Foil Surf Racing League in Florida

Pumpfoiling is getting extremely popular in central Europe. The number of people interested and trying to learn is growing exponentially. In Berlin there is a hand full of pump foilers actively promoting the sport. The Cityfoilers even had their first competition in summer 2022. Once the cityfoilers heard about an event in Florida they had to go check it out and they sent us a report from Cocoa Beach:

Foil Surf Racing League Florida March 2023

Randomly seeing a good flight directly from Berlin to Florida the Cityfoilers were searching for interesting events they could join, so why not fly across the Atlantic to check it out.

We bought a ticket to join the Foil Surf Racing League by Good Breeze Foil Outlet in Cocoa Beach.

In March only Johannes made it to Florida leaving the other guys behind in Germany. Rental car and couch surfing, due to the very high hotel rates got him to the beach next to the events location.

Simultaneously Ron Jon Surf Shop’s Beach N’ Boards Festival was pumping already days before and had the beach packed with surfers competing in the WSL paired with tons of excited beach goers.

With no previous wave foiling experience the two days prior to the event, Johannes had to practice as much as he could. Thanks to Billy Bosch, the head of the event who hooked him up with the right setup. Equipped with a Slingshot board and Armstrong foil Johannes was ready for surf foiling. Getting up on waves with a very short board and the lifting foil underneath was definitely challenging.

The line up got crowded the afternoon before the races as all the competitors gave it a test run, showing off their incredible skills. The shop party on Friday Night at Good Breeze really kicked off the event. Most of the American participants knew each other and Johannes had plenty opportunity to meet a whole bunch of foil addicts.

The event was professionally organized. Sponsors supported with a music truck and a big bag of giveaways.

There were different disciplines. Pro, open and SUP surf foil, as well as an expression session on Sunday.

The start of the 30 plus pro surfers was impressive as all of them tried to get on waves and make the two laps parallel to the beach at the same time. One had to be up and foiling to cross the starting line and then pump for 1000 feet. (300m) This had to be done twice. Competitors had to choose whether to pump back on the water or run on the beach for the second lap.

In the next heat Johannes also got a chance to participate in the open. Struggling in the water to catch waves was a perfect chance to get to know the other surfers that started surf foiling recently. Finally he got up on a wave and crossed the starting line before the time was up. It was a great achievement for a first time ocean foiler.

A dinner and get together in a local bar completed this beautiful day on the beach with great waves and people.

After a short night due to daylight savings time change, the expression session started in the morning. Supported by 2 Jet Skis and perfect overhead and long period waves the expression session was basically an air show. Johannes got a few waves thanks to perfect tow-ins by the Ski and rode his first few waves. On the 4^th day of surffoiling he also got some waves on his own and crossed the whitewater to get back out. It was a great experience.

Watching the pros doing massive airs and  360s was exciting to see where this sport has gone already. There is still so much potential in this sport.

This intercontinental exchange was mind-blowing for Johannes, who was previously only flatwater pumping in Berlin. Surprisingly some of the guys knew about the cityfoilers and they all finally got the chance to connect in real life.

Looking back, this event was amazing and the experiences extraordinary with the best possible wave conditions. It is also fortunate, that no one was seriously hurt. Being in the water with so many foils at these speeds and with no protection gear showcases the amazing skills of all riders.

Billy Bosch and his team will hold the event next year again and maybe some more foilers from Europe can be motivated to join.

Official video

The results