Kai Lenny has done a lot in his 30 years on this planet. He’s done a lot of things that the vast majority of the population has neither the skill nor the courage to do. The thing is, though, that Kai is a product of his environment. That’s not to say that anyone could do what Kai does, but Kai has spent most of his life preparing for the things he does. Surfing the biggest waves. Getting the biggest barrels. Paddling enormous distances, using the wind to his advantage, and generally being better at any water-related activity than 99.9 percent of the population. Training is his life, but he trains mostly by doing. He recently sat down with Rich Roll to talk about the mindset and the tools that help him conquer some of the biggest waves in the world. Roll, if you’re not aware, ain’t no slouch, either.
In May of 2010, Roll did something that, to most people, seemed impossible. Roll called it the EPIC5 Challenge. It entailed completing five ironman-distance triathlons on five islands of Hawaii in under a week. Along with his friend Jason Lester, Roll started on Kauai, then travelled to Oahu, Molokai, and Maui before finishing on the Big Island, following the course of the Ironman World Championships on the Kona coast. So, much like Kai, he knows a bit about setting your mind to something and following through.
“A Maui-born and bred athlete of extraordinary skill, Kai is a virtuoso and innovator par excellence that landed his Red Bull sponsorship at just 13 years old,” Roll wrote. “He continues to push the boundaries of possibility at the highest levels in not just surfing – performing maneuvers and aerials never believed possible with regularity – but also as a kiteboarder, foiler, outrigger canoeist, and, yes, a big wave rider.”
In their conversation, they talked about many things, but what stands out is the way Kai talks about fear. It’s a common refrain heard in the big wave world that fear is something that can be helpful if managed in the right way, and it sounds as though Kai has figured that out. “Fear isn’t disabling for me,” he said. “It’s a superpower.”
