Kei Kobayashi has thrown a lot of airs during his 26 years on Earth. So when he says he did the “craziest” air of his life, he earned my click on the video.
In the clip recently posted to his Instagram and YouTube, Kei is generating speed down the line at his backyard of Lower Trestles – just as he has done millions of times. But on this occasion, he goes for a frontside air that perplexes the mind. Both of his feet come off the board and he lands headfirst in the wave with the board still in a vertical position, but somehow he emerges from the foam with his feet back on the deck. It’s magic. And luckily for Kei, it was captured on the beach and the Surfline camera.
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“(It’s) the best full rotation I think I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Kei explains in his YouTube video. “I literally hucked it and I thought it was going to be a normal air reverse. My body was thinking air reverse and my board was thinking full rotation. Both of my feet came off my surfboard. I was face down in the whitewash and I didn’t know what was up and what was down… It’s definitely the craziest-looking full rotation I’ve ever done.”
Kei goes on to say that he’s in the best headspace he’s ever been in and his goals are to qualify for the Championship Tour and Olympics. If he keeps up the acrobatics, he should be on track to meet those goals.
Listen to our podcast interview with Kei, here.
