Surfin' USA
Travel+Leisure US|July 2023
The new watersports craze of hydrofoil surfing will have you riding perfect waves like a pro-no ocean required.
Jen Murphy
Surfin' USA

FROM MY PERCH on the front of the powerboat, I gazed out at an expanse of turquoise water. Neon-hued kites were sprinkled throughout the sky, and sails dotted the horizon. The scene could almost pass for the Caribbean-if it weren't for the John Deere tractors parked along the powdery shore.

I was on a surf mission in the most unlikely of places: Nebraska. I grew up by the ocean and have surfed since I was a teen. But now, living in landlocked Colorado, I have to get my water fix by surfing in the wake of boats on lakes. Friends were raving about a fast-growing activity called hydrofoil surfing, which involves a surfboard attached to a winglike structure called a hydrofoil. The foil dips below the water to create lift, and your board floats one to two feet above the surface, moving with the waves.

This story is from the July 2023 edition of Travel+Leisure US.

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This story is from the July 2023 edition of Travel+Leisure US.

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