Kai Lenny’s A Kinetic Freakshow

Watch the film here.

They say success is the product of hard work.

Sure, there are preternatural phenomenons and position benchmarks—for example, my 5’9 frame will never find itself on an Offensive Line in the NFL—but that doesn’t mean the rest of us are destined to a life of mediocrity. We’ve all seen people achieve great heights on the back of work ethic alone, which is incredibly admirable and inspiring.

But what happens when you have both things—natural talent and an unwavering can-do attitude?

Well, you get Kai Lenny, whose trainer describes him as having an “internal level of energy that most can’t even fathom.” I would hope this is true, given Kai’s penchant for eight-hours Jaws marathons, in which he transitions from kiting to surfing to towing to foiling, all while navigating one of the world’s heaviest lineups. 

Kai is an 8x SUP world champion, SUP race World Champion, and by all accounts, surfs well enough to give the QS a solid crack. It may seem like Kai is doing everything all the time, but he truly knows the importance of honing in on specific goals and then going out and achieving them. Last winter his goals were clear: win Jaws in front of his hometown crowd and push big-wave tow and foil surfing to its limits.

The first episode of Life of Kai finds him in the lead-up to last year’s Jaw’s event. It’s safe to say Kai spends more time out there than anyone due to the sheer breadth of equipment he rides, allowing him to enjoy small days as pictured in his warm up. This is important because, even for someone who has so much experience out there, things can still turn sour fast, as evidenced by Kai losing his ski and suffering a nasty gash while attempting to save it.

All in all, Kai is a savage when it comes to competition and the will to win. Everyone knows it’s a matter of time before he wins an event out at Jaws. Click in to watch and make sure to tune in next week for a behind the scenes look at one of the most refined big wave operations around.

You can also watch the entire Life of Kai series on-demand here.