Calls for more regulation as motorised hydrofoils create a splash at beaches
For many the ocean is a place of escape where thrills come without the bleeps, pings, engines, doom-messaging and the cacophony of the information age.
Its raw nature is a bastion of peace for the likes of swimmers, surfers, kayakers and wind surfers, who in more recent times have been joined in the water by foil boarders (who ride surfboards attached to a hydrofoil).
But the emergence of motorised foil boards and electric surfboards is creating angst, especially when they are ridden in close proximity to swimmers or surfers at places such as Middleton, south of Adelaide.
"All foils are fast, the electric ones especially so," local surfer Simon said.
"The thought of being cleaned up by one is pretty bloody unsettling and it's very hard to relax when they're around, which is the whole point of being in nature and going for a surf, without power assistance."
He added that foilers did not need a curling, breaking wave with good shape as surfers did, and instead rode unbroken waves, so there was "no reason for them to be anywhere near us".
"There are so many places they could do it — Basham Beach [next to Middleton Bay] is a perfect example," Simon said.
"But for some utterly unfathomable reason they need to come tearing around the line-up among surfers [and] it's only a matter of time before someone gets badly injured."
Teaching good etiquette
Caitlyn Francis is the brand manager for Adelaide company, Foil Drive, and said the majority of users did the right thing.
Loading...She said that often when a foiler (motored or not) and a surfer were spotted together, they had quite often "spoken and were existing together peacefully and respectfully together".
"We have an etiquette page and series dedicated to 'educate, respect, communicate', where we encourage riders to set an example both in and out of the water," Ms Francis said.
"We can only advise so much, but there will always be a very small handful who don't follow the rules.
"Our other etiquette campaign focuses on 'crowd's suck', aimed at educating motorised craft that the benefit of the motor means you don't need to be in a line-up — more waves for everyone, a win-win."
Governed by motorboat laws
Under South Australian government regulations, motorised hydrofoils and surfboards are classified with jetskis as Personal Water Craft (PWC) and are governed by the same rules as motorboats.
"All vessels, including PWC, are restricted to travel at 4 knots when they are within 50 metres of a swimmer, surfer, kayaker or a similar small unpowered recreational vessel," a government spokesperson said.
He said users must be at least 16 years old, wear a life jacket, hold a boat operator's licence, and be using a vessel registered for use in SA.
"Under current regulations, a craft can only be operated between 8am and 8pm (or until sunset) Monday to Saturday," the spokesperson said.
"In the River Murray they are only permitted for use between sunrise and sunset."
Regulations on the way
The spokesperson said that earlier this year the government released its South Australian Recreational Boating Safety Strategy 2025-2030 "to help combat irresponsible and dangerous behaviour across the state's coastal and inland waters".
He said as part of that strategy, the government was also "looking at introducing zones for unpowered watercraft and swimming, restricting access for powered vessels such as PWC".
The spokesperson said draft legislative changes would introduce a 4-knot speed limit for all vessels within 200 metres of the SA coastline, and restrictions on "irregular riding for jetski riders and other PWC near homes and moored vessels".
Wing foiling is another emerging sport in which riders operate well away from swimmers. (Supplied: Bengt Oberger via Wikimedia commons)
Ms Francis said regulations were not a bad thing, but they needed to make sense to work "effectively and efficiently for everyone".
She said foils were not able to reach "anywhere near the top speed of a traditional PWC" and it did not make sense "nor reflect the reality of the sport" to put them in the same category as a jetski.
"We are in a unique period of the sport right now, much the same as when jetskis came into existence — they weren't a boat — where everyone is trying to work out where they fit and what makes sense," Ms Francis said.
Calls for minimum distances
For Simon, it was not about stopping new technologies from entering the sea, but safety for all water users.
"My concern is that the level of skill of a foil rider is highly variable. Some guys are great at it. Others are a huge danger,"he said.
"The answer is either designated zones or a minimum exclusion distance of 200 metres away from a pack of surfers."
An SA Police spokesperson said all water users were encouraged to operate their craft, whether motorised or not, "in a safe manner and be respectful of other people in the water".
He said any dangerous incidents involving watercraft in the ocean or river should be reported to the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.
"Witnesses should note registration numbers of watercraft like jetskis, clothing worn by the person involved and vehicles they may return to once they are on shore to assist with any investigation," the spokesperson said.