Not the biggest, but one of the most hectic waves Kai Lenny has ever attempted. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Kai Lenny has made a career out of surfing incredibly dangerous waves. Not just surfing them, either. He’s made a career of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in dangerous surf. But on a semi-recent trip to Ireland with Nate Florence, another guy who enjoys waves of the more deadly persuasion, he surfed a wave so dangerous he wonders whether it’s the most dangerous wave he’s ever surfed.
No surf trip to Ireland is complete without visiting Mullaghmore, of course, so they pointed themselves there almost directly after touching down. Of course, no surf trip anywhere is complete without a delayed board bag, so Kai had to ride on borrowed equipment. Luckily, he hangs around some of the best big wave surfers in the world, so the equipment isn’t too shoddy. He is well accustomed to all manner of boards, so it never takes Kai long to get his feet set properly in the wax – even if he’s borrowing gear.
The next morning, Kai was awoken by Nate Florence before the sun was up. With bananas in hand and surfboards packed in, they hit the road for a leg of Florence’s Slab Tour. First up: Riley’s, a wave so slabby it feels like concrete.
“The wave looks super dangerous,” Kai said. “It’s super sketchy. It’s on a dry rock slab, and even the locals here are saying it’s probably borderline… This place is just insane. Scary, but insane.”
After catching a handful of tow waves, Kai fell victim to the power of the place. A few more waves on the head later, and navigating a vortex of foaming, angry water, he was picked up by the rescue ski. That, unfortunately, ended up with the tow rope sucked into the ski’s impeller. But the rescue was the important part, and Kai needed it.
“I was asking a higher power to come and get me,” he laughed from the safety of deeper water. “And then Peter came!”
