Hope this is not photochop

That's pretty wild....I assumed it was photoshopped when i first saw it, but seems it's legit.

Amazing that the foil stays in the water on that steep wall. Longer mast?

I am curious what the takeoff looks like on a wave with this much power. Or maybe tow, get in early?

Sure does up the game on what is doable.

instagram.com/lorenzotahiti has stories of himself (not matahi) pulling into a barrel. Closeout barrel, but you get an idea of what the foil does in that situation.

That's interesting, thanks Hdip. Funny how it looks easy and normal in slo mo. But anyone who actually rides a foil knows how freakishly difficult this actually is. I find it challenging to keep the foil in the water in the pocket in a typical normal shortboardable wave or trying to successfully take off when it's "a little pitchy". This is many levels above that!

its gotta be a super long mast - otherwise I'd expect to see a disturbance where the wingtip is getting close to the face of the wave. I've tried riding steep hollow waves (certainly not even close to in the barrel) and literally cannot make it work. Maybe a low aspect small foil - I haven't been riding one of those in a while

I used to have the same problem on steeper waves ,the tip would come out and it was all over. Since I got my Armstrong 1050 wing it hasn't happened to me again.....yet ,and I'm sure it's because of the smaller overall size/ span. Went for a steep section the other day and the other surfers though I was going for a barrel ( I definitely wasn't ) but I could hear the lip crashing down behind me and I was waiting for the usual " trip" and crash but it didn't happen.Also riding lower on the mast when you get to the steep sections helps ,as long as it's not too shallow.

I read somewhere he was using a 38" mast

I have wiped out in a barrel accidentally a while ago. Total kook move, way too deep, and water drained out in front of me all I got time to do was duck a bit then ejected into the roof of the barrel. It is very unpleasant getting sucked back over knowing there is a carbon axe waiting for you. Have a huge gash in my wettie hip to knee, scratches, and lots of bruising from the encounter. Not doing that again soon, I was so lucky.

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hilly said..
I have wiped out in a barrel accidentally a while ago. Total kook move, way too deep, and water drained out in front of me all I got time to do was duck a bit then ejected into the roof of the barrel. It is very unpleasant getting sucked back over knowing there is a carbon axe waiting for you. Have a huge gash in my wettie hip to knee, scratches, and lots of bruising from the encounter. Not doing that again soon, I was so lucky.

I'm definitely not looking to ride barrels on a foil either, and the only reason I got in that situation was the set up is a relatively easy take off on a rivermouth bar which eventually ends up in a fast sucky shore break that stands up these fast steep hollow walls.It was a little of the old surfer brain mixed with new foil brain that put me in that spot, surfer brain = perfect section just go for it, foil brain = you'll make that easy you're on a foil.
But it was all doable on a 72 mast and small foil, Im just not convinced it's a great idea.

question...why would you not be on a SB in that perfect barrel? Just saying... but yeh my son sent em that pic from his instagram and my first thought was is it photoshopped? If not, oh boy that is something else taken from my very average proning ability on steep waves

Yep , I think a surfboard is much better suited for a barrel and way safer, but you can go much faster on a foil so possible to make sections that you wouldn't on a surfboard, and I guess it's human nature to push the boundaries as far as possible ,so I recon we will be seeing more of it, just not going to be me.

Nice photo. It would be great to see a video of someone in a foil tube. I've heard people have been doing it for the past year but yet to see a video. Someone need to capture this on film.

That instagram story I mentioned above is gone. The guy has the board on the water as he pulled into the tube, then it starts to come up on foil as the lip pitches over him. It closes out and he's getting mast high and about to breech as he get's flipped over the falls.

The matahi one where he's lying on the board prone, people say he came out of that one.

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eppo said..
question...why would you not be on a SB in that perfect barrel? Just saying... but yeh my son sent em that pic from his instagram and my first thought was is it photoshopped? If not, oh boy that is something else taken from my very average proning ability on steep waves

This is marketing, buzzing, etc...

I'd definetly rather see hight performance foiling on tiny wave, like this video :

www.instagram.com/p/CEv2upLgM7z/

There was a clip on Insta (can't find it now) of Matahi pulling into a closeout barrel the same day that pic was taken.
I can't get my head around trying that - he didn't bail....just tried to ride it out.
Check the link below, old mate got his wing in the barrel...
www.instagram.com/p/CHD5Yewo5ad/?igshid=1gj6iixcuion5

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frenchfoiler said..

This is marketing, buzzing, etc...

I'd definetly rather see hight performance foiling on tiny wave, like this video :

www.instagram.com/p/CEv2upLgM7z/

I agree. It doesn't even have to be super high performance. I'm happy if it has a top gun soundtrack.

www.instagram.com/p/CHCZVAJDBnk/

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eppo said..
question...why would you not be on a SB in that perfect barrel? ...

Two reasons. Any surfer at that level can ride a barrel on a short board. It's good but it's not unique.

With any new device or tool you get people going "I wonder what would happen if I tried this?" That's how you get progress.

Imagine all the crew in the late 60's saying, why do you want a board that short? You can't hang your toes. You can't walk up and down. You'll get hit in the head by the wave if you don't duck. Oh, look, he ducked.

Wish we had these conditions

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Gorgo said..

eppo said..
question...why would you not be on a SB in that perfect barrel? ...

Two reasons. Any surfer at that level can ride a barrel on a short board. It's good but it's not unique.

With any new device or tool you get people going "I wonder what would happen if I tried this?" That's how you get progress.

Imagine all the crew in the late 60's saying, why do you want a board that short? You can't hang your toes. You can't walk up and down. You'll get hit in the head by the wave if you don't duck. Oh, look, he ducked.

Agree, except in this case it is a lot more marketing than evolution, IMO

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frenchfoiler said.. except in this case it is a lot more marketing than evolution, IMO

Oh really
Looks like fun though

Barrel sequence www.instagram.com/p/CHHKY6RDSoR/?igshid=87fles4u8bcp

And the video. Is it a make?

www.instagram.com/p/CHL12krDYjQ/?igshid=wfz8l53grpyt

It's enough to claim , interesting he survives barrel section which l thought would be the most difficult , but appears to get too much speed/ lift on the exit. Awesome vid, like to see at normal playback speed to see how quick and sketchy it would have been.

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kobo said..
It's enough to claim , interesting he survives barrel section which l thought would be the most difficult , but appears to get too much speed/ lift on the exit. Awesome vid, like to see at normal playback speed to see how quick and sketchy it would have been.

Photo at top from that wave I would guess. Amazing riding

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eppo said..
question...why would you not be on a SB in that perfect barrel? Just saying... but yeh my son sent em that pic from his instagram and my first thought was is it photoshopped? If not, oh boy that is something else taken from my very average proning ability on steep waves

I would guess because he is a pro surfer in Tahiti who gets barrels like that a dime a dozen.

For most of us that would be dream conditions but for him it's probably just a smallish day at chopes, good for a muck around

Here is the video of Matahi on YouTube - More Viewer Friendly.

Note he is wearing a T-Shirt where he had no Shirt at the top. "They" all must be going over and over. Looks like the same board. All tow in I suspect.