Being dragged behind a boat while strapped into a device called an Air Chair seems as unlikely a scenario as any for a lightbulb moment, but for Hawaiian big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, such scenarios are not uncommon.

Years prior, Hamilton and friends hit upon the concept of being towed into gigantic waves behind a jet-ski, which put in place a movement now known as tow-in surfing.

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This time, Hamilton took note of the hydrofoil fitted to the underside of the chair that elevated the rider above sea level, and applied the same logic to riding waves, preferably big ones.

"One of the big issues we had with tow-in surfing was running into these massive chops in the waves, which is the one thing you don't want on a 50-foot wave," Hamilton told the ABC.

"The idea of an elevated ride seemed like a way of negating that issue, and we worked towards developing the concept of a board fitted with a foil."

Hydrofoil boarding will allow surfers like Laird Hamilton (R) to ride unbroken ocean swells over vast distances. ( Supplied: Laird Hamilton )

Early prototypes required the rider to be clipped to the board while wearing modified ski boots and propelled into waves again with a jet ski.

But through a process of trial and error, Hamilton and several other devotees have refined the concept to its current incarnation.

Hamilton, who also helped usher in stand-up paddle board riding, adapted the concept to the hydrofoil board, and now strokes into waves with a paddle without the need to be tethered to the board with boots.

"It's like flying," Hamilton said of the ride.

"When the water is smooth and still, it's just an effortless glide that is unlike anything else I've experienced out in the water."

Search for endless ride

Hamilton said a happy by-product of the development was the realisation a surfer could ride an unbroken wave for indefinite distances across the open ocean.

It is a concept he likens to whales gliding along underwater behind ocean swell, and one in which he reached speeds of up to 80km/h.

Hamilton also helped usher in stand-up paddle boarding. ( Supplied: Laird Hamilton )

"This is the most efficient wave-riding instrument that I've ever come across, and the potential is limitless," Hamilton said.

"At the moment though, the technology is still quite primitive, but we will see that evolve, as will our technique for riding them.

"I have no doubt we will be able to ride waves as far as they can travel.

"The only limit will be your physicality. For now the waves can travel much further than we can physically be able to."