Summer trends

Texans are gliding over lakes and beaches in this summer's coolest watersport trend — eFoiling

It's like a magic carpet ride on the water.

Courtesy Foil Gulf Coast

The trendiest watersport of summer 2023 is taking people to new heights – about two feet above water, to be exact.

EFoiling (also referred to as electric or motorized surfing) lets riders glide or “fly” above the water using a battery-operated surfboard. A real-life magic carpet ride of sorts, the electronic eFoil board (which gives the sport its name) is propelled by a vertical, airplane-like wing underneath that lifts it and its rider above water at varying speeds – as if they're levitating – no waves required.

While the watersport is still fairly new, eFoil operators recently have popped up on lakes across Texas and on beaches all along the Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida.

Allen, Texas native Gavin Rudolph, in fact, launched a second career as an eFoil instructor and owner of Foil Gulf Coast in Orange Beach, Alabama. His business, which opened last September, offers eFoil lessons geared toward tourists looking for unique recreational activity while on vacation.

“It’s great for those that want something more exciting than renting a jet ski, going parasailing, or renting a canoe or kayak,” he says. “I don’t think you can have more fun at the beach in two hours.”

Rudolph, 33, grew up sailing at White Rock Lake, Lake Ray Hubbard, and Lake Texoma, and raced sailboats in college. He discovered eFoiling last summer while running a sailing camp for kids in Atlanta, he says, and he was hooked within 10 minutes (and saw business potential).

One of the watersport's big appeals? Riders can choose their level of adventure.

They can lie on their bellies, kneel, or stand up on the board. Riders control the board speed using a handheld remote. It typically hovers between 8 and 12 miles per hour at a cruising pace, but adventurous riders "fly" at up to 30 miles per hour.

The faster the speed, the more the board will lift above water – if the rider can maintain balance. The challenge is addicting for many who try the sport.

“It was so much fun,” says Rudolph of his inaugural runs. “My competitive side and my watersports side was like, ‘I’m going to figure this out.’”

Not only did Rudolph figure it out, but so did his parents, one generation older.

Barb, 58, and Glenn Rudolph, 60, both longtime residents of Allen, retired from careers as educators and relocated to Orange Beach in 2021. Together they and their son take turns giving eFoiling lessons to those who book sessions online.

Barb and Glenn typically meet students at their house on nearby Arnica Bay, while Gavin - who’s also a middle-school math teacher in New Orleans - will meet new riders all along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama. They offer lessons in the Houston and Beaumont areas too, depending on party size.

Barb says many participants are surprised at how much progress they can make in just one lesson.

“Although eFoiling still requires a level of fitness, flexibility, balance, and athleticism, it is easier on your body than water skiing, knee-boarding, or wakeboarding," she says. "You can go fast and push your limits, take a ride in the Gulf, or stay in the bay cruising around looking for dolphins.”

Most eFoil boards are produced by a Puerto Rico-based company called Lift, which launched the eFoiling concept in 2015. Lift currently has nearly two dozen demo partners in Texas, most of which operate near lakes. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, they're on Lewisville Lake, Eagle Mountain Lake, and Lake Bridgeport.

The boards themselves aren’t cheap, ranging from about $9,000 to $12,000. The steep price to own one makes a $275, two-hour lesson from the Rudolphs (or their $650 “Beach Party Package” for six) seem pretty reasonable.

Gavin Rudolph’s tips for first-timers?

“Take your time and don’t try to rush anything. The board will move at your pace,” he says. “You don’t have to stand up right away. When you’re out there just relax, breathe, enjoy it, take in the scenery. It makes the whole experience a little more calming and a little less work.”

Barb’s suggestions are similar.

“Bring your sense of adventure, positive attitude, desire to learn, and have fun,” she says. “We will teach you the rest.”

Courtesy Lift Foils

It's like a magic carpet ride on the water.

EFoiling lessons Electric surfing Motorized surfing sports-fitness trends vacation

Movie Review

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck square off in Netflix crime thriller The Rip

Photo by Claire Folger/Netflix

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip.

For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.

Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team — which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) — on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their neck.

Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they discover close to $20 million. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.

Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary — an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. — adding to the stress of the situation.

The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.

Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.

Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

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The Rip is now streaming on Netflix.

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