How does hydrofoil surfing work!? The answer might be more simple than you think...

How Hydrofoil Surfing Works

Hydrofoil surfing is a new addition to surfing methods. Hydrofoil surfing is distinguished from the other types of surfing based on the ability of the surfboard hydrofoil to lift out of the water and the less friction between the surfboard and the water. In addition to lift, another feature of the hydrofoil significant to its working is the propulsion of the board. The hydrofoil attached to the board base is responsible for the lift. For propulsion, some hydrofoil surfboards are propelled by the action of pumping while others use electric means.
The lift in the hydrofoil board is achieved by the downward turning of the water flow as the hydrofoil passes through it. High-and-low-pressure areas develop around the wing-like hydrofoil as the wing introduces curvature of water flow around it. This leads to the higher average velocity of the water on the top side of the wing and reduces at the bottom of the wing, causing the hydrofoil to achieve lift, thus causing the surfing board to lift out of the water. As the speed of the board increases, the hydrofoils provide lift equal to the weight of the board. Thus, a lighter board achieves more lift than a heavier board.
The propulsion of the hydrofoil surfboard is achieved by pumping for the manual board and by electric action for the electric board. Since there is reduced friction between the board and the water because of the lift, it is manageable for a surfer to pump the board in order to propel it forward. The speed of the propulsion depends on the volume and length of the surfing board. A lighter and smaller board can be propelled faster by the action of pumping than a heavier and bigger board with the same intensity of propulsion. Another consideration is the fitness of the surfer. A physically fit surfer can pump harder and faster, resulting in faster propulsion than a less fit surfer.

Electric foilboards: The future of foilboard surfing

An improved version of the manually-propelled surfboard hydrofoil is the electric hydrofoil surfboard. It is faster than the manual one and achieves a greater lift than the latter. The propulsion is achieved by electric action. The lift is achieved in the same way as the manually-powered surfboard. Since it is faster owing to the high power of propulsion, it achieves a greater lift since lift depends on the board’s speed.
The design of the hydrofoils also determines how the board works. The surface piercing hydrofoil, which partly rises out of the water, is less susceptible to up and down motion during surfing. This is achieved by the V shape it has. It is easier to use as compared to the inverse-T-shaped fully submerged hydrofoil. This is because the T-shaped one requires a better specialization system: various sensors, computers and flaps to keep the system stable. However, the fully submerged type can be used on waves, which is not the case for the surface piercing hydrofoil.
The hydrofoils work by using their winged shape and aerodynamics principle for lift and the electric action or manual-pumping action for propulsion. The ease of use depends on the hydrofoil surfboard's length and volume, the surfer's fitness level, and the hydrofoil's design.