A man who knows how to keep the surfing world entertained in this desensitised social media era is Mr Kai Lenny.
One of the biggest swells of 2023 hit California just before the New Year, but before the storm made its way to the West Coast of America, it swung by Kai’s home in Maui.
Just like how Kai makes the most out of his surfing talents, he knows how to optimise the currency of time. In a 24-hour period, Kai surfed clean XL Jaws before boarding a flight to California to tow into the biggest and ugliest Mavericks he had ever seen.
It sounds like a mission-impossible operation, but surfing’s closest version of James Bond is a different breed and stood out at both XL sessions. The 24-hour big-wave expedition resulted in viral content, which you can view in the clip above.
While, the 31-year-old performed extraordinarily at Jaws and Mavericks around the New Year. Kai’s recent run in big waves took an undesirable turn a few days ago, wiping out while competing in the SUP division of the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout.
Below is a statement that Kai shared with his 1.2 Instagram followers about the near deadly fall at six-to-eight foot Pipeline.
“First time wearing a helmet at Pipeline and it may have saved my life. I don’t remember much except that it was during my heat in the #DaHuiBackdoorShootout and the lifeguards sat me down in a chair at the Beach Park. I have a solid concussion and some bleeding out of my left ear. All should be fine, just need some time.
Mahalo to @hawaiianwaterpatrol, @abelerner, @northshorelifeguardassociation, Pali Momi Hospital, @dougsilvadotcom & @mauimarcc. If I missed anyone I apologise, I don’t remember much.”
It’s time for Kai to rest up after a relentless two-week run of pushing what’s possible in big-wave surfing; for even the James Bond of Surfing has limits…
Check out the wipeout in the clip below (first wave).
