There isn’t much champion surfer Kai Lenny hasn’t done in the water.
In addition to big-wave surfing, the 24-year-old is a six-time Stand-up Paddleboard World Champion, kiteboarder, and windsurfer who calls riding a wave his “favorite thing in the world.” But the Maui-born Red Bull athlete is taking on a new challenge: paddling through the chain of Hawaiian islands.
His adventure will including passing through the Alenuihaha Channel, known as one of the most dangerous crossings in the world due to its high winds, rough waters, and sharks. But Lenny isn’t doing this just to be a daredevil: He’s doing it to protect his home state’s beloved beaches.
Along with adventure filmmaker Alison Teal, Lenny is leading the first ever statewide beach clean-up, starting and ending in Oahu with stops in Kauai, the Big Island, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, from March 25 to March 31.
Members of the local communities (and visitors, of course) are encouraged to jump in and clean alongside the duo, as part of an initiative from Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii and The 5 Gyres Institute. The stops will prioritize Hawaii’s “dirtiest beaches” in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of keeping coastlines clean — and stopping plastics from entering the ocean.
Have plans to be beachside in the Aloha state this month? You can find the list of events on the Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii website. And if you need some inspiration to get out there, just take a scroll through our favorite Hawaiian beaches.