Maui Strong: Kai Lenny Posts Emotional Message and Clip of Wildfire Anniversary Paddle Out
Friday marked the one-month anniversary of the Maui wildfires that ravaged the island, destroyed historical Lahaina, and took homes and lives.
Since then, the community has done an amazing job coming together to heal and move forward.
To show more support and love for survivors and the recovery effort, islanders united for a huge paddle out in Maui waters. Various clips from the event have been widely circulated and show a lotta love and good vibes.
Lenny posted the clip above on Saturday and captioned it:
"Maui came together for the biggest paddle out I’ve ever seen. It was emotional, surreal, and incredible. Hard to believe it has been a month since the fires in Lahaina & Kula. We pray for those we’ve lost and will continue to help those that have lost everything. #MauiStrong📷 @ryanjohnson.mov @tuckerwooding"
The post shows hundreds of people in the ocean on boards, boats, and jet skis. Prayers were said, flowers were spread in the water, and a message of hope was shared.
In one part of the clip, we can see that Lenny joined the gathering on a jet ski with his wife, Molly, and their twin girls.
The community paddle out also offered music, food, mental wellness resources, and activities for kids.
Members of the surf community have been super active on the front lines of fire recovery, with notable watermen like Lenny and Archie Kalepa taking action on the ground. Others, like Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, and John John Florence have used their status as a platform to share information on how to help with donations.
Meanwhile, surfers and shapers state-wide have also come together to organize surfboard donations for Maui residents who lost boards in the flames.
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