Disaster struck in Newport Beach, California in 1925, when a fishing boat capsized and 29 passengers were thrown into heavy surf. Fortunately, Hawaiian waterman extraordinaire Duke Kahanamoku—who was in California for a swimming exhibition after winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics—saw the catastrophe and sprang into action. Paddling out to the impact zone on his 12-foot hand-hewn koa wood surfboard, he gathered up passengers three at a time, personally rescuing eight people. The Newport Beach police chief called Kahanamoku’s efforts “The most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen.” As a result, lifeguards across America began using surfboards as standard rescue equipment.
Kahanamoku—also known as the Bronze Duke of Waikiki—was a Native Hawaiian born in 1890. By Kahanamoku’s time, surfing—like many other traditional activities in Hawaii—had been nearly lost after the arrival of religious missionaries. Kahanamoku became the father of modern surfing, saving the sport and popularizing it worldwide through his own missionary efforts. “Surfing is not a sport, it’s a way of life,” he said.
Additionally, Sports Illustrated reported: “Kahanamoku dominated international sprint swimming for nearly a dozen years, beginning with the 1912 Stockholm Olympics,” in which he won a gold medal in the 100 meters. He went on to become a five-time medalist for the U.S. in three Olympics. In order to maintain his amateur status between Olympics, Kahanamoku traveled internationally to give swimming and surfing exhibitions. He popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii.
Kahanamoku was featured in over two dozen Hollywood films, and served 13 terms as the sheriff of Waikiki. He was the first person to be inducted into both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame, and he is also a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of fame. Kahanamoku passed away at 77 from a heart attack. Two decades later a 10-foot tall statue was unveiled on Waikiki Beach on August 24, 1990, which would have been his 100th birthday. As Kahanamoku famously said of his legacy of bringing surfing to the world: “The water never asks for anything, it just gives.”
