Watch: Kanaiya Webb in ‘FOAL’
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Kanaiya Webb is an 18-year-old freesurfer from Bilambil Heights on Australia’s Gold Coast, though his bloodline can be traced across the Tasman to the quaint surf town of Whangamata, nestled on the southeast coast of New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula. “I’m heading there tomorrow, actually,” he told me with a grin, taking a sip of coffee after our spooky five-minute surf at Tallows in Byron Bay — bait balls fucken everywhere.
Kanaiya’s family legacy is steeped in surf culture. His uncles, Nanda and Rangi Ormond, are two pillars of the New Zealand surf scene. Nanda, a renowned surf artist and designer, is celebrated for his iconic drawings and creations (check out Surf Lazy for some of the most beautifully crafted pea-shaped fins around). Rangi, on the other hand, is a former pro surfer and editor of Primitive Skills, an introspective publication exploring the rituals, symbols, and culture of surfing.
Surfing, it seems, runs in Kanaiya’s veins, as does a sense of understated creativity and artistic flair. “Mum and Dad shot most of the footage around home,” he shared, discussing his latest video project, FOAL. “The parts in Indo were filmed by Gus Kidman,” he added, referring to the son of legendary filmmaker Andrew Kidman, the visionary behind the 1996 cult surf film Litmus – who just so happens to be putting on an exhibition in a couple weeks ft all your favorite surfers.
When I ask about influences, Kanaiya mentioned another surfer with admiration: “Luke Griffin, he’s the goofyfooter in the clip with that real buttery style”… and the (graphically-inclined) brain behind Caity Simmers/Kill Bill shirts after she took out the World Title.
Yes, a ton of inspiration and talent in Kanaiya’s web (dw, I’ll see myself out).
