Motosurf Nation met with Kai Lenny after riding Jaws with a JetSurf for the first time. Below his first impressions.
HOW DID FEEL TO BE AT JAWS WITH THE JETSURF?
KL: It was the craziest. I’m so used to surfing Jaws with just my two hands and as soon as I was on the JetSurf I had all of this speed and power. I could go anywhere so quickly. It was incredible.
HOW DID YOU FEEL ON THAT FIRST WAVE?
KL: The board is meant for flat water so I was a little nervous because what you ride on flat water is definitely different than what you’d ride on a big wave at Jaws. I started on the shoulder but soon enough I could feel that the board has so much power and speed, if I was caught inside or behind I could use the engine to leave if I needed to. As the day went on I felt more and more comfortable.
HOW WAS IT RIDING SWITCH STANCE AT JAWS?
KL: It didn’t feel weird, I felt so confortable on it, because of kitesurfing and windsurfing. It actually didn’t even cross my mind while I was out there. I was totally fine and I always ride the JetSurf goofy foot so I can be precise with the trigger on my right hand.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO SURF JAWS ON A JETSURF?
KL: It’s always cool to try new things and approach Jaws from different perspectives. The JetSurf was the closest thing I’ve done to tow surfing out there in years. It’s a really good feeling. The cool thing with the JetSurf out there is if you have a good tow shape for it, you’ll just end up tow surfing yourself into waves, which would be awesome!
I think the sky is the limit with Jetsurf because the faster it goes you’ll be able to ride waves that are on another level, and go in positions you go couldn’t go in before because normally you don’t have the power to go there.
With big wave surfing there is definitely a pure form to approach it which is paddling, but if you’re gonna get towed into a wave why not have the power on you so you can really go deep and be in positions where you’d never be able to go when you’re paddling – ever. Maybe one day you’d be able to but not this millennium J. The Jetsurf allows you to go places where only few people have ever been able to go.
WHAT WERE THE FIRST REACTIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND YOU?
KL: I think everyone sees a different perspective of the JetSurf. I think it a surfer’s worst nightmare potentially…imagine 10 of those guys going every where… but at the same time, the open minded guys are going to look at it and be like wow, that just opens a whole new door for tow in surfing, for big wave surfing. I mean, with this, you can go to waves aren’t lined up. Jaws is perfect wave but I can go now surf waves that size that are too messy to go paddle out in or just too dangerous. I could always be a little safer. I think what people can see with the JetSurf is that you’ll be able to ride ride big waves a lot more often then just the perfect days. And people always hated on SUP, when they see me on that maybe they’ll have some new thing to hate on but the good thing about it… it will easily change the future of big wave surfing because now that the storms are getting bigger, more gnarly, and more powerful we’re gonna be able to ride unridable surf. I think it’s just progression, and why not use the technology to go further that progression? I think it’s exciting.
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