The counterpart of being able to have fun on very small waves with a surf foil is that they generally break in very shallow water. This is one of the rare limits in surf foiling. A surf foil mast is between 65 and 75 cm long, so unless you know how to beach start, you must at least count on this much depth plus a good margin to attempt a take off.
Here Malo and Valentin are playing with the limits by delaying their drop. They are waiting to be at the very top of the wave, almost dropping behind. Then they paddle a stroke or two to stay ahead of the wave. To make the drop they must not paddle too much otherwise they would go down the bottom of the wave and hit the ground with their foil. So they delay the start and when they feel they have enough energy to fly, they get up, put the front wing just below the surface and accelerate in front of the wave to connect through an opening. Holding back the take off to avoid gliding down at the bottom of the wave is a very practical trick in 50cm of water.
Estimating the depth just by looking at a breaking wave from the beach is tricky given the number of factors that come into play. In addition, the bottom can be very irregular, especially on reef breaks. It is therefore necessary to be very cautious and if the conditions allow it, check the depth by standing up. If you have water up to your chest, you have enough margin to attempt a take off. Experts achieve this with less headroom because the wave brings a bit of extra height. In this case, however, you have to be very fast and stay very high on the foil.
If you lose time on the take off or if the wave closes out behind you, you are forced to fly towards the beach with a margin that will quickly melt away. Don’t panic though. In flight, it is possible to pump in very shallow water. You have to stay high on your foil while maintaining a good rhythm of pumping. Pick up speed to get away from the wave far enough to go for a U-turn and face the wave. To get over the foam, it is preferable to sink the foil slightly to pass it under the disturbances of the wave, if the depth allows it…
If the depth is barely sufficient, it is not worth trying a take off on a rocky bottom. Sooner or later, your foil will hit the bottom and it is generally the reef that wins this battle. On a beach break you can afford to take more risks if you are strapless. It is however not without risks for your gear, so eject yourself immediately if you feel a contact with the bottom is coming.
