Though he spends most of his time on the water, six-time standup paddling world champion Kai Lenny is as grounded as they come. Mentored by legendary watermen such as Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama and Robby Naish, the 23-year-old Maui native grew up windsurfing, hydrofoiling, surfing, standup paddling, kitesurfing and towing in with the best of them, and has been charging Pe‘ahi, the fabled big-wave break also known as Jaws, since he was 16 years old. At 18, he made history as the first-ever SUP world champion at the inaugural Standup World Tour in 2010.
But what fires him up even more than collecting world titles and taking off on pristine waves around the globe is instilling in others the same respect and appreciation for the ocean that drives him to the lineup like a moth to flame. He created the Positively Kai Foundation in 2015 to support ocean-minded organizations like Nä Kama Kai, a local nonprofit founded by fellow surfer Duane DeSoto, with the goal of partnering in youthdriven initiatives geared toward ocean safety and environmental education.
