Originally Posted by hobie1616

95% of surfing is paddling.


True, but if you're surfing near shore it's a little different than if you're going out into open water and blasting down swell (downwind) for miles at a time. Paddling back home upwind against the swell and dragging a foil the whole way would be torture (if not impossible). You more or less have to have someone waiting downwind to pick you up and bring you home.

sm