Eddie Aikau invitee and widely respected North Shore charger Kohl Christensen lives what many would consider a dream life on his off-grid farm in Oahu.

For many years towing was considered the front line of progression in big wave surfing, however around 2009 the focus of international hellmen started to move away from machine-assisted surfing to using paddle power alone to get them into the worlds biggest waves.

Christensen played a key role in this renaissance, which involved drawing heavily from big wave surfing’s past whilst also utilising modern board design to propel the sport into the future and re-define what was possible.

Christensen’s move towards an off-grid life was undoubtedly similarly informed by observing the sustainable and close to nature lifestyles of our forefathers, whilst utilising modern tech to create the kind of environmentally conscious existence desired by many in 2017.

Along side designing and building his own living space, Christensen has set up a solar energy business, organises big wave safety summits from his home, grows food, charges big waves and is a Patagonia ambassador.

Recently the folks at The Inertia paid him a little visit to discuss his life, his off-grid home and balancing his variety of roles.

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