As a quite new foilboarder, learning on medium but mostly really high aspect race foils, and my friend learning on a low AR beginner foil, I will add my experiences:
A high AR race foil is EXTREMELY hyper sensitive, and you will just "bob" up and down and get nowhere the first many many days....
Even WHEN you learn to ride straight for short periods, you dont feel "safe" (and "foilbomb" chrashes as I call it, are really tough).
When you eventually can ride a bit straight - then you have to learn to turn (jibes or tacks), which is evenmore impossible foiling "up", on racefoils
So a lose-lose at first sight
On the other hand, just like with raceboards, where you start with small fins, and even those feel "HUGE" and annoying - but after some experience you WANT to use bigger fins, and find them easy - it is the exact same thing with foils
Learning foilboarding is easy, on beginner foils, and can only recommend these.
BUT, most will grow tired of these quite fast, as speed and perfomance, even for the "common" funloving enthusiast but not racers, will have a limiting funfactor quite fast
So just as with TT beginners - should you start with a big/huge board and sell it quite fast when kitesurfing is learned, or should you try to start the tough way on a small flat freestyle board immediately, and take the extra time it will take till you CAN actually ride and go upwind, and the downers you get when not succeding ?
Most will choose the first, but some do the last - personal preferences only (and also your history and friends can make a difference...)
As I've stated in another thread - hydrofoil kitesurfing is REALLY different and you need to learn totally new muscle memory action - you can almost not use ANY of your former experience, except for kite handling and wind experience.
So be prepared to be an almost totally beginner again, no matter what level and experience you got - this IS the case, believe me
So you have to use quite a long time to get the muscle memory "set", almost like windsurfing which is much more difficult to master than kitesurfing.
So DrLightwind - the answer is easy:
Choose a low AR beginner foil, a Carafino is perfect, if you want to learn the easy way.
And be prepared that it WILL take a long time, till you can master a faster foil - but it is worth the effort, as it gives you priceless challenges and eventually undescribable joy and happiness
Peter