Kai Lenny is a true waterman, in every sense of the word. For the amount that word is thrown around, there really aren’t too many real ones out there. But Kai Lenny embodies it. His entire life centers around the ocean, and not just surfing. If you can do it in the ocean, Kai’s doing it, and he’s doing it well.
When he was four, he started surfing. When he was six, he started windsurfing. When he was nine, he started kite surfing. And before long, he was excelling at all of them. He’s never been one to sit on one form of watercraft; instead, he uses the ocean as a true playground, using anything and everything he thinks might be fun.
He grew up surrounded by legends, and they all rubbed off on him. Robby Naish, Dave Kalama, Buzzy Kerbox and Laird Hamilton all played formative roles in his upbringing. And for a guy who excels in nearly every condition the ocean throws his way, he’s extraordinarily modest about it. He’s sitting on three SUP world championships, and he’s widely recognized as one of the greatest big wave surfers in the world. But of course, all that doesn’t come with it’s fair share of lumps. At the Peahi Challenge, Lenny took a tumble, surfaced, and the jetski came to get him. Things didn’t exactly go his way, though–another set wave rolled through and took out both Lenny and the driver. Thankfully, both popped up just fine… but it’s a stark reminder of how quickly things can go wrong.
