"I remember being super terrified!"
Don’t you love it when the good guy wins? I know surfers are touchy as hell, but can we all agree that Kai Lenny is the sweetest, loveliest, most adorable boy in surf?
Yes? Of course!
Earlier today, Kai, who is twenty four years old and the master of all sorts of surf craft including the suddenly popular hydrofoil, beat a diverse field of Australians, Mexicans, Portuguese, an Italian, a Brit and some Hawaiians to win a compelling one-day event in twelve-foot beachbreak tubes.
“I remember coming here last year and being super terrified because I had never been here,” says Kai.“My goal today was to not hold back and – when a good one came – go no matter what. It was a pleasure competing with these guys. Any one of them could have won if they got the waves and I was just grateful to get that last one in the end. It was so special.”
Perhaps even more impressive than Kai was the board paddler turned big-waver Jamie Mitchell who competed despite busting his sternum after being hit by his board at Puerto three weeks earlier.
“There are so many guys wanting to be where we are right now. They are animals,” says Jamie. “You just go into beast mode and try to numb out the pain.
Do you want to watch an abbreviated highlights package?
Here’s Kai’s contest-winning cabana.
Billy Kemper came out of this tube contorted like one of the gargoyles of Notre Dame.
And the wipeouts! Funny!
2017 BWT Puerto Escondido Challenge Final Results:
1 – Kai Lenny (HAW) 23.53
2 – Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 18.64
3 – Tom Lowe (GBR) 12.23
4 – Billy Kemper (HAW) 8.50
5 – Alex Botelho (PRT)
6 – Trevor Carlson (HAW) 2.46
2017 BWT Puerto Escondido Challenge Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Billy Kemper (HAW) 16.89, Trevor Carlson (HAW) 12.27, Alex Botelho (PRT) 8.07, Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 7.94, Jimel Corzo (MEX) 7.13, Nathan Florence (HAW) 6.73
SF 2: Tom Lowe (GBR) 15.34, Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 12.54, Kai Lenny (HAW) 11.27, Nic Lamb (USA) 10.77, Oscar Moncada (MEX) 6.00, Rogercin Ramirez (MEX) 1.64
2017 BWT Puerto Escondido Challenge Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Billy Kemper (HAW) 24.17, Trevor Carlson (HAW) 17.60, Nathan Florence (HAW) 16.34, Grant Baker (ZAF) 11.53, Angelo Lozano (MEX) 8.64, Cristian Merello (CHL) 2.16
Heat 2: Jimel Corzo (MEX) 12.77, Alex Botelho (PRT) 11.74, Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 10.37, Coco Nogales (MEX) 8.07, Peter Mel (USA) 6.83, Will Skudin (USA) 3.13
Heat 3: Tom Lowe (GBR) 18.06, Kai Lenny (HAW) 16.54, Nic Lamb (USA) 13.97, Rusty Long (USA) 13.51, Pedro Calado (BRA) 10.86, Jose Ramirez (MEX) 7.77
Heat 4: Oscar Moncado (MEX) 12.66, Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 10.31, Rogercin Ramirez (MEX) 8.10, Francisco Porcella (ITA) 7.66, Damien Hobgood (USA) 6.53, João de Macedo (PRT) 5.63
2017 WSL Big Wave Tour Schedule:
Southern Hemisphere: May 1 – August 31, 2017
Puerto Escondido Challenge: Puerto Escondido, Mexico
Northern Hemisphere: October 15, 2017 – January 31, 2018
Nazaré Challenge: Nazaré, Portugal
Pe’ahi Challenge: Haiku, Hawaii
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That was underwhelming. Puerto looks like a big sandy overrated closeout.
And yeah Billy had the better wave. Nothing against Kai, I think he rips. But a head dip-to-claim seemed a little, um, underwhelming
Was Kai Lenny channeling Lance Burkhart or Jack Barlow on that board?
They’re all (BWT) boring to me anyway!
So throbbing!
Is there a niche for a “biggish waves tour”?
That’s why it’s a “bronze” event.
They should rename it:
Bronze: biggish;
Silver: Not quite the shit, but pretty close;
Gold: Let’s watch the mayhem!
It should be Jaws, Nazare and then tin.
Australian! Singular, as there was only one, also one Chilean, one Saffa and one Brazzo. Just saying…
Honest question: for Puerto, is that legit BWT big, or just WCT big? I’m not fucking with it either way, just wondering.
Puerto isnt even in the southern hemisphere?
Angriest makua
No, that Nick Lamb was soooo angry when the jet ski failed to appear for him due to technical issues. His little fists were clenched and his big brow was furrowed.
I did see that the sled flew up on the main guys ski there wasn’t any way to mount it, he was acting like a biggity bitch.
Billy’s barrel should have scored higher in my opinion. Might have been clipped at the end but he was way more committed.