Kai Lenny nominated for XXL Big Wave Awards - on a SUP!

Kai's kitchen, with the board he used on the right. Those guns on the floor are the new Naish shapes by Gerry Lopez. 
The Billabong XXL Big Wave awards are one of the most prestigious in the surfing world. Reserved for surfers of the highest caliber, and recognising the skill, determination and in some cases luck required to surf the biggest waves in the world. Until now, it’s been a bunch of surfers, both the paddle-in and the tow-in kind.

This year, Kai Lenny is paddling-in with a different style, taking the drop at Jaws on a stand up paddle board. As far as we can tell, it’s the first ever nomination in the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards for a wave surfed by SUP, and it marks a huge occasion for the sport.

If anyone could do it, it’s Kai Lenny, but that fact aside it’s remarkable that anybody can navigate a stand up paddle board through the labyrinth known as Peahi on a big day. Also known as Jaws, the break is the most commonly featured in the awards, with regular super-sized swell rolling in during the Australian Summer, their winter.

Last year Jamie Mitchel was nominated for the wipeout award, and we were excited because he’s usually on a stand up paddle board. But the nomination was for surfing a shortboard (well, a gun). We claimed it anyway, but finally we have a nominee we can seriously root for!!!

It’s an early entry to the awards, which won’t be announced until later next year, but until then get behind Kai Lenny to become the first ever Stand Up Paddler to WIN the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards, while riding a SUP.