Kai Lenny has never done things in a conventional manner. But that’s what’s made him great, from the sports he pursues, to the equipment he uses, to choosing not to compete (or to compete), Lenny has become something of a legend in the surfing world by doing things others don’t (aided by an insane amount of athletic ability, of course). He discusses all of that and more in this version of TubeTime, an Instagram interview series we ran with our partners at Red Bull.
One of the most interesting tidbits was that yes, Kai Lenny has to deal with localism. Just like the rest of us. Maybe more so because he’s gone opposite the surfing status quo his entire life. Pardon the technical difficulties – we caught up with Kai as he was checking the surf on Maui and there’s an awkward pause at the start of these Instagram Lives as we wait for guests that make us cringe – but get into the conversation and Lenny is open and frank with The Inertia’s Joe Carberry about how he’s seen localism since he was a kid, from Maui to Nicaraugua, and how he’s handled it. Mostly with the ol’ good-natured approach. It didn’t always work. Skip to the 20-minute mark to hear that or listen to the whole interview. You can certainly tell Kai’s at ease when he’s checking the ocean for swell.
