Kai Lenny hydrofoil
How good is the ability to ride a wave to its death and then pump…pump…pump… and catch the next wave behind it! What a future it would beckon…

How to: Surf a Hydro-Foil!

Kai Lenny is a total ocean savant. Watch his mastery of the hydro-foil surfboard.

Hydrofoils are crazy business. They’ve been around lakes and rivers for a long time. You’d see some seated weirdo bouncing big airs behind a boat every once in a while.

I think Laird was the first guy to take them in the ocean. The first I’m aware of, at least. Snowboard boots and tow ins on custom made equipment. Innovative. Not exactly accessible to normal humans.

Until Kai Lenny came around and started getting into it. First on a downwind SUP, which looks pretty fun, if very difficult. And insanely tough on your leg muscles.

Kai Lenny and the First Foil Downwinder

Now he’s paddling in on a shortboard with a foil stuck on the bottom, kicking out and pumping his way into the wave following.

Very impressive. Lenny’s a total ocean savant. Even he don’t make it look all that easy. Definitely gotta be more difficult than it looks.

Or so I hope. Lenny playing around on the thing is really cool, nothing bad about it. A million bozos doing the same, hop hop pumping through the lineup, trying to catch wave after wave without stopping, would be a nightmare.

Like sharing a skatepark with BMX barneys. Not that bike guys are inherently lame, but there’s a certain type that pedals around instead of pumping. Does ten-minute long “lines” without taking a break. Very selfish. Totally infuriating to anyone patiently waiting their turn.

Kai Lenny Hydrofoil Surfing
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A$AP Honky
A$AP Honky
10 years ago

poor mans jetski

Gra Murdoch
Gra Murdoch
10 years ago

duckdiving under a foil rider on a wave will be all sorts of fun. In a garrotted entrails and giblets kind of way.

Ben Collins
Ben Collins
10 years ago

Are BMX people the stand-up paddle boarders of the skate park? I have never been big on skating so I’d be interested to know…

Rory Parker
Rory Parker
10 years ago
Reply to  Ben Collins

They can be. They pedal instead of pump, their pegs fuck everything up when they bail.

But most of them are cool.

Albino Pelican
Albino Pelican
10 years ago

I cannot wait for the first moron to get a hold of one of these! The GoPro footage alone is going to be worth every ounce of bloodshed.

nyc surfing golden boy
nyc surfing golden boy
10 years ago

you need more articles. heres a good one.

top 5 felonious surfers:

1. chris ward
2. sunny garcia
3. kala alexander
4. mickey neilsen
5. chris davidson

honorable mention: eddie “teflon” rothman

capn birdseye
capn birdseye
10 years ago

This is end of days shit people. Forget the four horseman of the apocalypse, there’s just one and hes riding a motherfucking hydro foil.

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
10 years ago
Reply to  capn birdseye

And it’s Donald Trump. (In my nightmare scenario at least.)

Jocks
Jocks
10 years ago
Reply to  capn birdseye

A SUP. Only faster, maintains momentum and has sharper bits

Can’t fucking wait for the kooks to discover this shit

Dumb Florida Redneck
Dumb Florida Redneck
10 years ago

I’m gonna put four skateboards on top of each other and make the ” training” version. That way everyone will have broken wrists and it’ll impede the development of this ” groundbreaking” craft.

Otto
Otto
10 years ago

He’d look WAY more cool than Laird if he had a hat, not just any hat

Mapski
Mapski
10 years ago
Reply to  Otto

Make one these in niobium foil and you’ve got an excellent shark repellent.

shootsthen
shootsthen
10 years ago
Reply to  Mapski

Haha; “for 99.99”


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