Desert Winds

Foilers Hugh Mitchell, Andrew Readhead, Julian Bradley and Jon Donisi embarked on a 300+ kilometer/five day downwind foil mission along one of Australia’s most remote coastlines. Joined by a shore crew who traveled parallel by land, they surfed, fished, and became the first ever to foil their way up the entire Ningaloo Reef. Videographer and producer Hugh filled us in on what was going on behind the scenes…

Hugh, that’s a great film. How’s it looking for the premiere?

Thanks, Cai! It was an incredible project to work on. The premiere is happening here in Perth, the first screening sold out, and the second is filling up fast. I’m excited (and nervous) to see it on the big screen. We’re also planning screenings across Australia, including the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, and at Foil Fest in Northern NSW. More will be posted to The Foil Project YouTube, would love for you to follow along with the journey!

Tell us about the Ningaloo Reef – it looks wild.

Ningaloo Reef is West Australia’s version of the Great Barrier Reef. I grew up visiting Exmouth on family camping trips – surfing, snorkelling or both, every single day. At certain times of the year, you can swim with whale sharks and see breaching whales from shore. Thankfully, we avoided whale season – so no risk of a whale landing on us while foiling!

 How tricky was it to film while riding?

Filming while foiling is tough, and was certainly another layer of difficulty when we already had so much to consider. We had to frame shots, stay positioned on the bumps, and keep our foil at the right height, all at once. Fortunately, we all foil together almost daily, so we’re used to filming each other. It is so cool that every foiling shot in the film was shot on just GoPro’s. I think it brings the viewer along for the journey with us.

312km is a serious distance. How did you prepare?

Before the trip, my longest single-day foil was 60km, and this trip required multiple consecutive days of 70+ km. It was an intimidating idea. The training involved going foiling together as much as possible, but some were more prepared than others. On one side of the spectrum, Reedie did a 200km solo downwinder before the trip. On the other, Doni was recovering from an intercostal muscle injury as we commenced our journey.

Speaking of Doni, he struggled with his foil choice on day two. What happened?

Recovering from that injury, Doni chose the 860R front wing to make his paddle up easier. He became completely overpowered on the second as the swells built, forcing him to hold a static squat to keep the foil down. His legs started cramping about 30km into the 76km run, making for a long and painful day. That night Doni had to make the tough decision of committing to an 86km foil the next day, or “pulling the pin on the entire mission”. I'll let the reader watch the film to find out his decision!

Wildlife encounters were a big part of the trip. Tell us about that shark moment.

In my opinion, the shark shot is the most dramatic moment in the film. It happened at the craziest moment, during the longest and most intimidating run of the trip. We had been more than 10km offshore for over two hours in the biggest ocean swells I had ever seen. They felt like ocean mountains and made staying together really challenging. As we finally reached shallower waters, Reedie spotted something behind me – a dark shape with a shimmering blue sail. A sailfish! We dunked the GoPro's under the water only to spot a second larger shape swimming under Reedie. The 1.5-2m long grey reef shark checked us out and casually swam off. It was a shame to miss the sailfish, but so glad Reedie managed to nail the shark shot.

Did you ever get the fear while out there on the water?

The Ningaloo Reef has sharks everywhere; I am sure we foiled over hundreds that we didn't see. The sharks around this part of the coast are well-fed, so you usually feel pretty safe out there knowing they have much better things to eat. The creature that really scared me was the saltwater crocodile at Winderabandi Campsite. We never saw it, but knowing it was lurking nearby was nightmare fuel. Sharks don’t bother me, but crocs? That’s another story.

You had a set of rules for the trip. What were the key ones?

Rule #1: Stay together. If you get separated in an ocean like that, there’s no finding each other. We kept the person ahead on our left shoulder and checked over our right for the foiler behind (since we’re all natural footers). Before heading on any trip like this, planning for every possible risk and knowing your crew’s foiling habits have to be rule #2 and #3.

Did you have a backup plan if things went south?

Because there is no cell reception along this coast, I carried a satellite phone, and the crew onshore had a Starlink for internet. We all had Personal Life Beacons (PLBs) and carried a tourniquet, extra food, and water. As Reedie said in the film, we had everything we needed to “make it through a night, not be comfortable but just alive”. If something went wrong, we were looking at a 10-15km paddle to shore, then a long hike. It was a risk we accepted, knowing we had the skills and gear to handle it.

What were your top three essentials for the trip?

Hydration: staying hydrated keeps you thinking clearly. Food: mental clarity drops when you’re hungry. By the end, I was eating much more while riding and felt way sharper. Sun protection: protecting your skin and eyes is crucial. And, of course, life jackets – but that should be a given for any serious downwind run.

Final question – any adverse effects from the frozen chicken sandwiches?

Haha! Great question. Apart from sore teeth from biting into them, they worked a charm. The real problem occurred when I ate one which had been defrosting a little too long… not a story you want printed here.