For the next few weeks I'm going to be writing about Hawaii... There is so much history, legend, and rich cultural heritage in Hawaii I have been reluctant to tread where scholars and native Hawaiians have written the definitive view and history of the islands and it's people. I will simply offer my viewpoint and experiences. Although not a true kama'aina in that I was not born in the islands to generations of others who have contributed to Hawaii and helped shape it's culture and growth; I have the kama'aina spirit in a sense of belonging and acceptance of Hawaii and it's people. I came to Hawaii for the first time when I was four years old and my heart has been there ever since. For me Hawaii is always a physical and spiritual rebirth every time I return; as no where else on earth do I feel more at home. "Komo ma'i! Nou ka hale!" Come in! The house is yours! Such is Aloha the spirit of caring and sharing.
I took my first surfing lesson when I was about nine years old in California
but I did not really even begin to learn how to surf until I started to surf in Hawaii as a teenager in search like many others for the perfect wave. To be perfectly honest with you I am not and never have been a great surfer; at my best I was a good surfer because being great was always impeded by a tango danced between my skill and vast insecurities riding waves... but the bottom line for me like so many others is... it's a rush and I have always had fun doing it.
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| My first board was one of Dewey Weber's |
but I did not really even begin to learn how to surf until I started to surf in Hawaii as a teenager in search like many others for the perfect wave. To be perfectly honest with you I am not and never have been a great surfer; at my best I was a good surfer because being great was always impeded by a tango danced between my skill and vast insecurities riding waves... but the bottom line for me like so many others is... it's a rush and I have always had fun doing it.
The history of surfing in Hawaii can be traced as far back to the Polynesian's who settled in Hawaii and was considered a sacred activity; the first boards were heavy slabs of wood. The ocean and waves are and always have been a huge part of Hawaiian culture and there are as many names for types of waves as Inuit cultures have for types of snow.
Captain Cook and his crew searching for the Northwest Passage became the first Westerners to make contact with Hawaii; it's difficult to imagine two more culturally different groups of people than the Hawaiians and Westerners that is sadly sometime still evident today. Captain Cook is credited with writing about wave-riding in his journals... Hawaiians referred to it as papa he'e nalu meaning "board for wave sliding".
After centuries of isolation in the mid-pacific the contact with Westerners imported sickness, disease and death as venereal disease covered the length and breadth of the Hawaiian islands. In the decades that followed further contact with outsiders introduced most of the deadly diseases the world knows including cholera, tuberculosis, bubonic plague and leprosy and interestingly the common cold and cut the indigenous population of 400,000 at Cook's arrival to 40,000; as historically written but subsequently disputed by Hawaiian scholars and now the accepted numbers of the initial population is one million people that dwindled to a mere 50,000. It was not just the disease that devastated the locals but native customs and culture and the economic, religious and social practices were decimated by the arrival of the American Christian missionaries in the early 19th century. This period marked the beginning of the Dark Ages for surfing which was banned as a pagan ritual. The missionaries clothed the locals and converted them to Christianity and forbade any activities that interfered with religion. Fortunately a small coterie of resisters started to grow on the beaches of Oahu and became known as "beach boys" and kept the tradition of surfing alive and became something of a destination to the number of tourists arriving on the island.
After centuries of isolation in the mid-pacific the contact with Westerners imported sickness, disease and death as venereal disease covered the length and breadth of the Hawaiian islands. In the decades that followed further contact with outsiders introduced most of the deadly diseases the world knows including cholera, tuberculosis, bubonic plague and leprosy and interestingly the common cold and cut the indigenous population of 400,000 at Cook's arrival to 40,000; as historically written but subsequently disputed by Hawaiian scholars and now the accepted numbers of the initial population is one million people that dwindled to a mere 50,000. It was not just the disease that devastated the locals but native customs and culture and the economic, religious and social practices were decimated by the arrival of the American Christian missionaries in the early 19th century. This period marked the beginning of the Dark Ages for surfing which was banned as a pagan ritual. The missionaries clothed the locals and converted them to Christianity and forbade any activities that interfered with religion. Fortunately a small coterie of resisters started to grow on the beaches of Oahu and became known as "beach boys" and kept the tradition of surfing alive and became something of a destination to the number of tourists arriving on the island.
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Duke Kahanamoku
Among the most famous beach boys in Waikiki and the man who is regarded as "The Father Of Modern Surfing" is Duke Paoa Kahina Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku.
In 1911 Kahanamoku founded the Hui Nalu Surf Club (Club Of The Waves), in 1912 he won the Olympic gold medal swimming in Stockholm and through his style, presence and skill became a world sensation and subsequently won medals in the 1920 and 1924 games. In 1914 he introduced surfing to Australia and New Zealand and subsequently on the United States mainland. While traveling on the mainland Duke met a man named Tom Blake who was fascinated with surfing and ultimately dedicating his life to it and eventually inventing the first hollow boards becoming an instant success and paving the road to mass production making them more accessible. Living briefly in Southern California he leveraged his olympic fame into a film career...
Duke Kahanamoku in the movies:
"Surfari" "Free and Easy" "This Is Your Life" "Mister Roberts" "Wake of the Red Witch" "The Black Camel" "Around the World with Douglas Fairbanks" "Isle of Escape" "Girl of the Port" "The Rescue" "Isle of Sunken Gold" "Lord Jim" "No Father to Guide Him" "The Pony Express" "Adventure"
He worked tirelessly for Hawaii to join the Union as as 50th state. "He became the Ambassador of Aloha" he taught Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother to hula dance and promoted Don Ho's career and surfed well into his 70's ( I hope to be doing the same) The nine foot bronze statue of "The Duke" in Waikiki welcomes the world with true aloha spirit.
Here are few things you ought to know...
closeout – a wave or a large section of a wave that breaks at the same time, making it impossible to continue surfing the open face of the wave
down the line – along the face of the wave duck dive – a technique used to paddle out past a breaking wave. Arms push the nose of the surfboard down while the knee or foot pushes down on the tail as the surfer dips below the passing wave. face – the open, unbroken part of a wave green wave – an open wave allowing the surfer to surf along the face of the wave, going either left or right parallel with the beach instead of straight towards the beach inside – when paddling for a wave, “inside” refers to the person closest to the peak of the wave. “Inside” also refers to the shallower part of the water closest to shore. kick out – to surf out of the wave, ending your ride (also called flicking out) deep – the steepest part of the shoulder closest to the peak of the wave is considered the deepest part of the wave. Often when a surfer is “too deep” they are unable to drop in to a wave without falling off of their board lineup – the area where the waves normally begin breaking. Surfers sit on their boards in the lineup and wait for waves to break. longboard – a longer, wider, thicker surfboard. Longboards catch waves much easier than shortboards but are much harder to control and turn. outside – when paddling for a wave, “outside” refers to the person further away from the peak of the wave. “Outside” also refers to the deeper part of the water, where the biggest waves break, further from shore. left – a left is a wave that is breaking to the left. The direction “Left” is used by the surfer when describing the direction of the wave while facing shore. Therefore, from the beach, a “left” is described as a wave that breaks from left to right. peak – the immediately breaking part of the wave. right – a right is a wave that is breaking to the right. The direction “right” is used by the surfer when describing the direction of the wave while facing shore. Therefore, from the beach, a “right” is described as a wave that breaks from right to left. section – a part of a wave. When a surfer “makes a section” a surfer is staying in front of a breaking section of the wave. set wave – a larger wave (the largest waves usually break in sets of 2,3, or 4) shortboard – a shorter, narrower, thinner surfboard. It is more difficult to catch a wave on a shortboard than it is on a longboard, but a shortboard can be controlled/turned much easier. shoulder – the unbroken section of the wave directly next to the peak turtle roll – a technique used to paddle a longboard out past a breaking wave. Longboards are generally too big to duck dive. With the turtle roll technique the surfer turns upside-down and propels the surfboard (also upside down) through the breaking wave. whitewash – the broken white water of a wave moving straight towards shore
Oh... and about naked surfing ... you need to go to a sanctioned nude beach and if the water is fit for surfing there is usually and invitational event but...
 
It sounds a little more exciting and adventurous until you have been pummeled against the
rocks or pounded into the surf with nothing protecting your most vulnerable parts not to mention getting sand up your okole... I've only done it once at Black's Beach in San Diego.
Your ultimate goal is to get a clean ride on the shoulder of the wave--- to do this you have to steer the board by standing up and using your feet to turn the board away from the break and ride the wave at an angle... Does this sound like Greek to you? Then you need to go to surfing school--- almost every hotel and surf shop on Oahu has someone they can recommend to you... The Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach and Waimea are the magic names to the brotherhood of Oahu surfers... but I recommend trying the gentler sets of waves in Waikiki if you are a beginner. Always pick the best surfing spots for your ability. For the most up to the minute weather and surf reports on Oahu call 808 973-4380.
Oh... and last but certainly not least---
See you next time--- I'll be talking about island food... from Spam to Luau recipes to Shrimp Trucks and everything in between. Me ke aloha!
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