A thrill-seeking surfer attacked a 50-foot wave on a flying surfboard in Portugal. The Flite board efoil was put to the test in Nazaré’s extreme environment with enormous waves. A British surfer was recorded tackling’ vertical’ 50-foot waves on a ‘flying’ surfboard in Portugal. Tom Court, a professional kitesurfer from the Isle of Wight, is shown surfing an efoil over the waves off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, in video footage. An efoil (board with a hydrofoil and an electric motor that powers forward motion, allowing the rider to fly over the water like a flying carpet) is a deck with a hydrofoil and an electric engine that powers forward propulsion, allowing the rider to soar over the water like a magic carpet.
Hydrofoils are wing-like edges beneath the board which sliced through the water as it accelerates, causing an upswing, comparable to aerofoils used on airplanes. An efoil, unlike a traditional surfboard, allows riders to ‘hover’ above the water even since there is no breeze or ripples and the sea is placid. Tom Court rides a Fliteboard, an efoil manufactured by Australian manufacturer Flite that can achieve speeds of 25 miles per hour, in the clip, which was shot earlier this year. The position and velocity of the board are managed by a portable Bluetooth controller, as well as the rider’s body composition. They chose a day for the surf because there was no wind, bright skies, and walls of water up to 50 feet (15 meters) high.
‘I must say, I’m really buzzing after that experience,’ Court commented as he stepped back onto shore. ‘It was pretty challenging out there, particularly because I wasn’t used to such high waves.’ I’ve ridden a Fliteboard before, but never in those settings, so it was a challenge, but I’m thrilled after that final session.’ Riding up the picture of a large wave, almost like surfing upwards, was a really unusual experience,’ according to Court, but ‘the board was extremely remarkable.’ Glyn Ovens from Wales, who currently camps himself at Nazaré during the winter, partnered Court, an efoil race veteran.
