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There’s a new trend towards the easy but Instagrammable in the ultrarich’s world of watersports.

While some of the world’s wealthiest throw their excess cash at things like private jets, superyachts, and Narnia treehouses, others fancy themselves as water-based sportsmen and are splurging on $12 000 toys that make them feel like they’re flying.

Take Mark Zuckerberg, for example, who has been spotted a few times hurtling above the waves. That’s him above with sunscreen piled on so thick that he looks like Georges Méliès’ moon.

Anyway, the incredible gadget that moneyed adrenaline junkies are queuing up to buy is hydrofoils.

The Telegraph reported that Zuckerberg had been spotted riding two kinds of these devices:

…a $12 000 [around R170 000] electric hydrofoil surfboard that will propel a rider across any body of water, and last month a foil surfboard for riding waves.

How do these magical surfboards work, you ask?

They work according to a wing-like foil at the bottom of a mast that passes through the water under a hull or board.

At a certain speed (created by a battery-powered propeller, waves or wind) the foil rises, lifting an America’s Cup yacht – or social media tycoon – out of the water.

What makes these thrill-seeking devices so attractive to the likes of Zuckerberg is that they don’t require much skill or athleticism. Rather, they’re a safe bet, easy to learn, and look extreme on the ‘gram:

“The average Joe is going to die trying the really extreme water sports,” says Alan Hillman at Foiling World, which sells boards, foils and inflatable wings for up to £5 000.

“They’re not going to be surfing Jaws [the famous 18m break in Hawaii] because you need to be extremely experienced and athletic, but if you’ve got loads of money, foils look like a whole lot of fun.”

It does look like fun, and a great deal easier than surfing:

Wing foiling is another hot version of foil sports, which is like windsurfing but without a heavy sail:

Riders, standing on a board with attached foil, hold a lightweight inflatable wing so that it catches the wind, providing the momentum for the board to lift.

Image: kingofwatersports.com

Kitesurfers are also switching to the foil boards, which are speedier and quieter:

“I’ve been sailing all my life and you’re basically pushing water out of the way so it’s noisy and you’re getting covered in spray,” Hillman says.

“When a foil lifts, the world just goes quiet and you’re flying.”

The only challenge for these water enthusiasts, because we know money ain’t one, is that there is a “severe lack of high-end accommodation [as well as private lakes, etc] in areas where they can surf or kite” according to Bella Seel, founder of posh travel agents ALS Sun.

It shouldn’t be too much trouble for them to crop out the average Joes from their Instagram posts, though.

[source:thetelegraph]