Keahi de Aboitiz spent his early teenage years longboarding - as is the lot of a kid born near the Noosa points.

In his mid-teens he began kite surfing. Unusually, it was kiting that got him into shortboarding; the speed and power provided by the wind was an ample substitute for the soft-topped waves Noosa has for most of the year.

In recent years he's been closing the divide between surfing and kite surfing: He rides similar boards, pulls similar moves- carving and getting barrelled like a surfer - and in waves of consequence or quality he uses the kite for positioning.

"I've always seen kite surfing like driving your own jetski," says Keahi, "with the added bonus of making the decision of what wave to choose yourself."

"In shifty, heavy waves it's an amazing tool as you can position yourself exactly where you want to be and you're already on your feet to navigate steps or heavy drops.

"When you're comfortable with flying the kite it can also be an added element of safety as a way to pull yourself through the back of the wave when things go bad."

This coming week, Keahi releases his bio film, showcasing his incredible barrel riding on both shortboard and kite. It's filmed in Hawaii, Australia, Fiji, and a couple locations in Africa.

Stay tuned for the full feature.