Brady Hurley discusses his joy of dock starting at Dana Point and gives you some points to get you started

On the rare occasion that California’s waves aren’t big enough for foiling, Brady Hurley heads  down to Dana Point to dock start. Foiling is perhaps the most versatile watersport going and the  photos here are evidence of that. Jack Galloway sits down with Brady to uncover more on this  session.

Hey Brady, thanks for joining us. This looked like a fun little session, is it a spot you use a lot? 

Hey, thanks for having me! This is pretty much the only dock start spot near me, but it’s a pretty  nice little spot. 

I’ve been dock starting myself for over a year now and am a big fan of this discipline when  there’s no wind or waves. How does it fit into foiling for you? 

For me, dock starting is kinda the last resort when it comes to ocean/water activities because there is  always something to do. If there’s no wind or waves to foil or nothing to surf, then there’s a chance  that I’ll end up dock starting. 

What do you think is the longest you’ve pumped off a dock start? Do you think the skill &  fitness gains translate well into prone foiling? 

I’ve never really pushed myself into seeing how long I could flat water pump for. I think the longest  that I’ve pumped off of a dock start was around 10 minutes, but that was after about an hour's worth  of 5-minute rides. It definitely helps keep my skill and legs in shape for when good waves show up. 

Woah, that's ages! That West Coast Foil Club board looks ace. What are the dimensions and how do you find it? 

The WCFC JATO is money for dockstarting. The board is 3’10” x 18” x 16.25L and is 1.75” thick.  It can be found at freedomfoilboards.com. 

What size foils do you use for dock starting? 

For dock starting, I use either the 120 or 170 by Lift, along with the 28” mast.

Have you ventured into wake-thieving at all? 

I haven’t got the chase to steal some wakes yet but for sure something that I’m interested in!

Can you give a few short pointers on how to dock start for our readers? 

1. Equipment: Make sure you are riding a larger/stable foil that glides well (I use the lift 120 or  170). If you are not using a regular prone board, any smaller board will work (my go-to board is the  WCFC JATO). 

2. Finding the right dock: While learning to dock start, the more run-up space there is, the easier it  will be. 

3. Positioning and Grip: I would recommend holding the board with an offset grip, as it makes it  easier while stepping onto the board. Position the foil just so it is barely in the water to maximise  glide. 

4. The takeoff: Run-Step-Pump. 5-7 steps of running space before stepping onto the board are ideal  while learning. The foil should be moving at a solid speed before stepping onto the board. As your  feet hit the board, you want to go straight into a pump, all in one motion. After a couple of attempts,  you should be up and flying! 

You make it sound so easy! Thanks for the advice, Brady.  

To finish, Aaron Grace of Liquid Force fills us in on his experience of the day: 

The goal for the day was to get out in the open ocean for some down wind action and tow and prone  surf shots. Unfortunately, we were dealing with some iffy weather conditions and we had  complications with our PWC’s.   We had some down time to wait for the weather to change and to  get the ski’s working so we decided to do some dock starts.   It’s a great discipline to have in your  back pocket when the conditions aren’t right for other types of foiling. We ventured over to the  Dana Point Harbour Pier, Garrett got his camera gear set up and we were able to knock out some  pretty rad images of Brady dock starting. At one point we even had a small crowd of onlookers  gathered around to see what we were up to and ask questions like “does that thing have a motor on  it”?   Even with broken ski’s and weather issues, we were able to make the most of the day and  score some rad photos because of the dock start discipline.   It’s a great way to foil when there  aren’t any other options. 

By Jack Galloway

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