Duke Kahanamoku

Father of Modern Surfing ~ Encaustic Art

I have lived in California for the majority of my life and mostly by the beach. Surfing is the official state sport 🏄🏽‍♂️. As a youth, I spent my summers on the sand watching the other kids on their huge boards. I body surfed and road a bogey board but, when I was young, the surfboards were quite large and intimidated me. I love watching the majestic waves and the surfers riding them. A favorite pastime is to sit on the pier and watch them ride and shoot the curl when the surf is really good.

Duke Kahanamoku of the Hawaiian Islands is credited with popularizing surfing throughout the world during the early 20th century. He was a master of swimming, surfing, and outrigger canoe paddling and was a true Hawaiian hero. Duke Kahanamoku was born on August 24, 1890, and spent his childhood in Waikiki where he learned to swim and surf. In the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, he took home gold in the 100-yard freestyle and silver in the relay. He also won two gold medals in the 1920 Olympics, and a silver medal at the age of 34 in 1924. As an Olympic medalist for swimming, he used his notoriety to spread awareness of Hawaiian surf culture and introduce it to other parts of the world, which ultimately led to him being tagged as “The Father of Modern Surfing.”

The Duke Kahanamoku Statue was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution. Sculpted out of bronze by Jan Gordon Fisher, the statue stands 9 feet tall and depicts Duke standing in front of his surfboard, with honorary Hawaiian spears and dedication plaques all around him, greeting everyone with open arms. The statue was erected in 1990 and is situated in Kūhiō Beach, an area which has historically been significant to surfing culture in Hawaii. The statue is a symbol of cultural pride and the timeless bond with nature and ocean sports.

People from all over the world come to pay homage to the legendary Hawaiian surfer and Olympic swimmer. But it’s not just about taking selfies with the Duke statue – visitors often leave behind mementos in appreciation for his legacy. Instead of throwing away your leis, 🌺 you may opt to place them around his neck or on top of his head as an act of respect and admiration. It’s a beautiful sight – one that symbolizes how much he means to people, both in Hawaii and beyond its shores. A Hui Hou 🫶

Duke Kahanamoku ~ encaustic art