Big Wave Surfer Kai Lenny Talks Waves, Life, and Family on New Podcast (Listen)

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"Behind every great man is a great woman," is an old-school saying.

But when it comes to Maui waterman Kai Lenny, replace "woman" with "family," and you've got the foundation for the newest episode of Red Bull's "Family Crest" podcast.

In particular, host Peter Flax's goal is to talk to the best surfers in the world about "how their families impacted their journeys to become high performing athletes."

Red Bull's website gave an overview of the podcast:

"From SUP to foiling, Kai Lenny is a Renaissance man in the surf game.

"However, Kai’s parents can attest to how being multifaceted can also work against you, as it did for Kai in the early days of his pro career. Nowadays, Kai and his brother Ridge are chasing big waves together—and big business.

"This episode charts the family unit behind one of the most dynamic surfers in the water and how the biggest wave has yet to come for Kai Lenny. Featured voices include Kai’s parents, Paula and Martin Lenny, and brother Ridge."

Listen to the full episode here to listen to Lenny and his family talk about life and surfing. But before you do, here's a few of our favorite Lenny quotes from the show:

  • "I was just going to be a waterperson no matter what because that was the environment I was thrown into."

  • "My earliest memories of life were actually on the cliff at Jaws watching massive waves."

  • "Every time a big swell would come my parents would take me and my brother out of school and we'd play hooky. We'd go to the cliff and watch these massive waves with people who'd end up becoming my heroes riding them."

  • "My earliest memory of myself actually catching a wave was when I was four years old."

  • "It felt like adream, like I was in the right place at the right time in the universe. That day changed my life."

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