Downwind foiling is without a doubt the hardest form – and some would say the holy grail – of foiling. Done properly, a rider can go for miles, linking one bump of windswell to the next. Done improperly, you just might find yourself in the middle of the ocean without a way of getting home. The Hawaiian Islands are one of the best locations in the world for this, with warm water, reliable wind, and plenty of high-class waves to track down on one’s downwind journey.
Jack Ho and friends have been perfecting this new-ish technique in the downwind world in their home waters off the South Shore of Oahu – known to paddlers and downwind enthusiasts as the Hawaii Kai Run. Using higher-aspect foils and tiny foil-surf boards, it looks like the ultimate swell-riding experience. They then hitch rides upwind to do it all over again. Sounds like a dream.