, basic foilers due to the likehood of banning foiling in Surf. We now have people who have never paddled a board into a surf break, strapping on a efoil and burning through the break that is being surfed by kids and dads. Motors are promoted as a short cut to skills without the strategic thinking and physicality. Just today on a sunday and nice conditions, an efoiler was basically water skiiing from wave to wave while the rest of the surfers had a pretty crap day out. These situations will lead to ALL foiling being banned from the breaks. I wonder whether we sit quiet and just take restrictions imposed on us from top down, or do we as a group talk to the authorities involved, and get ALL motors banned within say 200 metres of surfers at the surf break.
Yeah all motors banned within 250m of surfers is actually the current ruling here in NSW but it is not regulated at all spots, it's actually very difficult to police even with Jet Skis in surf breaks
Noticed a huge increase in efoil/fd and even a tow boogie lately, all in waves that could be paddled into here in vic. It’s pretty clear most spectators don’t distinguish between motorised and regular prone/sup foil so I am sure the inevitable restrictions will impact us all 😢
The only issue with restrictions is how they police them. Jet Skis are easier to police as they need a boat ramp, assists are going to be harder to police as you can launch from anywhere and it is difficult to distinguish between what is powered and what is not. Unless you have lifeguards at every entry to every beach (very unlikely) it'll be hard to police a ban, plus it adds extra responsibility (more work) for lifeguards
Glad you mentioned downwinding. Staying away from everyone is the way to go I think. Competition for limited resources (waves) brings the worst out in people... particularly if some have an advantage.
Great thoughts. Useful. How about normal prone foiling vs normal surfers? Because we prone foil surfers cover so much ground I often find myself pumping back out to waves that other regular surfers are thinking about going for.
Im finding that I use my FD less and less. For me my FD is for the bay and those days that there is no wind and it lets me sup foil. Otherwise I am on my wing foil and once again loving the bay.
I think this is a Foiling problem in general, not just assist. I see prone foilers in the line up scaring the shit of surfers when they are pumping back. It must have been the same when SUP came along. I find that assist products like tow in etc take you away from the break to spots that are not reached by Surfers. Although there seems to be a one up mentality towards each group of the order - Body Boards, Surfers, Sup, Prone and Prone Assist. All trying to get away from the different cultures in each group.
Disagree it is a foil problem but agree it is a SURF foil problem. The biggest difference between Foil Assist and Foil is those with motors have an extra advantage, are normally heavier so impact would be worse and those with props have an extra risk factor. Assist is basically a tow in and need to stay outside of those spots people are paddling in for it to continue to occur at the current rate of growth.
@@jamescasey7393 agree SURF foil. But at the end of the day whether you have a motor or not you are riding a flying knife. The typical heavier foils like Fliteboard tend to stay out of the close out - cos they don’t want $20k tumbling in the surf. From what I see it is the advent of Foil Drive that is pushing people to blend in with Surfers and Prone foilers. Saw one the other day cutting up everyone like Sushi.
Foil Assists/Tow Ins has become ridiculous in NSW, it needs to be ban. Even the professionals (former pros, surf school owners, etc..) using Foil Assists/Tow Ins don't respect the surfers.
Not sure banned but used in the correct locations at the correct time is best I think. As mentioned many times before common sense is not that common but it needs to be!
James, your own peers have been flogging these machines at the detriment of surfers, suppers and in the end, basic foilers due to the likehood of banning foiling in Surf. We now have people who have never paddled a board into a surf break, strapping on a efoil and burning through the break that is being surfed by kids and dads. Motors are promoted as a short cut to skills without the strategic thinking and physicality. Just today on a sunday and nice conditions, an efoiler was basically water skiiing from wave to wave while the rest of the surfers had a pretty crap day out. These situations will lead to ALL foiling being banned from the breaks. I wonder whether we sit quiet and just take restrictions imposed on us from top down, or do we as a group talk to the authorities involved, and get ALL motors banned within say 200 metres of surfers at the surf break.
Yeah all motors banned within 250m of surfers is actually the current ruling here in NSW but it is not regulated at all spots, it's actually very difficult to police even with Jet Skis in surf breaks
Noticed a huge increase in efoil/fd and even a tow boogie lately, all in waves that could be paddled into here in vic. It’s pretty clear most spectators don’t distinguish between motorised and regular prone/sup foil so I am sure the inevitable restrictions will impact us all 😢
The only issue with restrictions is how they police them. Jet Skis are easier to police as they need a boat ramp, assists are going to be harder to police as you can launch from anywhere and it is difficult to distinguish between what is powered and what is not. Unless you have lifeguards at every entry to every beach (very unlikely) it'll be hard to police a ban, plus it adds extra responsibility (more work) for lifeguards
Agree. Glad you said it. 🤙
Thank you james for touching on this subject. It’s a hot topic and I was going to do a similar clip about it.
Please do!
Glad you mentioned downwinding. Staying away from everyone is the way to go I think. Competition for limited resources (waves) brings the worst out in people... particularly if some have an advantage.
Yeah there's a reason I love Downwind Foiling so much!!
Great thoughts. Useful. How about normal prone foiling vs normal surfers? Because we prone foil surfers cover so much ground I often find myself pumping back out to waves that other regular surfers are thinking about going for.
Yeah we need to give way to normal surfers, or anyone going slower than us. Best just to find a break with no normal surfers out. OR go downwind!
Im finding that I use my FD less and less. For me my FD is for the bay and those days that there is no wind and it lets me sup foil. Otherwise I am on my wing foil and once again loving the bay.
Yeah perfect mate, keep it to the uncrowded zones
The manufacturers of these motorised products should be educating the customers of what's expected when using these products.
They are but unfortunately not everyone listens, same as surfers dropping in on other surfers. Not everyone abides by the correct etiquette.
I think this is a Foiling problem in general, not just assist. I see prone foilers in the line up scaring the shit of surfers when they are pumping back. It must have been the same when SUP came along. I find that assist products like tow in etc take you away from the break to spots that are not reached by Surfers. Although there seems to be a one up mentality towards each group of the order - Body Boards, Surfers, Sup, Prone and Prone Assist. All trying to get away from the different cultures in each group.
Disagree it is a foil problem but agree it is a SURF foil problem. The biggest difference between Foil Assist and Foil is those with motors have an extra advantage, are normally heavier so impact would be worse and those with props have an extra risk factor. Assist is basically a tow in and need to stay outside of those spots people are paddling in for it to continue to occur at the current rate of growth.
@@jamescasey7393 agree SURF foil. But at the end of the day whether you have a motor or not you are riding a flying knife. The typical heavier foils like Fliteboard tend to stay out of the close out - cos they don’t want $20k tumbling in the surf. From what I see it is the advent of Foil Drive that is pushing people to blend in with Surfers and Prone foilers. Saw one the other day cutting up everyone like Sushi.
Foil Assists/Tow Ins has become ridiculous in NSW, it needs to be ban. Even the professionals (former pros, surf school owners, etc..) using Foil Assists/Tow Ins don't respect the surfers.
Not sure banned but used in the correct locations at the correct time is best I think. As mentioned many times before common sense is not that common but it needs to be!