Discovering foil surfing / electric surfing in Koh Phangan

While we were comfortably settled in our favorite French restaurant on Chaloklum Beach in Koh Phangan, we were surprised to see a surfer above the water! The chef explained that it was foil surfing (which seems to translate as electric surfing in English).

A “foil” is “a wing positioned and shaped to generate, through its movement in water, a lift force that affects its speed and stability” (thanks Wikipedia).

The first time I heard about it was when some boats in the Vendée Globe used this innovation to push speed limits even further.

But I had never heard of electric surfing, which integrates a foil into a surfboard along with a battery that drives a propeller.

This innovation allows you to surf without needing waves and, most importantly, to… fly above the water!

I wasn’t particularly keen to try it, since I’m not the most comfortable with board sports or balance. Anh, however, was really motivated, so we gave it a shot.

The foil surfing school in Koh Phangan (“SurfWing efoiling school”) is run by Russians and offers sessions at:

• 30 minutes for 1,500 THB
• 60 minutes for 3,000 THB
• 90 minutes for 4,500 THB

The 90-minute sessions are interesting because they can be shared by 2 people (45 minutes each) or used by one person in two parts.

The school provides leggings and a long-sleeved top, mainly to protect against jellyfish you might encounter in Koh Phangan. But it’s also very useful for protecting against friction and falls on the board, which you’ll inevitably experience at first. Even with the leggings, my knees were scraped after my first session. Once you start standing up, you wear a helmet, as falls onto the board can be potentially dangerous.

Electric surfing is actually very simple to use: you have a remote control to manage speed (from 1 to 20) and a trigger to activate the propeller. As soon as you fall, you release the trigger so the board doesn’t drift away.

The instructor (and the person accompanying you if you have a 90-minute session for 2) follows you on a rubber boat. He gives you instructions throughout the session and saves you time (and a lot of energy) by bringing the board back to you after each fall.

The first few minutes are tough; you stay lying down or on your knees on the board to find your balance and start turning left and right. Of course, there are many falls.

But after 30 minutes you start to find your balance, make your first flights, and even stand up a bit.

However, I was completely exhausted after that first 45-minute session. Since you haven’t yet developed a sense of balance, you’re very tense on the board, fall often, and get tired swimming to retrieve the board.

The second session is a real pleasure because the progress is spectacular. You stand almost easily and almost relaxed, make longer and longer flights, and get much less tired!

The feeling of flying 75 cm above the sea is truly magical!

A few more sessions will be needed to start feeling truly comfortable, but the fun is already there. What a great discovery electric surfing is in this paradisiacal setting of Koh Phangan!

If you don’t speak English, they also have a French-speaking instructor.

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