We've loved seeing so many different sides of Barack Obama emerge post-presidency — from vacationing at a sleek Coachella Valley property to wearing the most chill-bro, backwards-baseball hat ensemble imaginable. Each week there seems to be a fresh bit of news about how our former president is maximizing his vacation time.
This morning, we learned that 44 is really into surfing, but he wasn't allowed to practice the sport while he was in office. And he had none other than entrepreneur Richard Branson to reintroduce him to it — and teach him some new tricks — while on a blissful post-inauguration sojourn to Branson's private island in the Virgin Islands.
Branson wrote about their adventure on Virgin.com: "One of the first stories Barack told me when he and Michelle arrived on Moskito Island was how, just before he became President, he had been surfing on a dangerous break in Hawaii. When he came in from an exhilarating session, the new head of his security team turned to him and said: 'This will be the last time you surf for eight years.' For the next eight years he didn’t have the chance to surf, enjoy water sports, or do many of the things he loved."
Well, that all changed on vacation with Branson. They challenged each other: "Could Barack learn to kitesurf before I learned to foilboard? We agreed to have a final-day battle to see who could stay up the longest."
As you can see in the video, they both fell a few times, but they kept trying and made progress. They even partook in some friendly competition, writes Branson: "We were neck and neck until the last run on the last day, when I got up on the foilboard and screamed along for over 50 [meters], three feet above the water. I was feeling very pleased with myself, only to look over and see Barack go 100 [meters] on his kiteboard! I had to doff my cap to him and celebrate his victory."
Lead the free world? Check. Learn how to kitesurf? Check. We can't wait to see what adventures are next. Hopefully, the Obamas will take us along for the ride.
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