The Need for Speed: 81.4 km/h on the AXIS Tempo

This interview first appeared in Foiling Magazine issue 29 (August 2026) in the magazine's Eyewitness series. Republished with the magazine's kind permission.

Matt Davies is best known for his big wave exploits. In fact, regular readers will note that Matt featured in our previous issue, charging some Aussie bombs on foil. But when the swell moves on, and Matt needs to scratch that itch, he'll find other ways to charge. Hence now being the foil speed record holder…

Matt, tell us first why this challenge even became a consideration for you. What was the motivator?

I've always been interested to see how fast these things could actually go. We'd done some speed runs in the surf and started wondering what would be possible in flat water. The idea was to use a long tow rope and get well clear of the ski's wake to create the cleanest water possible. From there, it became a challenge to see just how much speed we could achieve.

Was there a previous world record?

There wasn't an official benchmark or recognized world record when we started. This was actually my third attempt. My first attempt was around two-and-a-half years ago and I hit 79.1 km/h. Second attempt, about 18 months ago – 78.9 km/h. Then on this attempt a couple of months ago, I managed 81.4 km/h (50.6 mph). Each attempt taught us something new and helped refine the equipment and setup.

Talk to us about the kind of team you needed to allow this to take place…

Firstly, a huge thanks to AXIS Foils for helping develop and supply the right equipment. Just as important was having the right safety team in place. Sean Woolnough was Head of Water Safety. Sean is a big-wave surfer, Northern Beaches lifeguard, and also my apnea and big-wave coach. Mitch White handled the drone footage. He's filmed most of my projects over the past five years and always delivers incredible work. Jamie Grey was on the long lens documenting the day and capturing footage for a documentary project we're currently working on. My fiancée, Rachael Dodwell, operated the Stalker Sports Radar Gun and recorded the official speed. And finally, Nathan Purl was on the backup water safety ski, ready to assist if needed.

And other than Nathan, what other safety considerations did you have to think about?

Sean led all the safety planning. We had a dedicated rescue ski and a small recovery board ready to go at all times. At those speeds, things can go wrong very quickly, so preparation is critical. I also wore full-face head protection and a neck brace to minimize the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

So now tell us about how the attempt went down.

This all happened at Akuna Bay in Sydney, Australia. This was our third serious attempt at the record, and AXIS had made some significant changes to the equipment since my earlier runs. In the weeks leading up to the attempt, we completed several practice sessions. During those runs, the Sea-Doo speedometer was showing much higher speeds than we were actually traveling. Going into the day, I genuinely thought we were getting close to 90 km/h. As it turned out, the ski's speedometer was inaccurate. The Sea-Doo showed 92 km/h, but the Stalker Sports Radar Gun recorded an official top speed of 81.4 km/h.

And what gear made it all happen?

For this I was riding the AXIS Tempo front wing, with the Ti Link Fuse, the 45 Skinny 45 for the Ti rear, and a 20 liter board.

Is it something you plan to revisit at any point, or was that a one-off challenge for you?

Absolutely. We had already maxed out what we could achieve with the 170 hp Sea-Doo GTI SE, so the next logical step would be moving to a supercharged ski. I genuinely believe 90 km/h is possible, so I'd love another crack at it.

Finally, what's one piece of advice you'd give to anyone looking to better your record?

Safety first and foremost. Also don't rely on the Jet Ski speedometer for your results – use proper timing or radar equipment. And, if you do come off, stay low and try skipping, rather than just bog in and stop!

The gear behind the record

• AXIS Tempo ultra high modulus front wing
• Ti Link titanium fuselage
• Skinny Link rear wings for the Ti Link

Read more from Foiling Magazine, and find issue 29 online.