Hawaii
Wow!
If you love surfing, bow down to the Duke -- he saved it for you.
We're talking about Duke Kahanamoku. Yes, Duke was his real given name.
So how did the Duke save surfing? First, you need to know that surfing was big among the Hawaiians for more than a thousand years; they even did it naked -- men and women. Talk about hanging loose in Hawaii, they really did. Then the bluenose missionaries showed up and put the quietus on good times. Talk about a wipeout, surfing almost died away.
We're talking about Duke Kahanamoku. Yes, Duke was his real given name.
So how did the Duke save surfing? First, you need to know that surfing was big among the Hawaiians for more than a thousand years; they even did it naked -- men and women. Talk about hanging loose in Hawaii, they really did. Then the bluenose missionaries showed up and put the quietus on good times. Talk about a wipeout, surfing almost died away.
Duke to the rescue.
A beach boy at Waikiki, he was great at surfing and swimming. So great,
in fact, that he swam in the Olympics in 1912, 1920 and 1924, winning
gold and silver medals. He was even on the U.S. water polo team in the
1932 Olympics.
What does this have to do with surfing? Here's the point. Surfing did not exist outside Hawaii, and it was on life support there. But Duke was in worldwide demand as a swimmer and would use his travels to put on surfing exhibitions. Duke introduced surfing to Australia and California. And surfing came back to life.
So when you grab your foam board and head for the surf, give some thanks to the Duke, the man who saved surfing.
What does this have to do with surfing? Here's the point. Surfing did not exist outside Hawaii, and it was on life support there. But Duke was in worldwide demand as a swimmer and would use his travels to put on surfing exhibitions. Duke introduced surfing to Australia and California. And surfing came back to life.
So when you grab your foam board and head for the surf, give some thanks to the Duke, the man who saved surfing.
Duke Kahanamoku saved surfing
Duke Kahanamoku. Now that's a board.
What kind of board did he use? Glad you asked. Duke liked traditional Hawaiian solid wood boards. His was 16 feet long and weighed 114 pounds.
Bonus Duke Wow -- He lost his right index finger in 1913 when attacked by a 10-foot eel while practicing for the Australian swimming championships. Duke choked it to death and towed it to shore. . . . In 1925, a yacht capsized in rough water off Newport Beach, Calif. Tragically, 17 people died; but Duke grabbed his surfboard and used it to save the lives of eight others.
Bonus Duke Wow -- He lost his right index finger in 1913 when attacked by a 10-foot eel while practicing for the Australian swimming championships. Duke choked it to death and towed it to shore. . . . In 1925, a yacht capsized in rough water off Newport Beach, Calif. Tragically, 17 people died; but Duke grabbed his surfboard and used it to save the lives of eight others.
