Interview by Indies Trader (IT) with photos by Damea Dorsey
As the season is drawing to a close in the RMI we thought we would catch up with former multiple world kitesurfing champ Keahi De Aboitz about his best week at Beran Island Resort (Keahi spent more time than anyone on island this year) and logged the most days in the water out of anyone. One particular week was special so we collected some content from our archive and cobbled together this little offering about how a perfect week on island feels.
IT: So tell us about your best week on island Keahi.
KD: We had plenty of fun waves for most of the season, but yeah I think we got pretty lucky on that one. It was a little unfortunate for some that a re-supply run was going on but we lucked out and scored a few days of really fun waves. I think that was the best few days in a row we had all season there … just consistent fun waves, a little bit of wind some days for kiting and some really glassy days for surfing. I mean perfect barrels with 3 good friends is always gonna be hard to beat.
One of the things that really is new to the sport of surfing and tube riding specifically is the surfers ability to slow down in the tube. In this pic you can see Keahi is just about to get his second hand into the face to get the brakes on.
IT: So from your POV what’s so good about Amnesia? What do you like so much about that wave?
KD: I think the nice thing about Amnesia is that it picks up the most swell in terms of being a good quality wave as well. On those days when the swell direction is right and it’s clean and you don’t have those big tides … it’s just such a fun wave. I guess it’s not as long as some of the other waves but it’s still just a perfect 4-6 second barrel that can handle a bit of size. It’s also one of my favorite waves to kite with the way it bends and how it handles the wind. It’s nice that it’s a little deeper water too so you don’t feel like you’re going to hit the bottom as bad there. Makes it pretty hard to beat on a good day.
IT: So how many barrels do you reckon you got across that week?
KD: Ahhhh, that’s a tough one. Between surfing and kiting I must have had at least 20 good ones and a lot more fun ones… haha. Reo always gets a bunch too and it was good to see my girlfriend Moona packing a few bombs. That was one of the best sessions she’s had in a while too.
IT: So of the sessions you have had this year where do you put that week on a scale of 1-10?
KD: Ahhhh that was pretty up there, I mean I had a couple days with pretty good waves in Hawaii but it’s just one of those things … you can’t beat days like that where it’s 4-6 feet and perfect barrels with three of your best friends out. Thats the dream right there!
