Scorch woke up in the morning with a fresh goal. She wanted to go surfing. She checked the conditions on her mobile phone. It was a warm and sunny day with no harsh winds. It was a perfect day.
“Wake up, wake up,” Scorch shook Orak, Verum, and Felix awake, “it’s a beautiful morning.”
Scorch wanted to go surfing.
“Now?” Felix replied, rubbing his eyes.
“Yes, and on the way to the beach, I will tell you about new technologies in the world of surfing,” Scorch said.
The Mysticals were always excited to learn something new every day. They immediately freshened up and got ready. With surfboards in their hands and a little sleep in their eyes, they made their way to the beach.
“Do you know there are 35 million surfers in the world?” Scorch said and explained, “A surfer is a person who stands on a special board and rides on sea waves. The special board is called a surfboard.”
“A huge number,” Orak said.
“Yes, and that is why people are coming up with innovative ways to surf,” Scorch said.
“There’s a new surfboard called hydrofoil surfboard. It is also known as foilboard. It’s a surfboard that has a long rod and two underwater wings. It stands 3 feet above the sea waves. When there’s enough speed and momentum in the sea, the wings are pushed through the water. It lifts the surfboard and the surfer in the air!” Scorch said.
“Hydrofoil technology has existed for more than a century now. It became popular in surfing in the 2000s. Inventor Alex Aguera from Hawaii, United States is credited with creating a modern foilboard in 2016,” Scorch added.
“Sounds exciting,” Verum replied.
“I know, right?” Scorch said, “It is made of carbon fiber. It is a strong and lightweight material.”
“Many foilboards also have electric-powered propellers (a device with fast-moving blades),” Scorch added, “The propellers give the foilboard extra power. So, people can surf even when there are no waves. It means people can surf anywhere, flat seas, lakes, rivers. The electric-powered hydrofoil surfboards or ‘efoils’ were first released by the company Lift Hydrofoils. It is a Peurto Rican company.”
“What else have the humans come up with?” Felix was eager to find out.
“An Australian company, Surf Lakes, is planning to create an artificial pool. It will have a steel pump which will be powered by electricity. The pump will create waves up to 8-feet-high in the pool!” Scorch said.
“Wow, technology is awesome!” Verum said.
In the meantime, the four Mysticals had reached the beach. As soon as they felt sand under their feet, they ran towards the waves!