Push it to the limit. Past the point of no return. Walk along the razor’s edge, but don’t look down, just keep your head, or you’ll be finished. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Kai Lenny is an explorer. Of places, yes. But even more so, he’s an explorer of his own limits. That’s an ever-shifting bar, because the more he looks for his limits, the farther he pushes them. And on March 3, a good opportunity arose to test not only his own limits, but the limits of big wave foiling as well.
“On March 3, 2025, we had a surprise late-season Jaws swell,” he wrote. “Not massive, but ultra-clean with hardly anyone around. This was the perfect opportunity to push my big wave foiling to the next level.”
Lenny’s big wave foiling exploits are already the stuff of legend, especially at Jaws. He’s got a unique mindset; a singular focus on becoming the absolute best big wave surfer he can possibly be. But since big waves aren’t always available, he’s found different ways to train.
“You can’t go out and ride big waves every single day, so you’ve gotta find ways to simulate it,” he told The Inertia. “I would say that shortboarding in small waves is one way to get your technique really dialed. When you get on a big wave you have all the time in the world, whereas in small waves you have very little time. With foiling you get the sensation of speed and control and you’re able to surf basically any condition good or bad. Adding on the windsports, you get the training in speed through chop and for flying through the air. So all these other sports have really helped me excel in big wave riding.”
