‘Life of Kai’ Returns to Red Bull TV as Kai Lenny Redefines Possible in Big Wave Surfing
February 9, 2023
Red Bull Media House docuseries to release new episodes starting February 24th
SANTA MONICA, CA (February 9th, 2023) /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – The wild dreams and record-breaking feats of Kai Lenny continue in the highly acclaimed Red Bull Media House docuseries, Life of Kai. Presented by BFGoodrich Tires and in association with Bimarian Films, new episodes will follow the extraordinary life of the most progressive waterman in recent history. Tune-in to Red Bull TV on February 24th to watch the first episode. Monthly episodes will be released thereafter to showcase the Maui natives’ most recent adventures.
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At just 30 years of age and the youngest person ever elected to the Surfing Hall of Fame, Kai Lenny is perhaps the truest distillation of the term, “waterman.” Be it kiteboarding, windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding, big wave surfing, or anything else in the water, the oceanic titan does it at the highest degree. “Growing up on Maui, all I ever wanted to do was be in the ocean. It was the one place I felt most connected, particularly in big waves. As I grew, I wanted to expand that connection, so I tried as many different disciplines on the ocean as I could. The Life of Kai series represents me chasing that connection around the world,” says Lenny.
With invigorated hyper-focus fueled by his recent marriage and arrival of newborn twins, Kai has big plans in motion for upcoming Life of Kai episodes. “The goal is to perform airborne maneuvers on giant waves and do things that no one’s done yet. And then conditions dependent, I’ll be exploring different types of waves,” says Kai. “You’ll also see new approaches to riding waves and wind too. Finding the next new and exciting thing that can be done in the ocean is what I’m all about!”
Directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Keith Malloy, each episode will chronicle adrenaline packed missions as Kai redefines what’s possible in water sports. “Kai is pushing high-performance in so many different ocean arenas,” says Keith. “It’s been inspiring to document someone that’s so committed and enthusiastic about their endeavors.
To gain unparalleled access into the inner workings, daily routines, and sterling support system of one of the world’s leading waterman, tune-in to Red Bull TV starting February 24th where Life of Kai episodes will be available for free and on-demand.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Luke Westnedge
Red Bull Media House
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ADDITIONAL QUOTES
“Expect this season to have a different perspective and approach compared to previous episodes. It will all be fresh and in the moment. That’s what I’m really excited for you all to see!” – Kai Lenny
“When you hover above the surfing world and look down on what’s going on, nobody comes close in terms of being that well rounded. There’s a lot of professional specific high-level surfers, but when you look at the whole picture, nobody is on the level that Kai is.” – Pete Cabrinha on Kai’s impact on surfing
“Kai wants to keep pushing. And pushing himself, he’s essentially pushing surfing.” – Dave Kalama on Kai’s impact on surfing
“He’s one of the true icons of his generation and that entire group on Maui. I think his multifaceted philosophy comes out of Maui a lot. The nature of the conditions there, and the community, it’s so wind-driven.” – Laird Hamilton on Kai’s impact on surfing
“Kai’s ability to not just dream bigger than any other waterman on the planet, but to take the methodical steps needed to actually realize those dreams, is unmatched. It’s been great watching his growth over the years.” – Robby Naish on Kai’s impact on surfing
“Having an open mind really allows him to draw all of this different information or little details from so many different sports and put that into what he’s doing in surfing now. To see him make this transition into a heavy motivation towards big wave surfing and performance surfing is a lot of fun.” – Ian Walsh on Kai’s impact on surfing
“We all kind of think where Kai is going and then he’ll throw a random curveball at us. He’s always thinking. Thinking about the next innovative sport he can do and that’s what I love about him. The wheels never stop turning. He’s chasing his goals and dreams. It’s so fun to be there and share that process with him. I feel like he’s just getting the ball rolling.” – Molly Lenny on her relationship with Kai
“It’s always been a goal of mine to seek out new ways in which technology can open new avenues for exploration in the ocean. Foiling, kiteboarding, windsurfing: They all serve that same purpose for me.” – Kai Lenny
“You know, with fear you can make a choice, either let it debilitate you, or you can take it and use it as your superpower. And I realized that.” – Kai Lenny on managing fear
“When you live in the moment, you can’t help but only feel happy. There’s no other emotion than just pure bliss and happiness. And you feel so good about yourself – you start thinking of yourself how you should always think of yourself, which is on the highest standard. For me it takes riding some big waves to get to that point. But I think that is a huge draw to riding these big waves is, it makes me feel like the person I Know I can be.” – Kai Lenny on what drives him in surfing
“I think there’s a huge potential to take what snowboards have been doing in parks and mountains and bring it into surfing.” – Kai Lenny on snowboarding’s influence on big wave surfing
“Ridge and Kai are close, they’re brothers. You can’t get any closer than that. I guarantee these experiences will add another dimension to their relationship that neither one of them knew could be attained. When your life is now dependent on your brother, that changes things.” – Dave Kalama on the bond that Kai and Ridge share as brothers
“We’re bonded by blood. What closer relationship can you have with somebody? If I’m going to trust anybody, if he’s going to trust anybody, it’s going to be each other. That’s the cool thing about having your brother out there. They’re going to want to get you the best wave of your live, but they’re also going to want to keep you safe at the same time.” – Ridge Lenny on his relationship with Kai
ABOUT KAI LENNY
To say that Kai Lenny was destined to become a waterman is an understatement. Sure, his name is Kai, which means “sea” in Hawaiian, but at 30-years-old, he’s proven himself to be one of the greatest watermen the world has ever known.
The son of California transplants–both of whom moved to the North Shore of Maui to surf and windsurf, Kai Lenny has tamed waves, wind and water since he was just a boy, catching his very first wave by 4 years old, a vivid sensation he admits that he’s been chasing to replicate his entire life. Before said milestone, his parents would leave him in a baby bounce swing tied to a tree branch while they windsurfed near shore. But by 6, Kai was windsurfing on his own and entering prone paddle board races (he’s currently a four-time Molokai-2-Oahu Championships winner and world record holder). By 7, he was stand-up paddle surfing and is currently an 8-time world champion in that discipline. By 9 he was kitesurfing, a sport for which he captured the world runner-up title in 2013.
Shortly after that he began tow-in surfing in large waves and then foiling under the tutelage of tow-in godfathers, Dave Kalama and Laird Hamilton. His ascent in the sport has been nothing short of meteoric. He was WSL world runner-up on 2017/18 Big Wave World Tour and won the WSL Big Wave Award for Men’s Best Overall Performance in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2019, he became the youngest person ever inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, additionally in 2020 and 2021, he placed first (with tow partner Lucas Chumbo) in the terrifyingly giant Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge. Lenny also won the Men’s cbdMD XXL Biggest Wave Award in 2020 for his 70-foot wave at that very break.
“He’s one of the true icons of his generation and that entire group on Maui,” says Laird Hamilton. “I think his multifaceted philosophy comes out of Maui a lot. The nature of the conditions there, and the community, it’s so wind-driven and influenced, so you see a lot of creativity. Kiting, foiling, windsurfing, all these things were birthed on Maui, it’s just cool to see what Kai’s been able to do with each one.”
It’s Lenny who has often been credited for spearheading the recent resurgence and current popularity of the global foil boarding boom. His accomplishments within the discipline have been groundbreaking, namely his Molokai2Oahu Race win in 2017, where he hovered the 32 miles downwind in a blistering 2 hours and 52 minutes without getting his toes wet. Just a couple years ago, to raise awareness for the global ocean microplastics problem, Kai foiled to five Hawaiian Islands, (with no motorized assist) kicking off massive coastal beach cleanups on the shorelines of each island. Some of these distances, like the ‘Alenuihähä channel between Hawai‘i Island and Maui, required Lenny balancing on a hydrofoil for 50 miles straight.
“The ocean is like my battery pack,” says Kai. “I get energy from being in the water, and when I’m not, I don’t have that same spark. The light in my eye dims, maybe. I think for my soul itself, there’s no better feeling than riding a wave.”
Beyond his accomplishments and titles of expertise in the ocean, however, Kai continues to collect new monikers. One, recently being “author,” with the release of his successful hardcover book, Big Wave Surfer: The Greatest Rides of our Lives (Rizzoli, 2021). The second, and even more recently, is “Dad,” as Kai welcomed the birth of twin daughters this past year with his wife, Molly.
On the cusp of Season 3 of Kai’s Red Bull series “Life of Kai,” watch for the next incredible aquatic feat that Kai (and his protégé-brother, Ridge) get into.
Additional information about Kai can be found here.
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ABOUT RED BULL MEDIA HOUSE
Red Bull Media House is an award-winning, globally distributed multi-platform media company on a mission to inspire with ‘beyond the ordinary’ stories – both direct-to- consumer and through partnerships. With a focus on sports, culture and lifestyle content, Red Bull Media House offers a wide range of premium media products across TV, mobile, digital, audio, and print. Red Bull Media House produces and licenses a broad selection of global live broadcast events, compelling and inspirational local storytelling with original short and long-form programming as well as feature films from around the world.
ABOUT BIMARIAN FILMS
Bimarian Films is a small creative team based on the central coast of California made up of Keith Malloy, Andrew Schoneberger and Brett Williams. They work on location to help clients tell stories which inform, reveal and inspire.
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