15 MINUTES WITH KEAHI DE ABOUTIZ

A world class athlete in surfing both with a sup and a kite (7th in the 2014 Men’s Stand Up World Tour rankings and 2x KSP World Tour Champion), 23 year old Keahi enjoys a broader frame of reference than most regarding the interplay between those disciplines. We grabbed him between flights to Morocco (one of which he missed, Lufthansa’s fault, not ours) to speak about the new JP Surf Slate, dog surfing and threading barrels…

Photos Reo Stevens & Thorsten Indra

This feature originally appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of SUP International. Print and digital subscriptions for readers worldwide are available HERE.)

SUP: Saw on FB that you got up to some successful dog surfing at the Noosa Festival of Surfing. Any tips for making this work?
KdA: Personally I don’t have any dogs but my dad has three so I get to hang out with him and his dogs when I’m back home.  He actually works as a dog whisperer/trainer so he’s pretty good at everything involving the dogs. I guess the biggest thing is just starting them early and making sure that it’s something they enjoy. Start them paddling in the river or flat water and see if they like that. A lot of dogs seem to like it though whether its looking for fish from the board or just spending time with their owners.

SUP: Do you find that being involved with several sports can hinder you from exploring other avenues in standup away from the surf; i.e kiting rather than a downwinder?
KdA: Yeah it does seem to a little bit, but either way I’m doing something fun so it’s not really a big deal. As long as I’m doing something to make the most of the windy conditions I’m happy. I haven’t done many sup down winders but they were definitely more fun then I expected and I can see why so many people enjoy them. For me it sometimes just comes down to logistics. Transporting and storing a downwind board can be difficult where as with kiting it’s pretty small and easy to take anywhere.

SUP: How do you find the new Surf Slate and what advantages and limitations do you see in this emerging parallel type of shape?
KdA: It’s definitely a pretty fun board and I think it is something a lot of guys will enjoy riding. Due to the template you can pack a lot of volume into a relatively small and narrow shape which is generally a lot harder to do with normal style boards.  The parallel rails also make the board really fast and drivey which makes it excel in long wally waves where you can open up your turns and put the board on a rail. Although I think there are a couple things we could develop, I think we are off to a great start as we perfect the shape in the future.

SUP: Between standup and kiting, what would you say is the most demanding on the body?
KdA: That’s a bit of a hard one but probably standup. Although they work different muscles I think sup is more of an overall workout and a little more tiring. With kiting the harness takes most of the strain so it’s generally not as tiring. I still think shortboard surfing is one of the most physically demanding sports you can do though. It always amazes me how quick you lose this fitness when you don’t surf for awhile.

SUP: And again between standup and kiting, which do you find is the most competitive arena?
KdA: I generally find sup a little more challenging when it comes to competition.  With kiting I find it easier to choose good waves without any hassling.  Because you’re already planing, once you pick up a swell outside it’s yours and there’s no real hassling. With standup especially in smaller, less consistent waves, it sometimes turns into a wave catching contest and it comes down to tactics which I’ve never been a fan of. Priority heats are better but in previous years it’s always been hard with four man heats. Although I’ve had some good results in the sup, I’ve had a lot more success in kiting and I think it mostly comes down to this.

SUP: When there’s just a couple of you out in a heat at a wave like Sunset, do you get the time to appreciate being able to surf it so uncrowded or is all your focus on the job at hand?
KdA: It really depends on the conditions. When it’s big out there and you’re in four man heat you can get a little lonely at times which is actually pretty nice. I like when you feel like you’re surfing against yourself more and not fighting for waves. When it’s conditions like we had this year on the final day, it almost feels more crowded in a way. When there are 4 guys competing for tiny waves it really turns into a hassle fest and I always hated this about competition

SUP: How do you see the way that younger surfers and gromms now perceive standup, with the lower volume boards, power turns, airs etc…?
KdA: Things have definitely changed and the boards are getting pretty crazy. It’s now not uncommon to see guys riding boards that are completely under water when they stop and it’s pretty hard to keep up with to be honest. Personally I think it takes some of the fun out of it once you go to small, but whatever you lose in stability, you definitely make up in terms of performance. Some of the smaller boards surf insane which you can see with what guys are doing on them now. You just need to try find that balance where it’s
small enough to rip but still manageable to stand on.

SUP: Can you talk a little bit about your favourite type of wave to ride standup? Where would be a good real world example of it?
KdA: It kinda depends. Although it may not be considered ideal conditions for standup, I’ve always loved pulling into barrels, so big throaty barrels still take the cake. The good thing about standup is in those smaller more gutless conditions that’s where they really shine as you can create a lot more speed and drive with a bigger board.  I always thought the points at Noosa were great waves for sup as they tend to be super long offering up all sorts of different sections whether it’s barrels, turns or airs.

SUP: It seems like the majority of videos we see of you feature you standing tall in a delicious tube somewhere. What are the main challenges of getting barrelled on an sup and what tips can you give people to overcome them?
KdA: Obviously the size and width makes things a little harder, but you’d be amazed at what you can fit a sup into. A lot of it comes down to feet placement. If you look at most pictures of me, you’ll notice that I’m generally pretty far forward on my board with my feet pretty close to the inside rail. This really helps the board sit in the right position in the barrel and has given me some amazing views over the year. The good thing about sup is when it comes to setting up for a wave, things are a lot easier. Because you are already standing you can position yourself a little easier before a wave and get in early. ‘Cause you’re already on your feet, you generally have more time so there’s plenty of time to set up for the barrel.

SUP: Finally, how do you maintain such a strong desire for continual improvement? Is anyone mentoring you? Do you have a personal mantra / motto?
KdA: I just love trying to keep pushing the sports and pushing myself. The biggest motivation for me is seeing other guys doing something crazy and wanting to replicate it or put my own twist on it. Everyone has their own style so I try to bring my own twist to it sometimes. I just love showing people what’s possible on all the different crafts. SUP

“  I like it when you feel like you’re surfing against yourself more, and not fighting for waves ”