For the people of Hout Bay, marine-based businesses are as much a part of life as breathing. On any given day in this Cape Town coastal suburb you'll find fishermen, kayakers, suppers,, surfers and much more. It's safe to say they've seen all there is when it comes to the elaborate world of watersports.
"The foil system itself is the exact same as an airplane. The wing is the same as an airplane and the engine is the same as an airplane. Because water is 800 times denser than air, you need a lot smaller wing and a lot smaller engine. That is the mechanism at the bottom that you're flying on the foil itself. And then the foilers just attach onto the top of it. And then the wing and the engine propel you forward. And as you get out, that's how you fly.
"It's the same battery technology as your little iPhone batteries inside, except a huge one," says Nel.Since commercialisation in 2018, efoils have become extremely popular swooping adrenalin junkies out of the water in some of the best-known surfing destinations in the world from Australia to the Mediterranean and the Americas.Importing your own efoil can cost in the range of R265,000 excluding import and shipping duties, and tax.