What were you doing at 16? Photo: Kai Lenny // Instagram
Kai Lenny and Laird Hamilton have a lot in common. They’re both known as not only big wave chargers, but multi-hyphenate watermen who embrace new technology. They also have a long history together, as Lenny showed in a clip he recently posted to Instagram.
The quick edit is a throwback to around 2008, when Lenny got the call from Hamilton and Dave Kalama to surf Jaws. Under their tutelage, the young Lenny took on the beast for the first time – spring-boarding a career that would not only return him to that storied break many times, but to the most consequential waves in the world.
“I was 16 years old, surfing Jaws with Laird Hamilton,” he wrote in the caption. “A dream come true.”
Hamilton took some time to wax poetic on his own Instagram, as well. “Interesting how time bends and moves,” he wrote in the caption to a photo of him and young Lenny “Now he’s a man with three daughters. Enjoy all of your moments and, as an unknown soldier so wisely said, ‘Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.'”
“Thank you for carving the path that so many of us have been fortunate enough to follow,” replied Kai. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without your mentorship along the way. Grateful for everything.”
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