In three days I am off to the Maldives. I will have my Acid sup for the surf, but I am planning to take my foil to take the opportunity to learn. I am totally new to it - tried it three times. Is that smart?

Pros:

They will tow me around behind the little tender so I can learn
When the line-up is crowded I hope I can play on the shoulder (assuming it doesn't get shallow)
James Casey will be on the trip - hopefully he will have tips

Cons - pretty obvious:

The Maldives would not be the best place to get medical treatment
Even minor injuries could wreck the rest of the surf trip
(It is another board to lug all the way over, with the risk of damage)
I could slice a turtle in two

(I am 56 yo, >90kg, and prefer not to bleed)

The pros sound pretty epic! You could come home with it dialed. Plus it would be a great alternative if/when the surf's marginal. The cons are a "hmm" though. Maybe consider wearing a helmet? Looks kooky, but could be a trip saver. If you have a takuma or takuma clone (like mine), there's enough sharp bits that I feel a lot more comfortable with a neoprene protective layer. I cut the leg of my suit on session #2 ... hate to think what it would have done to bare skin. And if you're in coral spots, maybe some booties. Rounding out the ensemble could be a red clown nose, as you'll be the butt of the jokes in that gear. But then someone in your crew will ask to try it, will jackknife on their first attempt, and then probably come in to borrow your helmet too. ;-)

Thanks guys! The foil and board are packed to go! (And helmet and impact vest.)

I am back from the trip now - bummer... It was a great trip and I will write a report later. But I wanted to comment on James Casey's coaching and my progress.

Because the surf was so good, I did not foil much, but when I did try I managed a couple of glides - it was a small taste but I liked it!

But a couple of days ago, the surf was blown out and James offered to do another session behind the boat for me and at least five other guys (including our surf guide) - in the wind and rain.

Here are a couple of pics.

(Moon Tours are planning to repeat the trip with James and Bert next year, in case you are interested - and I am/was just a paying guest.)

Well, it depends how good you are. James Casey was on our boat and he foiled everywhere. But specifically, he foiled Rip Tides, Mushrooms/Fat Betty's, F1s, inside and outside Mikados. He foiled his sup and the 3.5' prone board. I only tried at inside Mikados. It was tricky with the reef, and the number of supers/surfers around - I was reluctant to run into anyone... Plus there were good surfable waves so I mostly sup/surfed. I was glad to have taken it to get some great coaching and two sessions behind the boat. And I did get up at inside Mikados.