Foiling Disciplines Ranked by Date Started

1	Dual Ski Foiling	Early 1960s - Early waterski hydrofoils are documented back to the 1960s, with Walter Woodward being commonly credited in foiling history timelines for a commercial product. The earliest working device may be the Wasserlaufer in 1953 by Julius Schuck.
2	Sitdown Foiling	1984-1990 - First sit down hydrofoil by Mike Murphy appears around 1984 with Air Chair sold commercially by 1990.
3	Freestyle Foiling	Late 1990s - Trick focused foiling emerges with flips and aerials on sitdown foils becoming common in the late 1990s. Freestyle riding now applies to many disciplines.
4	Kite Foiling	1999-2004 - Early kite hydrofoil development begins around 1999 to 2000 with early commercial availability by about 2004.
5	Prone Foiling	Late 1990s to early 2000s - Surf foil experimentation grows in the late 1990s and early 2000s with wider visibility by 2003.
6	Tow-In Foiling	Early 2000s - Jet ski tow-in becomes a practical way to access foil waves and swells during the early surf foil era.
7	Big Wave Foiling	Early to mid 2000s - Big wave use develops alongside tow-in as foil control and equipment mature.
8	The Aquaskipper	Early 2000s around 2003 - Aquaskipper style human powered hydrofoils gain visibility in the early 2000s. Similar contraptions came out shortly before (the Trampofoil) and soon after (the Pumpabike).
9	Windsurf Foiling	Mid 2000s - Early designs date to 1979, but windsurf foiling becomes a recognized competitive variation around 2016.
10	Boat Wake Foiling	Mid 2000s - Wake foil riding is clearly documented in mainstream media by 2017 as a distinct boat-based foil style.
11	Vintage Standup Foiling	Around 2004-2006 - Standup towed foiling develops on convertible Sky Ski style setups and custom standup builds, overlapping with early big wave foil experimentation.
12	SUP Foiling	Late 2000s to early 2010s - SUP foiling emerges from surf foil experimentation and stand-up paddle surfing, with broader adoption around 2009 to 2013.
13	Downwind Foiling	2016 - Modern downwind foil riding expands around 2016 with notable visibility and rapid adoption.
14	Cable Park Foiling	Mid to late 2010s - Cable park foiling appears as riders adapt foil boards to overhead cable systems, with broader foil-specific park use and visibility around 2016 to 2019.
15	eFoiling	2018 - Modern commercial efoils reach the market in 2018 while the core patented design traces back to 2013 filings.
16	Dockstarting	2018-2019 - Dockstart pump foiling becomes widely named and taught online around 2018 to 2019.
17	Beachstarting	2018-2020 - Beachstart terminology appears by 2018 and becomes more standardized with guides by about 2020.
18	Wing Foiling	2019 - Modern wing foiling takes off around 2019 as commercial wings and widespread usage surge.
19	Tow Boogie Foiling	2020 - Tow boogie builds and community discussion become visible around 2020 as DIY concepts spread.
20	River Foiling	Early 2020s - River standing wave foiling grows with clear public visibility by 2023 and earlier adoption likely in the early 2020s.
21	Assist Foiling	2021 - Foil assist becomes a distinct category around 2021 driven by commercial systems like Foil Drive.
22	Scootpump Foiling	Early 2020s - Scootpump style pump foiling becomes clearly documented and named by 2024 with earlier videos and adoption in the early 2020s.
23	The Proxyfoil	2022 - Proxyfoil appears as a named commercial system by about 2022.
24	Freefoiling	2023 - Freefoil style pump foiling is popularized as a distinct product driven category around 2023.
25	Parawing Foiling	2024 - Parawing foiling emerges as a distinct category in 2024 with rapid experimentation and new gear.

Other Rankings

See these foiling disciplines ranked using other criteria. Compare what's cheapest to get into, what started first, what's hardest to learn, and more.

What Criteria Determines Rankings?

Foiling history is tricky: it's part documented fact, part scattered forum posts, part "someone remembers a guy who knew a guy," and part institutional knowledge living in the originators' heads and not always on the Internet. These dates are best estimates based on research and interpretation, and they sometimes reflect when a discipline became more widely recognized as its own thing, not necessarily the first time anyone ever experimented with it.

Otherwise, we'd have to catalog every historical science project, including Mike Murphy's attempts at a kneeboard hydrofoil, which our knees thank him for not unleashing on the world because we probably would have tried it. We're not covering every one-off experiment; we're building a pretty good timeline of how the taxonomy of foiling board sports unfolded into what we recognize today. If you can help fill in gaps or tighten a date range, drop us a note. Bonus points if you bring sources or old photos.

Got something to say about these rankings? Tell us. We'll give it to Rocco to chew on. He likes insightful feedback and lost information; personal opinions... not so much.