Keahi De Aboitiz

How did you get into all these water sports you’re passionate about?
Growing up in the iconic surf town of Noosa, I started surfing from a very early age. Riding waves has always been my first and biggest passion. The only problem was that those perfect surf days didn’t come too often. My dad was always into a variety of water sports, so he pushed me to try other sports and that was one of the best decisions I ever made. Between surfing, SUP and kiting, it turned all those down days into a whole new world of fun. Now with foiling added to that, there really are no down days. To be able to call it my career has been a dream come true!

What do you do before getting in the water? 
Usually, it’s a lot of checking the forecasts and cameras to decide on the best way to spend the day. I’ll usually let the conditions and crowds dictate what sport I choose.

Tell us about your best memory on the water.
Probably the first kite session I shared with my girlfriend Moona [Whyte] and Matchu Lopes at a mysto slab while shooting for Tunnel Vision. I had dreams of this wave being good for kiting, but it well and truly exceeded our expectations. There’s something special about days like that with good friends trading off barrels and the chase being worth it!

Worst wipeout? 
Dislocating my shoulder while surfing was probably the most painful, and headbutting the reef at Backdoor was a scary one. Getting pulled through the back of a double overhead wave at Teahupo’o while kiting would have to be up there too. Thankfully, nothing too serious on that one but a broken kite and a little chiropractic adjustment was a nice wake-up call.

Who would you like to say thank you to? 
Everyone who has helped me get to where I am today in water sports, especially my parents who helped get me into everything and always believed in me to make it a career.

A few words on your favorite F-ONE product.
The 690 EAGLE sits at the top of my list of favorites for now. Paired with the HM Carbon masts, it’s just an incredibly efficient foil that works amazing for wing, tow and prone foiling. The glide is second to none from anything I’ve tried so far and that feeling is very addictive.