The Devoted: JOHN LEWIS

A recently released film from Fliteboard followed 76-year-old Australian and devoted eFoiler, John Lewis, as he recounted how he got into eFoiling and why it’s become his number one favorite thing to do, pretty much every single day. It certainly warmed our cockles, so we got in touch with John to get a little background to the film…

Photos: Beau Pilgrim

Hi John. We loved the film. Where was it filmed and how was your experience in making it?

Thank you! It was filmed at Ettalong and Umina Beach on the Central Coast, New South Wales. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this short film for Fliteboard. Having no experience with media or adver-tising in the past, I found the idea quite daunting, however the filming itself was a blast. It was so much fun being encouraged to tell my story and to be filmed “living the life of John”.

What was it like working with Beau?

Beau's eye for detail and patient directions helped make it a wonderful experience I will never forget. Beau is incredibly talented, he made me feel comfortable and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. I was especially impressed with Beau’s skills when he was filming from another Flite-board using his cinema camera while following me around!

How was the surf scene around you back in the 60s? Do you see any comparisons in the foil scene of today?

I was lucky to experience the ever-evolving changes in surfboard de-sign, some quite radical. From a simple invention of “the leg rope”, to boards getting shorter with twin, thruster and quad fins, boards getting lighter and with the use of composite materials making them faster and more maneuverable, SUP boards also shared similar devel-opment and popularity. The foiling industry is similarly embracing the rapidly evolving tech-nology and industrial design, and now especially with eFoils, notably Fliteboard. Fliteboard has taken the hard work of paddling out of the equation, thus allowing a wider variety of people who used to surf, SUP or simply people without a surfing background, jump on a board and be foiling in far less time than it took to learn to surf back in the day!

So that first time getting on a Fliteboard… tell us about that moment.

My first introduction to eFoiling was my children giving me a gift certificate for an eFoil experience with Ash Wilmot at Propel Flights Gosford, in March 2023. Man, what a day… by the end of the lesson I was eFoiling, however I spent a lot of time swimming, laughing and absorbing instructions from Ash. I booked another session the following week and two more sessions after that. I was hooked! The feeling of levi-tation and the effortless speed and humming of the motor through the water had a wonderful calming effect on me.

Then how long was it before you then purchased your own board and what did you go for?

I was certainly hooked, however it took a few months of procrastination to decide which board to buy. I was unsure which board to go for until Ash took me out on a Flite Car-bon PRO board in the ocean. With a lot of patience on his part he got me foiling in the waves. That was it, I placed an order with him for a Flite Carbon PRO board with Sports battery, Cruiser Jet 1500 wing and 290 stab. My children even tipped in some cash and made it the best Father’s Day present ever! I've since tried other wings and now eFoil with a Flow 900 wing and 290 stab and a Folding Prop for medi-um to large surf and Flow 1100 wing for calmer days.

Give us a sense of what a standard session looks like for you…

Now that I've retired from work, a typical day for me starts with a coffee, then analyzing the weather and surf for the day. Unless it's a complete disaster, I go foiling every day, sometimes twice a day. From my first session on my board to now, I've traveled 3250km and 270hrs on the water, so to suggest I'm addicted to Fliteboarding is an understatement! My favorite surf break is “The Box”, only five minutes from where I live and on a good day up to 1.5km rides can be en-joyed on a Fliteboard.

You talk about being on a Fliteboard as a type of “moving meditation”. Do you see eFoiling as overall a positive con-tributor to your mental health? And if so, why?

Catching waves is my thing, so to be elevated above the wa-ter and able to carve across the face of the wave over and over again for up to an hour – on a Sports battery – and with endorphins and adrenaline pumping through your body is simply euphoric. In direct contrast to wave riding is flat water foiling, where you can explore waterways like lakes and bays, flying above the water, absorbing anything that comes to mind and allowing your body to relax and just be in the present, to me it's like a moving meditation. To combine both wave and flat water eFoiling I believe is an overall posi-tive contributor to my mental and physical health. Does your family like to borrow the board from time to time too?! After purchasing the Fliteboard, my son followed my en-thusiasm and also bought a board for himself. We now take turns visiting each other interstate and foiling together. I'm thinking my daughter will join us this summer, to me it's another level of connection with your family that can be achieved regardless of age.

Speaking of age, to anyone who’s watched the film and is perhaps considering getting out an eFoil, even if they’re a little older than the majority of riders, what advice would you give them?

If somebody told me I'd be doing all this 65 years ago, I would have said they are dreaming. So if anyone thinks they have reached their “used by date” just think again. Fliteboard in particular are constantly evolving their products to make it easier to ride and afford. So I say just try it, you will love it.

Finally – are you still attracting lovely girlfriends?!

After each foil session I complete, I do attract numerous questions from people, including many attractive women, however one lovely girlfriend is enough for me…