KAI LENNY Surfs in Final Round of THE EDDIE!

there's no event that's this prestigious as Monumental and as powerful as Ed yakao it's it's the biggest event in the history of surfing when you receive an invite to this event you are being honored as one of the best Big Wave Riders of the world it's an absolute dream come true to surfing the Eddie and dreaming of that moment since I was a little kid and by the afternoon the Eddie was the biggest ever [Music] [Music] after the first round's wrapped up I was leading the whole thing foreign if I didn't have a good second heat it wasn't going to happen high expectations for the ways I want to catch look at that thing that is a proper closeout this year's Eddie I call event was one of the most special big wave events big wave days we've ever had 40 000 people down there so that's like a stadium I've never seen Waimea that good not even close unbelievable how consistent and how big it was every single heat had closeout sets every single Surfer put it all on the line and for the crowd that was there they enjoyed every minute of it I've never been a part of an event like that it just felt like you were going to battle [Music] I look at this stay at the Eddie it was just different you know it wasn't only about winning it was a day to celebrate and stamp our Legacy and just leaving it all out there sometimes I think the anticipation of an event like this there's so much weight to it that you don't necessarily stumble at the finish line but you almost get in your own way works is you surf twice you have two Heats each one an hour long you're allowed to serve four Waves per heat you're judged on your top three and that's how you have a champion is your best three waves of the day [Music] I knew you had to be in probably the 90s or high 80s if you were going to win the whole event I just felt like no matter what I did no matter how badly I wanted to go I wasn't in the right place and it was obviously Luke's day they always say that Eddie picks the surfer I mean you couldn't script it better on duty lifeguard Wednesday at Aikau Luke really does embody the spirit of ADI cow I really think Eddie was looking down smiling oh I have a feeling like this Eddie just changed something I think it kind of brought the soul back into surfing in a way what I took away from the Eddie was the love I have for big wave surfing had never been stronger and there were moments when I have an epiphany of what it would mean for me to redefine my surfing not to prove anything to anyone else so much as it is to prove to myself that I deserve to be at the highest level oh and it just looks like it changed a little bit get out there Kai it'd be fun to go back out there for sure oh he's going out yes go show us how it's done bro imagine if this was our hokipa just think we'll never really be able to show our true hokipa prowess you never know maybe one day there should be a cue there one cue the day I retire they'll announce it they'd ask you to judge whew I think I grew up like same street and at that time surfing was kind of just one of his things he was like just doing all of it sort of equally all at the same spot like you know at the point at hookipa foreign I mean this is the first big spot that challenged me when I was in my formative years [Music] windsurfing this was the Mecca here on Maui hokipa is like the pipeline of windsurfing I remember as a kid I got to see kind of like a mixture of all surfing life and that gave me that switch on the head it's like I can do that [Music] I started wind surfing when I was six years old my dad really helped me to take it to the next levels and go up to hookipa and and just have a lot of fun first time I heard about kailani I heard there was like a little layered Protege on Maui doing all the stuff sup kite windsurf surf big waves toe in by the time like I met him I thought he was just going to be floating above the ground as Kai was coming up winning stand-up World titles paddle board World titles kite World titles windsurfing World titles I mean I don't even know on paper what he's won but there's no way he can ride all these other boards and not have interest in traditional surfing whether it's big waves or small waves [Applause] there really haven't been many Surfers come from say windsurfing background or kiting background to start surfing and be really great at surfing the way that they turn is not from the wave energy it's from the wind energy when you come from a fundamentally different sport all these things transition into how you look riding a wave and Kai's really worked hard on that he has really been able to transition that and create a great foundation for his smaller surfing too on the dot he starts now [Music] foreign [Music] I want to do it all and so I'm trying to get there with my short boarding in all aspects of performance surfing he's stepped up a ton I respect when people put their head down and work towards something he's really gotten good probably intimidating for guys he's competing against it's almost like a guy coming and stealing your girl you know he comes and beats you and eat I'm leaving depending on the time of the year different tribes would kind of flow in and out of this beach park I would say consistently the best Maui Surfers would converge down at the beginning of the beach park Pavilions it was a Rowdy Bunch for sure there's no question there was a bit of a divide between Surfers and windsurfers just trying to break into that core group of surfers was um you know tricky growing up whenever I looked at Kai I never thought of him as a surfer there's always been some drive or motivation to want to feel a legitimacy with my surfing I think it all stemmed from not being considered a surfer more of a Windsurfer a lot now to be able to have a chance to prove that I'm not just a big wave surfer I'm not just a Windsurfer I can actually compete against the very best welcome back to the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach another great heat in the water you consider you got a wild card in Kai Lenny the championship tour is made up of the top 34 Surfers around the world the best Surfers in the world that make it onto that platform compete for a world title you have two wild cards that are allocated for each event at Sunset Beach I would say that Kai is a specialist so it's an easy fit for the Wild Card one thing about being a wild card I will say it's not easy because you're going to come up against the top seed you're going to have to somehow find a way to beat those guys in order to get deep into that contest wild cards can take it all the way Kai's one of those guys when you're a little kid that dreams of competing at the world stage the emotions and the mental side could for sure get in your way do I really deserve this you know I'm coming from you know such a different place in surfing but that's what makes it kind of an interesting wild card is somebody that you don't know exactly what they got welcome back to the booth what's happening guys I'm just excited to see Kai take on flip Toledo and out the back looks like we got Kai Lenny looking for some beautiful turns out in front of this wave it's got a nice little kick out the kid inside was just over the moon be able to go on a heat with Philippe Toledo off the bottom straight up into the corner it's like why not go against the best guys right away what are you kidding me Felipe Toledo he can beat those guys you can beat just about anybody one out the back behind them Kai Lenny looks like he's got a nice wave quick turn in the corner right there another beautiful sweeping turn yeah kicking back out he's excited he wants more out the back Liam O'Brien gonna get out on the face second wave of the set nice and clean bang off the top beautiful lip line drop comes around for more backing him up Kai Lenny on a beautiful wall what's he coming into little under the hood snap doesn't take the cover though big gouge on the face to finish nice work right there I'm just wondering whether they'll say he rode out it's like he did but questionable huh I was thinking the same thing they want to see it with control right out into the flats so you know that you pulled the maneuver off you're going to get scored for it and there you go 3.73 no credit absolutely that's a lot of points missed out there hi Lenny needing a 5.4 here we go he wants it again he's got clean water Kai Lenny 23 seconds on the clock but can he do it on the buzzer got it you got it moving six six on the rail and it goes down unfortunately hi Lenny he's gonna bow out into the elimination round Toledo takes the win but you have to give yourself permission yeah because if you give yourself permission to just play Full Throttle yeah I think mentally I'm like like all these guys like maybe here I got a wild card and you know I haven't done good in any Qs events anyway so it's like the fact that that's like floats in the back of my head you know okay like you can surf for these guys I'm telling you you this is this is you you can be here yeah but you've got to give yourself permission okay and if you give yourself permission you're gonna feel like a ton of bricks are going to be lifted off of you yeah and then it's gonna be like now I see it now I feel it now I am it yeah yeah you know what I mean just give yourself permission [Music] welcome back to the elimination round this is a very important afternoon for these men as they try to avoid elimination Strider this is not where you want to be now Kai Lenny up and at it beautiful lip line snap grateful back into the pocket wave regains composure gives them some more time to do some turns I think he's looking really Sparky out there I mean look at him he's in the lip he's throwing Tails I think you know great work for him let's go in the meantime Jackson Baker nice bang off the top there on that closeout section going down the line trying to squeeze one more out of the way but that maneuver falling short for Jackson Baker now Kai Lenny up and at it going down the line bangs it off the top little floater that was a very Hollow very difficult section he does not want to finish third in the seat you're out contest over Jack Robinson now again with his back against the wall here we go Jack Robinson trying to do something and here he does Strider in the break you see this looks like it's gonna stand up for him it does bangs it off the closeout section get a little fist pump from him hi Lenny to avoid elimination is going to have to find a 5.01 about 30 left in this heat Jack with priority over as well as Jackson he'll be tough to find a way come on come on come on come on all right here we go spraying it out the back engaging the rails throwing the fins closeout section manages to get one more turn in you can hear his Camp really liking that one as he waits to see if there's anything else from this wave there is not but stride you think that was enough negative Ghost Rider do not Buzz the tower that one was not the 5.01 that he is looking for so this is the last we will see of Kai Lenny at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach it is Jackson Baker and Jack Robinson moving on to the next round when I lost my heat I mean that just is like a knife through the ribs for me I'm so competitive and you know I take it so personally are you calling her now yeah hello uh yeah what did it look like on the telly [Applause] looks like a CT quality Surfer out there today well that's that's all that matters for sure it was just that's like the hardest Sunset to serve yeah it was it was trouble but like you searched so well I was so so proud of you all right well I guess I'll probably be coming home soon Kai is so competitive and to the point where like he's competitive with himself yeah I know the way I better than ever before for sure so for sure be happy with that huh I just have to like remind him that he's human you're not gonna be perfect at everything you do right away it's going to take time he just sets these goals for himself and just wants to accomplish them and that just pushes him to be as talented as he is even though I didn't put on the exact heat I wanted I did throw a turn that felt like it belonged at that level that was a beautiful big inside Bowl turn very impressive by Kyle any you know he'll look back on his hate and he's lost opportunity was in that one big Cove that he he was incomplete on but beautiful look at that hit that gouge I mean just laying into that Pete that was Sly to ask pie small wave surfing has gotten so good I mean he's not scared of anything he does have the ability to surf at a world-class level even on four foot waves it's kind of intimidating you know like with a guy like I had served 60-foot waves and you know what what to expect from him at Sunset six to eight foot this year was really a breakout season for me I've been slowly making my dent out here in the North Shore Kai Lani has done the back door shootout Kai Lani stalling pulling up in the barrel he's obviously well-rounded to be able to pull in the barrel as that pipe and back door compete in the Eddie and then have like determination to compete against World Tour Surfers at Sunset that dude is really motivated maybe more than anyone between the back door shootout Sunset and the Eddy this winter has proven that the North Shore Is Still The Proving Ground and is still very relevant in surfing adult's incredible for this event I know we've all had the area cow poster in our rooms Growing Up So to have the opportunity to actually go out there for Eddie Aikau and his Ohana they are cows it's a dream come true for me um it's this day feels surreal I wouldn't have missed it for the world one of the parts of the Eddy is that it's celebrating watermen and water women from Hawaii and the history of that and the culture of that and kailani is he's the Contemporary guy from here anytime you finish in the top 10 in the Eddie that's uh something to hang your hat on but to finish fifth incredible so he's right there and it's just a matter of time before he becomes a champion I respect Kai so much what he does on the surfboard it's pretty cool to see him come from the wind into the waves to where he's one of the best in the world now [Music]

Channel: Red Bull Surfing

Views: 554,508

Keywords: red bull surfing, red bull, surf, surfing, surfboarding, big wave, waves, swell, life of kai, the eddie, luke shepardson, lifeguard, waimea, kai lenny, hawaii, kai, lenny

Id: sM6tDiOsSOo

Length: 20min 31sec (1231 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 23 2023