When Brian Grubb was 5 years old, he learned to water ski during a summer spent in Indiana with his grandparents. Almost 40 years later, the Red Bull-sponsored athlete returned, this time to attempt a feat that's never been done before: riding an eFoil underground.
As part of a fast-paced career that's taken him from the blue-green waters of the Caribbean to the towering mountains of Switzerland, Grubb chose his next destination: Lawrence County, Indiana. The exploration took him through Bluespring Caverns, a 21-mile-long cave system containing the longest navigable underground river in the country.
Most visitors embark on hour-long boat tours. Grubb spent two days navigating the winding, narrow darkness on an electric surfboard that carries riders above water without needing wind or waves to propel it.
This feat would mark the first-ever time an eFoil was ridden underground. Even with poor lighting, slim corridors and spots with shallow water, Bluespring Caverns was the best option, Grubb said.
He wanted to transcend what's been done before in eFoiling — and, to do that, he'd need to descend 400 feet to reach the underground river.
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