For the better part of a decade, during the very early 2000's, my Duke chapter in the LEGENDARY SURFERS collection was the most detailed and complete surfer history of Duke available anywhere. Since then, there have been a number of fine biographies of Duke printed that go into even greater detail.
James D. Nendel's 2016 thesis "DUKE KAHANAMOKU-TWENTIETH
CENTURY HAWAIIAN MONARCH: THE VALUES AND CONTRIBUTIONS
TO HAWAIIAN CULTURE FROM HAWAI`I’S SPORTING LEGEND" is particularly good and probably is now the most detailed online source about Duke that is available for free:
Duke Kahanamoku, 1910. Photographer unknown but possibly A.R. Gurrey, Jr.
During the first half of the Twentieth Century, Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola
Kahanamoku – known to most of the world as “Duke” or “The Duke,” and to his long-time
Hawaiian Islands friends as Paoa10 – “emerged as the world’s consummate waterman, its fastest swimmer and foremost surfer, the first truly famous beach boy,” wrote one of Duke’s foremost biographers, Grady Timmons.11 “He was a great chief of our time,”
Joseph Brennan – the man who helped Duke with his autobiography – wrote, “indisputably the alii nui of Waikiki.”12
Duke Kahanamoku is best known to surfers as, “The Father of Modern Surfing.” Along with George Freeth, he became the foremost of the Resurgence surfers at Waikiki, bringing surfing back from near extinction at the start of the Twentieth Century.
Duke Kahanamoku is best known to surfers as, “The Father of Modern Surfing.” Along with George Freeth, he became the foremost of the Resurgence surfers at Waikiki, bringing surfing back from near extinction at the start of the Twentieth Century.
Going beyond Freeth, Duke would help intro-duce surfing to the rest of the world. A champion swimmer, Duke’s life was crowned in Olympic glory and throughout his life he would ride that glory as the international ambassador for Hawai‘i and surfing. Playing parts in Hollywood movies while at the same time representing Hawaii to the rest of the world with his grace in the water, good humor and sportsmanship, Duke has become a
Hawaiian folk hero...
To read the entire chapter on Duke and/or download the chapter as a PDF file for sharing or reading, please go to:
Hawaiian folk hero...
To read the entire chapter on Duke and/or download the chapter as a PDF file for sharing or reading, please go to:
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