Kai
Lenny
United States
·
Surfing
Date of birth | 8 October 1992 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Maui, Hawaii |
Age | 33 |
Nationality | United States |
Disciplines | Free Surfing / Surfing Big Wave / Stand Up Paddling / Kitesurfing Freestyle / Windsurfing Wave / Windsurfing Foil / Kitesurfing Foil / Wing Foil / Stand Up Paddling Foil / Foil Surfing |
Hawaii's Kai Lenny not only seems to be able to do it all when it comes to water, but he manages to do it all to a world class level. His ascent to major sporting success has been nothing short of meteoric and he's already proved himself as one of the greatest watermen the world has ever known. Renowned for his smooth and efficient paddling style, he continues to push boundaries and ride some of the biggest waves ever surfed.
His technical prowess has led to the flood of astonishing achievements, including becoming the first person to win world titles in three distinct disciplines: surfing, wind foiling and SUP. No wonder he became the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Surfer's Hall of Fame in 2019, at just age 26.
Since then, he's gone on to win the WSL Big Wave Award for Men's Best Overall Performance in 2019 and 2020, place first (with tow partner Lucas Chumbo) in the terrifyingly giant Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge in 2020, win the Men’s XXL Biggest Wave Award in 2020 for his 70-foot wave ride and secure victory at the GWA Freestyle Windfoil World Championship in 2022.
So where does Kai's affinity with water come from? As the son of California transplants who moved to the North Shore of Maui to surf and windsurf, Kai has tamed waves, wind and water since he was just a boy, catching his very first wave at four-years-old.
By six, Kai was already windsurfing on his own and entering prone paddle board races. By seven he was stand-up paddle surfing and by nine he was kitesurfing – a sport in which he finished second-overall during the 2013 world championships. Shortly after, he began tow-in surfing on large waves and then foiling under the tutelage of tow-in godfathers Dave Kalama and Laird Hamilton.
Kai can also add 'pioneer' to his accolades because he's often credited for spearheading the popularity of the global foil boarding boom, as well as establishing SUP surfing as a competitive sport. His accomplishments within the disciplines have been groundbreaking, namely his Molokai2Oahu Race win in 2017, where he hovered the 51km downwind in a blistering 2h 52m without getting his toes wet.
Raising awareness for ocean conservation is also a subject close to Kai's heart, which is why he foiled to five Hawaiian Islands (with no motorised assist) to highlight the global ocean microplastics problem. His action kicked-off massive coastal beach cleanups. Some of these distances, like the Alenuihähä channel between Hawai‘i Island and Maui, required him to balance on a hydrofoil for a whopping 80km straight.
"For me, it’s like the ocean is a battery pack," says Kai. "I get energy from being in the water and, when I’m not, I don’t have that same spark. The light in my eye dims, maybe. I think for my soul itself, there’s no better feeling than riding a wave."
Join Kai as his journey continues, and see what it really takes to redefine possible in Life of Kai, the multi-season series on Red Bull TV that documents his discovery of what's possible on the biggest waves.