Stand-up Paddleboarding Jaws, Hawaii

Stand-up Paddleboarding Jaws, Hawaii

Photograph by Richard Hallman

Getting the Shot
“Things at Jaws happen so fast, I wasn't sure it was even Kai taking off on the wave until my Skidoo driver pointed and said, ‘Kai Lenny,’ ” recalls surf photographer Richard Hallman. “I focused my attention on the wave because I knew he was riding stand-up and even though the wave was

small for Jaws, it was big for stand-up. He had a spectacular air drop.”
Lenny dropped into the wave, and Hallman continued to photograph the 20-foot ride until Lenny fell. “I knew right away with the few last frames in my camera that it was a particularly bad fall. My biggest concern at this point was his safety.”
Rescue Jet Skis rushed to help when Lenny resurfaced, and Hallman noticed Lenny’s foot was bleeding. “I immediately took a photo with my 70-200mm zoom camera—the zoom allowed me to see the severity of the cut. My experience as a former trauma nurse told me that this was a particularly bad cut,” he says.
“Nothing about big waves is routine. I think that is the why big-waving surfing is such a draw for me," Hallman continues. "It is daunting and challenging as a surfer and as a photographer. It truly is otherworldly to be pressed against the edge of so much energy and to watch these modern-day gladiators drop down these mountains of water.”