It is shown that the magnitude of the local velocity and the surface pressure coefficient can be limited over the entire upper surface of a two-dimensional hydrofoil as it approaches the free water surface. In this limiting condition the flow over the upper surface is governed by the shallow water wave propagation phenomenon, and the limiting pressure or velocity is determined by the maximum depth attainable from the hydraulic jump relations. The experimental data verifies this new theory and proves that the previous two-dimensional hydrofoil theories are valid only for relatively deeply submerged bodies.