Kai Lenny knows that tow surfing shouldn’t be all the rage.
“With a Jet Ski, you could barely be able to surf a six-foot wave and then go get a 60-foot wave and win an award and get a hundred grand or something,” Lenny said in this short feature about the nuances of big-wave tow surfing.
But when the situation rules out prone paddling there are a rare few, like Lenny, who maximize what’s possible with a rope, a motor and a monstrous amount of water. Thanks to his wind-abundant upbringing and a tenacious training regiment, the 31-year-old’s skill and comfort level in the straps was on full display on the December 28, 2023, swell that hit Mavericks last year.
One of his better rides came with the help of his brother, Ridge, who dropped Lenny off behind the bowl. He expertly timed his drop-in through the critical section before drawing out an elongated bottom turn. And just to top it all off, he ends the wave by stomping a slob air on the shoulder. Tucker Wooding’s immaculately placed drone captures how fast the section rises and how quickly Lenny drops in.
Ask anyone from that session and they’ll tell you this was an unruly and rugged day off Pillar Point. Most surfers would just be trying to survive to the channel. But Lenny and his bro were going for combos. And I’d wager nobody has clocked more air time at Mavericks than Lenny (catch his Mavs alley-oop at the :50 mark in the clip below).
Related: Video: The World’s Best Tow Surfers, Kai Lenny and Lucas Chianca
“You can’t just bypass all these steps and hop on a Jet Ski and catch a wave,” Lenny said. “That’s what I love most about where tow surfing’s heading. You’re going to really tell who the legit guys are versus the guys that maybe are in it for the wrong reasons.”
It appears that Lenny’s reasons are pushing the limits of what’s possible on a tow board.