If you’re of a certain age, you likely remember the film Step Into Liquid. In it, Dave Kalama says something about the conditions on Maui. “It gets windy so often that if you don’t learn to take advantage of the wind,” he said, “you’re going to be a real sourpuss of a surfer because it’s not that good over here very often.”
That may be why surfers like Kai Lenny are so well-rounded. Maui sure does have a lot to offer ocean-wise, but you’ve got to be the type of person who makes lemonade out of lemons. Kai has the equipment and the know-how to make real sweet lemonade, and one of his favorite ingredients is the kite.
He recently went out at one of his favorite spots, Ho’okipa, amid gusty conditions. “The winds were gusting 10 to 50 knots at Lanes and made kitesurfing challenging but really rewarding when I could actually link a turn,” he wrote. “When the wind backed off just enough I was able to catch a few waves surfing.”
Kai’s not the only one who has mastered the kite. It was recently announced that Patri McLaughlin kitesurfed the biggest wave ever at Jaws last year. Jaws, where foiling first really became something that was feasible, is a windy place. That’s part of the reason why foiling is so popular there — as is the case with kite surfing.
