It takes a lot to get Zeke Lau out of his comfort zone. The Honolulu power surfer is as comfortable in maxing Pipeline as he is in competition-day garbage conditions. However, his latest YouTube video takes him on a downwind foil mission that very much tested his comfort levels. In fact, he says it almost killed him.
“The wind has been absolutely nuking the last few days, which makes for some pretty sick foil runs,” says Lau in the beginning of the video, as he gets ready in the early morning darkness. The session eventually takes him to Alan Davis Beach with Jack Ho (no relation to Mason and Coco). Under the tutelage of the young waterman, Lau found himself in pretty gnarly conditions that had him uncharacteristically shook.
“I’m not going to lie. I don’t know how much fun I had out there. That was just survival,” said Lau after the first half of the session. Windy, choppy conditions had him fighting for his life, and the massive hatchet attached to the bottom of his board didn’t help any. At one point, he describes finding himself underwater with the foil coming straight for him.
After the harrowing experience, Lau and company went over to Kaiko’o for a session aimed more at fun than survival. Once there, the foam and chop was replaced with a glassy azure expanse. There, they got to finally experience the effortless gliding that keeps foil aficionados coming back for more.
“That was epic,” said Lau afterwards. “That was way more fun than our first go-around. Just way more forgiving, easier to takeoff. Got to take off on my first try, this time.”
