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First downwind SUP hydrofoiling run - 2016
World First Snapshot
- First Title
- First downwind SUP hydrofoiling ride
- Discipline
Downwind Foiling 
SUP Foiling- Class
- Open / Downwind Run
- Measured Result
- First - (First only)
- Date
- 2016-04-30
- Location
- Unknown
- First Achieved By
- Kai Lenny
World First Spotlight
Monster Council Approval
Kip, along with the foiling community at large, has given this glorious achievement the official Foiling Freaks nod for Downwind Foiling.
May it inspire better evidence, cleaner runs, bigger claims, and even louder hooting from the crowd.
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The Epic Record Run
Men's Journal later summarized the moment as the first-ever downwind SUP hydrofoiling footage published by SUP magazine in April 2016. The public clip showed Kai Lenny gliding above rolling ocean bumps on a stand-up paddle hydrofoil, a visual that helped many riders understand that a foil could connect open-water swell energy rather than merely lift on a wave face. The footage quickly became a reference point for the modern downwind SUP foil movement.
Rules of the Beast
First publicly documented instance, identified in a reputable SUP or watersports source, of a rider using a stand-up paddle hydrofoil to sustain a downwind glide on open-water swell energy. The entry should be supported by dated public media or an article that clearly frames the moment as a first or defining first public reveal.
How This Got the Nod
Retrospective firstness statement from Men's Journal, paired with the original dated rider post.
Video Proof From the Vault
Kai Lenny's April 2016 clip became the defining public reveal of downwind SUP foiling.