FORESIGHT: Mathieu Duchier

Based as he is in the west of Maui, arguably ground zero in foiling evolution, Mathieu Duchier is well-placed to ruminate over how things will play out as foiling continues to evolve and gain in popularity and unsurprisingly he has one eye on the world of Assist foiling…

Photos: Tess Pitzer

When I started foiling four years ago, my vision for the future of foiling was much different. I imagined that many more surfers would have seen how much fun we were having and switched to foiling. I envisioned a crowd of foilers so dense in the lineup that the friendly vibe between foilers would slowly fade away and transform into the hostile vibe that you can find when surfing crowded waves. I even thought we might have to enforce a “Foil Etiquette” rule book to avoid a rising number of accidents and brawls. I could not have been more wrong! Our sport has evolved way more than I could imagine, and only for the best. My foil spot today is barely more crowded than it was in 2020, the vibes between us are still just as great and friendly, and it feels like day one of foiling still. How is that even possible?

Foiling has merged into so many other directions that don’t even require waves anymore. Even though the amount of foilers has increased tremendously, the size of our playground has increased way more! From a few surf spots to the entire ocean, lakes and rivers. Thanks to the improvement in gear, talent and creativity of riders, we can now downwind on a SUP foil fairly easily, dock-start and pump on flat water forever, cruise non-stop on a windy day with a wing… or use a motor and battery to go anywhere at any time.

So what is next for our sport? I have absolutely no idea what kind of new variations of foiling are to come, and I’m very excited to see where it goes. My only certainty about the future of foiling is that there is a rapid growth in interest in adding an engine and battery to your foil setup. Although this silhouette shot of me could lead you to believe that I’m riding an electric foil, it is not. No, this is not the newest and thinnest battery technology on the market with a voice activated remote control! Just a good ol’ pump foil. Not gonna lie though, those setups look super freaking fun! Yes, you lose a bit of the simplicity and beauty of riding nature’s elements, but it’s just so much easier! Maybe a little too easy even…

I love to see how electric / assisted foils have allowed people of all skills and ages to enjoy this magical feeling of gliding over water. From allowing older friends with health issues to be able to keep riding, to giving a taste of foiling to my wife, electric foils have a lot to offer and are definitely awesome. My only concern is that it’s a little bit too easy, and I’m a bit worried that we will soon be flooded with assisted foilers in our line-up that have no knowledge of basic surf etiquette, people that don’t understand priority and basic safety precautions. All my encounters with e-foilers have been positive so far, and they always let prone and wingers have priority in the surf.

In my opinion, to keep the vibes good in the water, it would be beneficial to educate people who purchase electric setups by maybe simply adding a clear little pamphlet to the product package, explaining basic “surf etiquette” or in this case, a “foil etiquette” manual. If you google “surf etiquette”, you will find hundreds of clear explanations of basic rules in the water. It would be great to have a similar format for “foil etiquette”… I don’t care how crowded and popular assisted foiling makes our sport become as long as everyone out there is safe, respectful and having fun, there is room for all of us!