Picture a wave in your mind. Odds are, you thought about the North Shore. The Seven Mile Miracle holds a central place in the world of surfing – and Pipeline in particular has a well-earned reputation as the epicenter of the sport. However, all that reputation and history can cast some of the rest of Hawaii in shadow, as Kai Lenny showed in his latest video.
To bring some of those other surf spots into the light, Lenny enlisted Jack Ho. Ho is a practitioner of a wide variety of watersports (much like Lenny), and, as his nickname “Jack From Town” would suggest, the ultimate ambassador and advocate for his home city of Waikiki.
Together, the pair ventured into the waters off of Waikiki to cruise along on longboards and SUPs. As Kai noted, despite the fact that they were only a short jaunt from his home island of Maui, the whole thing felt like a full-blown surf trip. “Waikiki is such an iconic place,” he said. “Just seeing that Diamond Head mountain in the background, it definitely feels like a surf trip and I just flew 30 minutes from Maui. Coming over here for a day trip, it’s pretty unique and special.”
As Ho added, it was also nice for Waikiki to get some recognition from a surfer who is more often known to charge the world’s biggest waves. “It’s awesome to have one of the best surfers in the world come to town and give the nod of approval to the waves we have here in Waikiki,” he said. “People think of Hawaii and they think of the North Shore and big waves like Waimea Bay and Pipeline, but I think a lot of people forget that there’s a big prominent surf culture right here in town. The evidence is right behind me: Ala Moana. Hundreds of beachgoers and hundreds of surfers enjoying their week and a pumping south swell.”
