THE INFINITE LINE

Ask any member of the big-wave elite, and they’ll tell you that few people are poised to make a deeper impact on big-wave surfing than Kai Lenny. That’s because the Maui-born charger grew up under the tutelage of heavy-water pioneers like Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama, caught his first wave at Jaws at just 16 years old and has since painstakingly proven that he’s one of the most skilled riders of oversized surf on any craft. When Lenny shows up at Jaws during an XXL swell today, it’s like watching a military operation unfold, precisely planned and organized with water safety skis and a boat filled with cutting-edge big-wave equipment. But while Lenny’s approach may seem incredibly sophisticated already, he talks about big-wave surfing today like a NASA pilot would have talked about space exploration in the 1960s—like we’re just barely scratching the surface of what is possible. Listening to the way Lenny describes it, it’s hard not to share his optimism for the bold big-wave future.

What can you tell me about the first session you had at Jaws?

It’s funny, because one of my earliest memories is actually being on the cliff watching the waves at Jaws. But I didn’t surf it till I was 16 years old, when I got a call from Laird and Dave offering to take me out there. That was before paddling was happening at Jaws, so it was only towing at that point, and I felt like you kind of needed permission from those guys to even go out there. So I was just so stoked to get the invite from those guys.

That first day was about 12- to 15-foot Hawaiian, there wasn’t a soul around, and we went hydrofoiling, of all things. That was back in the day when they were strapping in with snowboard boots and all the gear just felt so heavy and intimidating. As a small 16 year old, I felt like I’d probably get dismembered if I fell, but luckily I