Kai is a Waikīkī local whose surfing roots trace back to his dad’s beach boy days. He started bodyboarding at The Wall, then paddled out on his first board at Canoes at age 10 — and never looked back. By 12, he had his first custom board, entered the Gold’s Gym Contest at Queens, and made the podium. Inspired by legends like Russ K, Bonga Perkins, and Dino Miranda, Kai blended power with performance longboarding and soon caught the eye of Donald Takayama, eventually joining Hawaiian Pro Designs. Working closely with shaper Tommy Maus, Kai refined Takayama’s models to fit his style and went on to become one of the world’s top longboarders, winning the ISA World Championship in 2018 and podiuming on the WSL Longboard Tour. Later, he partnered with Maus and Yu Sumitomo of Thunderbolt Tech to bring their designs to a global stage — solidifying his place in surfing history.