The Progression Project

Today I’m joined by one of my favorite guests, waterman and innovator Dave Kalama. We dive into the story behind his new foil board, the Gator, and how it’s changing the game for efficiency and feel. Dave shares his experimental design process, from scale models to real-world testing, and we explore the crossover between creativity, discipline, and performance. We talk racing, the mental side of progression, and even how a little caffeine can give you an edge — all with Dave’s signature wisdom and stoke.

Andrew Gibbons (@long.armed.ape) is one of the top minds and riders in the downwind foiling scene. We talk about the emotional highs and lows of race season, his recent move to Maui, and his new role as an R&D designer at Naish. Andrew opens up about navigating the transition from full-time athlete to industry insider, the tension between performance and flow, and how foiling continues to evolve as both sport and art form. If you’re into design, racing, or just living an unconventional path, this one’s full of wisdom and inspiration. Let’s get into it.

Jack Ho (@jackfromtown) is a professional foil surfer based in Hawaii and one of the first true professional foilers traveling the world and documenting his adventures with F-One. Jack rips on everything—foils, shortboards, longboards, alai’a—if it rides waves, Jack sends it. His YouTube channel is a personal favorite. In this podcast, Jack shares what it’s really like to be a professional waterman, comparing the day-to-day reality to the dream.

Christian Park (@c_foils) is a foiler based in Hawaii. He's had an insane journey in the last 2 years, and foiling might have saved his life in a roundabout way. This is a crazy story of inspiration and hope. Make sure you listen to the end to hear his song, Beautiful Human. It's amazing.

Mike Pedigo is now officially on the UniFoil team and is heading up sales for Uni. He comes back on the show to discuss what he's learned from talking to all the retailers, what feels he's been chasing, his recent van build and van life, and much more. Always great to have Mike in the studio.

Josh Ku's back on the show! Since his last appearance Josh has fully committed to foiling as a profession, taking jobs with both Foil Drive and Code. With his new position he's been traveling the world and has seen the growth of foiling and all its disciplines.

Simeon and Kahi from the Voyager Foil Camps (@voyager_foiler) come back on the show after a year of running camps to share what they've learned from coaching downwind.

Zane Westwood (@zane_westwood) comes back on the show to recap his last year, the Foil Fest event that he's running, how his downwind boards have evolved, and other foil awesomeness.

Dave Galvin (@daveinflux) is a passionate waterman, foil frother, and competitive downwind foil racer. He began his career as a UCI professional cyclist, racing for BMC Racing Team in the U.S. and Europe, and also worked as a mountain guide. Currently, he is a partner at Three Fish Capital, which he co-founded in 2014 to invest in early to growth-stage technology companies. He was previously CEO of UniqueSoft and UncommonX and held multiple roles at IBM focused on M&A, venture investing, and AI strategy. Dave holds an MBA from Kellogg and a dual degrees in Physics and Economics from the University of Virginia. He lives, landlocked, outside Charlottesville, VA with his wife and three children, and spends most of his time dreaming about downwinding...and some time actually downwinding.

Balz Muller (@radiculo) might be the most progressive foiler on the planet. He's also the most stoked and it's infectious. In this episode Balz talks about his new love of the parawing, the rapid progression in wing foiling, how he sees his role in the foiling world and tons more. Enjoy!