Kai Lenny changed the big wave game. He’s consistently been at the top of the pile for a long time now, and not just when it comes to surfing huge waves. Take basically anything that involves the ocean and a board, and there’s a good chance that Lenny has it about as dialed as one can have something dialed.
Although he is indeed a champion in many other disciplines, big wave surfing is always the peak of his mountain. Most of the other things he does are a way of passing the time between huge swells; a way to keep himself in fighting shape until the big bout.
“You can’t go out and ride big waves every single day, so you’ve gotta find ways to simulate it,” he told The Inertia‘s Will Sileo. “I would say that short boarding in small waves is one way to get your technique really dialed. When you get on a big wave you have all the time in the world whereas in small waves, you have very little time. With foiling you get the sensation of speed and control and you’re able to surf basically any condition good or bad. Adding on the wind sports, you get the training in speed through chop and for flying through the air. So all these other sports have really helped me excel in big wave riding.”
In the last few years, big wave surfing has evolved, and it has evolved quickly. Part of that is due to Lenny’s contributions — once someone proves something is possible, others are quick to follow — but Lenny is so talented and motivated that he’s managed to stay ahead of the rest. Red Bull dove into Lenny’s mindset in the latest episode of Life of Kai.
“In his latest journey,” the Red Bull team wrote, “Kai explores tactics of extreme breath-holds with his brother Ridge, keeps his place in the cutthroat Jaws lineup, and provides for his community (in more ways than one) when the worst natural disaster in recent American history strikes Maui.”
