Summer trends

Texans are flying across lakes and beaches in summer's coolest new water sport – eFoiling

It's like a magic carpet ride on the water.

Courtesy Foil Gulf Coast

The trendiest water sport of summer 2023 is taking people to new heights – about two feet above water, to be exact.

EFoiling (also referred to as electric or motorized surfing) lets riders glide or “fly” above the water using a battery-operated surfboard. A real-life magic carpet ride of sorts, the electronic eFoil board (which gives the sport its name) is propelled by a vertical, airplane-like wing underneath that lifts it and its rider above water at varying speeds – as if they're levitating – no waves required.

While the water sport is still fairly new, eFoil operators recently have popped up on lakes across Texas and on beaches all along the Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida. There are at least six opportunities to try it in Austin — and a few great locales to get the whole gang out on the water.

Allen native Gavin Rudolph, in fact, launched a second career as an eFoil instructor and owner of Foil Gulf Coast in Orange Beach, Alabama. His business, which opened last September, offers eFoil lessons geared toward tourists looking for unique recreational activity while on vacation.

“It’s great for those that want something more exciting than renting a jet ski, going parasailing, or renting a canoe or kayak,” he says. “I don’t think you can have more fun at the beach in two hours.”

Rudolph, 33, grew up sailing at White Rock Lake, Lake Ray Hubbard, and Lake Texoma, and raced sailboats in college. He discovered eFoiling last summer while running a sailing camp for kids in Atlanta, he says, and he was hooked within 10 minutes (and saw business potential).

One of the watersport's big appeals? Riders can choose their level of adventure.

They can lie on their bellies, kneel, or stand up on the board. Riders control the board speed using a handheld remote. It typically hovers between 8 and 12 miles per hour at a cruising pace, but adventurous riders "fly" at up to 30 miles per hour.

The faster the speed, the more the board will lift above water – if the rider can maintain balance. The challenge is addicting for many who try the sport.

“It was so much fun,” says Rudolph of his inaugural runs. “My competitive side and my water sports side was like, ‘I’m going to figure this out.’”

Not only did Rudolph figure it out, but so did his parents, one generation older.

Barb, 58, and Glenn Rudolph, 60, both longtime residents of Allen, retired from careers as educators and relocated to Orange Beach in 2021. Together they and their son take turns giving eFoiling lessons to those who book sessions online.

Barb and Glenn typically meet students at their house on nearby Arnica Bay, while Gavin - who’s also a middle-school math teacher in New Orleans - will meet new riders all along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama. They offer lessons in the Houston and Beaumont areas too, depending on party size.

Barb says many participants are surprised at how much progress they can make in just one lesson.

“Although eFoiling still requires a level of fitness, flexibility, balance, and athleticism, it is easier on your body than water skiing, knee-boarding, or wakeboarding," she says. "You can go fast and push your limits, take a ride in the Gulf, or stay in the bay cruising around looking for dolphins.”

Most eFoil boards are produced by a Puerto Rico-based company called Lift, which launched the eFoiling concept in 2015. Lift currently has nearly two dozen demo partners in Texas, most of which operate near lakes. In the Austin metro area, they are along the Colorado River: Horseshoe Bay, Marble Falls, Lake Travis, Westlake Hills, and Riverside.

The boards themselves aren’t cheap, ranging from about $9,000 to $12,000. The steep price to own one makes a $275, two-hour lesson from the Rudolphs (or their $650 “Beach Party Package” for six) seem pretty reasonable.

Gavin Rudolph’s tips for first-timers?

“Take your time and don’t try to rush anything. The board will move at your pace,” he says. “You don’t have to stand up right away. When you’re out there just relax, breathe, enjoy it, take in the scenery. It makes the whole experience a little more calming and a little less work.”

Barb’s suggestions are similar.

“Bring your sense of adventure, positive attitude, desire to learn, and have fun,” she says. “We will teach you the rest.”

Courtesy Lift Foils

It's like a magic carpet ride on the water.

EFoiling lessons Electric surfing Motorized surfing sports-fitness trends vacation

Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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