Austin Kalama

Head Instructor

Austin grew up on Maui with his father and legendary big wave surfer, Dave Kalama. Dave and his tow partner Laird Hamilton invented tow-in surfing (a method of surfing where the rider is pulled into the wave by a jet ski) at Maui’s Pe’ahi (AKA Jaws) and starred in surfing films like “Riding Giants.” He and Laird’s work catapulted the rapid progression of big wave surfing over the past few decades, and Austin has surely carried his torch. Austin is one of Hawaii’s most respected up-and-coming big wave riders and has himself ridden some eye-opening waves at Jaws. Austin is truly a complete waterman, and in addition to surfing, he is a world-class foil board rider (a foil is a board that catches the wave’s energy with an underwater hydrofoil and rises above the water) and stands up paddler.