We report damage threshold measurements of novel absorbers comprised of either liquid-cooled silicon carbide or vitreous carbon foams. The measurements demonstrate damage thresholds up to 1.6 x 104 W/cm(2) at an incident circular spot size of 2 mm with an absorbance of 96% at 1.064 mu m. We present a summary of the damage threshold as a function of the water flow velocity and the absorbance measurements. We also present a qualitative description of a damage mechanism based on a two-phase heat transfer between the foam and the flowing water. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.