Chapter 10: Foil Camp in Fiji - Part 1

Last October, my foil buddy took a video of me that changed my life. The video itself was nothing special (other than showing me how much of a kook I looked like), but it set forward a series of events that I never expected.

I found it so helpful to see what I looked like while turning my foil, pumping, etc., that I became hungry for more video to help me speed up my progression. I created this post on the Progression Project forum and just a few hours later someone named Kurtis recommended a Mister Bennetts Foil Camp coming up on some island in Fiji that I had never heard of at the time - Namotu.

Fast forward a few more hours and I am talking back and forth with Adam himself - and it just so happens there was ONE more spot available because someone dropped out. Holy shit. Without telling my wife, I said YES, booked a flight, sent the deposit, and started researching.

This all happened on October 25, less than 3 weeks before the trip. I couldn't believe it.

Thank you Kurtis from the forums!

Fast forward again to the start of the trip and I am on a bus with some of the best professional foilers and videographers in the world en route to one of the most incredible places to foil on our planet. I could not believe I was able to snag a spot on this trip last minute. And man was Fiji beautiful!

Now the funny thing is I did not read the trip details closely. I literally brought all my stuff for prone foiling as I had never towed before in my life. I get to the Island and realize every single person brought a small tow board and had tow experience except me.

Oops.

Freaked out with how unprepared I was, I pulled Adam aside at the first lunch and let him know - no worries he said. Adam and Jeremy Wilmotte took me out on a private practice tow session shortly after lunch, found a smaller board to borrow, and got me dialed. Next thing I know, I'm towing with Adam who is coaching and filming me from a jet ski - all while being filmed by Ben Taylor, one of the best videographers in the surf/foil world.

Day 1 - 2024 - Full on Tow Foil Kook

I'm not going to lie. The first couple days were rough. I went into the trip with a knee issue that happened a couple weeks before and I felt like I was using more energy getting up towing than using on foil - which basically meant I was gassed by the time I was even pulled into a wave and I felt like I just wasn't foiling my best. I also quickly realized how my home break being a right point is like having training wheels. Fiji is amazing but many of the spots require you to 'connect the dots' between swell lines to get the best ride. I was out of my element, intimidated by the talent around me, and trying to figure out how to adjust.

And then the magic of coaching happened. Every day we had a foil review. Think of the most beautiful 4K footage you've ever seen. Now put yourself foiling in it. And Adam B. standing in front of the TV telling you exactly what you are doing wrong. Yup, that's about it. We did this every single day. And wow - does coaching help.

Being my first ever camp, there were so many things I was doing wrong but I left the week focusing on a few of my worst issues: 1) Riding too high on mast (and breaching constantly), 2) Pumping in the flats in front of the wave, 3) Not using my arms to initiate turns, and 4) Using a board that was terrible for towing. Difficult to sink and stuck to the water causing abrupt launches vs. smooth starts.

Overall, the week was beyond insane - I felt like I was living in a movie and left more motivated to improve than ever. Prior to the trip, I almost felt like I was on auto-pilot, losing the motivation to progress and being ok with my current level. During the trip, I was exposed to more talent than I could previously imagine. And seeing it first hand on the same waves you are riding is totally different than watching on YouTube at home.

Upon coming home, my wife saw how stoked I was and encouraged me to sign up for next year. Selfishly, I didn't write a review or big post about the trip last year because I was afraid it would become too popular and difficult to get a spot in the future. But luckily those legends give past guests first priority to come back so here I am finally writing about it.

In summary, going on this trip changed my entire world - how I look at waves, how I want to foil, and how much harder I want to push my progression. And to my surprise - towing wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Just like anything else it's all about time on water and having the right gear.

Which reminds me - if you plan to go on your first tow foil trip, make sure you get a good board for sink starts. If you are sharing a jet ski with other people and constantly need to wake start or are struggling to get up quickly, you are negatively impacting everyone else in your group. Get a board, become familiar with it, and practice sinking it as often as you can. I just got back from my second Namotu trip and probably got 3x more waves this year simply because I practiced my sink starts beforehand.

And if you need help picking a board, I suggest something in the 20-30L range that you can still prone paddle in a pinch. Here's my guide to picking the right tow board:

Part 2 coming soon!