Wake Foiling | Wakesurfing vs. Wake Foiling

Imagine that you're wakesurfing on the first wake behind a boat and you're absolutely shredding it, but then you look behind you and this guy's absolutely shredding on the second wake. He's wake foiling and you're wakesurfing. How do these two sports compare? Let's break down the similarities and differences between wakesurfing and wake foiling.

Where Can You Ride?

The wakesurfer is really limited to that first wake. You might be able to ride the second roller with a longboard or a paddleboard, but for all practical purposes you're limited to that first wake.

On a hydrofoil, you can ride the first wake or you can ride the second wake. You can even ride the third or beyond. I've seen guys get back 10 plus wakes on a wakeboard boat, and once you learn how to pump in the flat water, you can go anywhere behind the boat. It's like a playground, and you can jump from wake to wake on either side.

Who Can Ride?

If you can wakesurf, there's a good chance you'll be able to wake foil. Wake foiling is a little bit more challenging than wakesurfing, but if you have ample water sports experience, with little time and practice you're going to be able to wake foil.

How Do You Get Up?

Getting up on a wakesurfer is pretty straightforward, and getting up on a wake foil is very similar to that. The only difference is that you absolutely need to put most of your pressure onto your front foot to get up on a wake foil. This is to account for the extra lift that the foil provides to the board. If you do try to get up on a wake foil just like a wakesurfer, you're going to shoot the board out of the water.

On a wakesurfer, you can load your back foot, while on a wake foil you need to apply that pressure to your front foot. As for the setup, getting the board to your feet, and getting up and pointing your hip towards the boat, that's all the same. The only difference is your weight distribution.

What Does it Cost?

You're looking at about a thousand dollars to get into wake foiling. That includes the board and the foil. With wakesurfing, you're going to be able to find cheaper boards than a thousand dollars.

But that's just part of the picture. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can foil behind pretty much any boat and it's going to be fun. When you get good enough at wake foiling, you can actually surf the wake on a boat that's smaller than a wakeboard boat. On a wakesurfer, you really need a nice wakeboard boat to have a wake where you can actually surf and drop the rope.

With both these sports, you're getting out on the water and you're having a good time. Wakesurfing is slightly easier to learn than wake foiling, so it is a very good entry-level sport. However, with wake foiling you're going to be able to do a lot more with the sport. You can ride more wakes and you can ride behind different boats and still have a great time. Whichever sport you're into, happy shredding, and I look forward to seeing you on the water!

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