Kai, literally means 'sea' in Hawaiian, but Kai Lenny’s gone on to prove himself as one of the greatest watermen ever.
The son of California transplants – both of whom moved to the North Shore of Maui to surf and windsurf – Kai has tamed waves, wind and water since he was just a boy. When he was 4, he caught his very first wave, a vivid sensation he’s been chasing to replicate his entire life.
Taming waves at an early age
By 6, Kai was windsurfing on his own and entered prone paddle board races (he’s currently a four-time Molokai-2-Oahu Championships winner and world record holder). By 7, he was stand-up paddle surfing and is currently an eight-time world champion in that particular discipline. By 9, he was kitesurfing, a sport in which he finished second-overall during the 2013 world championships.
He began tow-in surfing in large waves and then foiling under the tutelage of tow-in godfathers, Dave Kalama and Laird Hamilton. He was WSL world runner-up on 2017/18 Big Wave World Tour and won the WSL Big Wave Award for Men's Best Overall Performance in 2019 and 2020.
A multi-discipline master
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.
“He’s one of the true icons of his generation and that entire group on Maui,” says Laird Hamilton. Kiting, foiling, windsurfing, all these things were birthed on Maui, it’s just cool to see what Kai’s been able to do with each one.”
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Watch Kai Lenny's mastery at Jaws
On a day when Jaws was at its peak, Kai Lenny showed up and put on one of the best surfing performances ever seen at the famous big wave in Maui, Hawaii.
Kai has often been credited for spearheading the recent resurgence and current popularity of the global foil boarding boom. His accomplishments have been groundbreaking, namely his Molokai2Oahu Race win in 2017, where he hovered the 32 miles downwind in a blistering 2 hours and 52 minutes without getting his toes wet.
"I get energy from being in the water"
To raise awareness for the global ocean microplastics problem, Kai foiled to five Hawaiian Islands, (with no motorized assist) kicking off massive coastal beach cleanups on the shorelines of each island.
“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.”
"Life of Kai," a multi-season series on Red Bull TV, allows viewers to join Kai on his journey as he discovers what's possible on the biggest waves and chases his dreams to become the ultimate waterman.
