How To Hydrofoil the 2nd Wave
Summertime means it's time to surf, it's time to foil. To get you started on a fabulous and fun summer, here are some tips and tricks to get you foil surfing on that second wave.
One trick is using an extra long rope. Although the extra length can make it more difficult to keep the rope straight and not knotted, it can really help you get outside of the wake to see what is going on. The toughest part about finding that second wave is being able to see your spot and by using 70-85’ of rope you can get well outside of the wake. This will give you a good look at the wave and help you get into position.
Ideally, you will start nice and wide, outside of the wake with your foil mast about halfway out of the water. Find your bubble line, it’s a nice visual indicator to find the power of the wave. Once you’re on the wave, start with very subtle turns. This can be hip initiated with very subtle movements or gently put pressure on your toes or heels. The trick here is that it’s all about subtle movements.
You might need to pump a bit to get into the heart of the wave. When using a longer rope, the rope may get caught in the whitewater and begin to pull but, once you get to the point where you feel you’ve picked up enough speed (you’re flying the foil), go ahead and toss the rope away. It’s always a good idea to have the spotter in the boat manage that rope to reel it back into the boat and keep it out of your way.
To bring the foil up to elevation make a subtle shift of weight back on the board. Keep your upper body still but lift your knees up and then push back down to pop it back up onto the foil. Stay nice and loose around the bubble line. There is plenty of power in the wave and you’ll get a nice turning sensation. There’s no need to be at the full height of the mast. Start lower and gradually work your way up.
The longer rope allows you to go far enough out that you can easily see the second wave, maybe even the third as well. It is important to learn how to safely coil in the rope as you pull yourself into the power pocket. Make large loops in your hand, don’t wrap the rope anywhere near your body. When you release the rope, throw it well away towards the center of the wake to keep you safe. Have the spotter pull the rope in.
Your goal is to ride the bubble line. You can slide back beyond it, towards where the wave is starting to have a bit of white cap but you eventually want to race back. Every once in a while, you get too much speed coming into that white area and you need to do a turn back towards the back side of the wave.
When you’re on the foil, it’s not easy to spot the bubble line. Of course, smooth water makes it much easier than finding the wave in rough water. The whitewater is a good indicator for where the first wave is. From there you can identify the trough. Aim for the trough and you’ll be about half way up the second wave foil surfing.
You are looking for the difference between the clean wave and where the power is on the bubble line. Don’t spend a lot of time looking behind you or all around when you are just beginning. Instead, you should be looking forward and focusing on the place where you can see the separation of the bubbles versus clean water. As you get more experience, you can go ahead and check out the wave behind you, do deeper turns, break away from the bubble line water to get to pure, clean water, etc. because you know how to get your speed back up. In the beginning though, learn to roll that second wave. Your primary focus for you eyes is down the line toward the back corner of boat swim step nearest to you.
If you’re interested in wave transfers: A wave transfer from the left to the right is a bit different than just going from the second wave to the first. Behind every boat there's a center hump and as you run up towards the boat you’ll be in front of that little hump. The key is to stay to the left and then ride in heelies. You should be practicing your heelside riding for both wake surfing and wake foiling for times like these, every once in a while you’re going to need it. After you transfer from left to right, you're riding heelside. When you’re going to heel side, you will have even fewer visual indicators where the wave is so finding the bubble line is absolutely critical.
My buddy Feddy, a semi-professional surfer from Puerto Rico, shared a great tip for going heel side while wake surfing or wake foiling. Freddy says to get both hands forward because that keeps your shoulder driving towards the boat .
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