Duke Kahanamoku: Father of Surfing

In this installment of ‘Profiles in History,’ we meet a young Hawaiian who becomes an Olympic gold medalist and spreads surfing throughout the world.

Shown here surfing off Waikiki in a 1910 photograph, the "Big Kahuna" and the "Father of Surfing" was also an Olympic swimmer and a well-loved Hawaiian sheriff. Public Domain

Duke Kahanamoku (1890–1968), or more accurately, Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku, seemed born to become a waterman. In Hawaii, to be “waterman” means to understand the ways of the water, a gift typically passed down through the generations. Perhaps more than any other Hawaiian of his generation, he truly understood water.

Kahanamoku was named after his father, who was named by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. She was the great-granddaughter of chief Kamehameha I, who in 1810 united and ruled the Hawaiian islands. She was also the last descendant of this royal line. Kahanamoku’s grandparents were close to Bernice Bishop. The princess named Kahanamoku’s father “Duke” to commemorate the fact that Prince Albert, the Duke of Edinburgh, was visiting the islands at the time of the baby’s birth.

An Unbelievable Record

Kahanamoku was born into a devout Christian home and had five brothers and three sisters. Despite their former connections to royalty, his family wasn’t wealthy. His father was a policeman, and young Kahanamoku eventually had to leave school for work to help make ends meet. What he never left, though, was the water. As a teenager he became an avid swimmer, diver, and surfer.

In 1908, he and two friends, Knute Cottrell and Ken Winter, formed Hawaii’s first surf club. Organized at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki, members focused on swimming, surfing, canoe paddling, and “kanikapila,” a Hawaiian word meaning impromptu music sessions that commonly take place at the beach.

Duke Kahanamoku and his group of friends formed a surf club called the Hui Nalu Club in 1908. Public Domain

By this time, Hawaii had become an American territory. This change of state presented Kahanamoku with numerous opportunities to compete in swimming. On Aug. 12, 1911, he joined an Amateur Athletic Union competition and entered the 100-meter freestyle race, which took place in Honolulu Harbor. The result of the race was so astounding that the judges couldn’t believe the result. He'd beaten the world record by 4.6 seconds. In fact, he wouldn’t receive credit for the feat until years later.

His First Olympics

With Hawaii now a U.S. Territory, Kahanamoku entered the Olympics as an American competitor. He tried out for the U.S. swim team and easily made it. The 1912 Olympics were held in Stockholm.

Kahanamoku competed in the 100-meter freestyle. In the qualifying heat, he tied the world record. There was no doubt he was the favorite to win. In fact, during the final, he dominated the field so quickly that he actually looked back to see how far ahead he was. Even with this slight pause, he defeated the second place swimmer by two meters. During these Olympics, he also competed in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay in which the team came in second. He was the first Hawaiian to medal at the Olympics.

Duke Kahanamoku cuts a dashing figure at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Public Domain

Immediately a prominent sports figure in America, he began touring to teach swimmers his “Kahanamoku Kick.” He also showed beachgoers and swimmers how to surf, introducing the sport to Americans on the Atlantic seaboard in 1914.

Also that year, he arrived in Australia and New Zealand. Two days before Christmas, at Freshwater Beach in Sydney, he was the star attraction for an exhibition. While staying at the Boomerang Camp at Freshwater Beach, Kahanamoku built a surfboard out of sugar pine and introduced surfing to the Australians. In fact, Kahanamoku’s pine surfboard remains on display at the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club.

An Olympic Return

Having spread surfing around America and Australasia, he set his sights on the 1916 Olympics. Unfortunately, hopes for a repeat performance were doused due to World War I. When America entered the war, Kahanamoku conducted swimming exhibitions in 30 different cities throughout mainland America to raise money for the war effort.

In 1920, Kahanamoku joined the American team in Belgium, a country that had been pummeled by the war. Nonetheless, the 1920 Olympics were held in Antwerp. Kahanamoku again dominated the field in the 100-meter freestyle. He tied his record in the semifinal, and in the final, he broke it, winning first. A dispute, however, required the race to be swam again. Kahanamoku won again, beating fellow Hawaiian Pua Kealoha. Unlike the 1912 Olympics, the American 4x200 relay team won first with a world record, giving Kahanamoku his third Olympic gold.

Shortly after the Olympics, Kahanamoku pursued an acting career in Los Angeles. From 1922 to 1930, while living in L.A., he appeared in 28 films. While living in Southern California, he helped popularize the sports of swimming and surfing.

In 1924, Kahanamoku arrived in Paris for the Olympics. It was here that he became close friends with fellow swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, despite Weissmuller besting him in the 100-meter freestyle by 2.4 seconds, and Kahanamoku’s brother, Sam, would come in third. Weissmuller would also enjoy a Hollywood career, best known for his role as Tarzan.

Johnny Weismuller (L) and Duke Kahanamoku laugh in a candid photograph while at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Public Domain

The Waterman’s Heart

The following year, Kahanamoku did not just demonstrate his ability; he  demonstrated his heart and courage. At Newport Beach, California, a 40-foot yacht capsized. Kahanamoku leapt on his surfboard and rescued eight people from drowning. He was joined by two other surfers, who rescued four. The police chief of Newport Beach called Kahanamoku’s efforts “The most superhuman surfboard rescue act the world has ever seen.”

He finally moved back to Hawaii, where, in 1929, he quickly made waves … or rode them. He hopped a massive wave that took him 1.128 miles, possibly the longest wave ride of the modern era. In 1932, he returned to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles as an alternate for the water polo team, which won bronze.

Duke Kahanamoku poses with his surfboard in Los Angeles in 1920. Public Domain

In 1935, it seems he found another calling. Kahanamoku was elected Sheriff of Honolulu, a position he held until 1960, after winning 13 consecutive elections. During this span, he was the U.S. representative at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. He was also an official guest at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.

Ambassador of Aloha

When Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state in 1959, Kahanamoku was appointed the state’s Official Ambassador of Aloha. His international celebrity made him a surefire candidate for the ambassadorship, but it was also due to his friendly personality and his personal creed he called “Aloha.”

Kahanamoku explained:

“In Hawai’i we greet friends, loved ones and strangers with Aloha, which means ‘with love.’ Aloha is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawai’i renowned as the world’s center of understanding and fellowship. Try meeting or leaving people with Aloha. You’ll be surprised by their reaction. I believe it and it is my creed. Aloha to you.”

Sam Kahanamoku (L) and his brother Duke Kahanamoku were Olympic medalists in the early 20th century. Public Domain

In 1966, Kahanamoku was the first person inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame the same year. In 1980, 12 years after his death, a photo of him at the beach, standing in front of a large surfboard, was added to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery. Four years later, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

In 1990, to celebrate the centennial of his birth, a large bronze statue of Kahanamoku was erected at Waikiki, where his swimming and surfing life began in earnest and set him on the path to becoming known as the Father of Surfing.

Lastly, surfing officially became an Olympic sport in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, a moment that can be greatly credited to Kahanamoku’s efforts.

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