Page 380 - Hawaii: Diving, Surfing, Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes and More

n 1907, the history of surfing in Hawaii Los Angeles - Redondo railway. Freeth ac- Duke was already famous as a surfer and
I started to change when famous author cepted the invitation and was quickly given swimmer. He was credited with developing
Jack London and his wife came to Oahu. the title of being the first man to surf in the flutter kick to replace the scissor kick in
They stayed in the area where the Moana California. These four men continued to re- freestyle swimming and was the three-time
Hotel now stands. There were a group of vive the sport of surfing and Ford Petitioned world record holder in the 100-meter free-
men there who had started a club called the Queen Emma Estate to set aside a plot style. As a surfer, Duke was one of Hawaii’s
“The Waikiki Swimming Club.” Jack London of land on Waikiki Beach, next to the Moana best ocean watermen and a fine figure of
met this crew who introduced him to Alex- Hotel to build a club that would preserve the a Polynesian, slim and muscular and built
ander Ford Hume, an eccentric journalist ancient Hawaiian sports of surfing and out- for speed, blessed with extraordinarily long
and wanderer. Hume introduced London to rigger canoeing. He explained that it would hands and feet.
the most celebrated beach boy of the time, also promote tourism to Hawaii. They ac-
a 23 year old Irish/Hawaiian named George cepted and on May 1, 1908 they founded the n 1912, Duke passed through Southern Cal-
Freeth the three men met another h‘aole “Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Club”. The club I ifornia en route to the summer Olympics
named Ford. The four men had one thing in offered a place to change and a grass hut for in Stockholm, Sweden. Previously on 1911,
common, the love of surfing “The sport of surfboard storage right on the beach. Duke had an American swimming record in
Kings”. Jack London wrote about the sport of the 100-yard sprint, and later went on to
Kings “surfing” in 1907. The article was pub- our time Olympian Duke Kahanamoku set several world records and win medals in
lished in numerous magazines until 1911. F surfed Waikīkī and began the true re- four different Olympics: Stockholm (1912),
These men had breathed a new life into this birth of Hawaiian surfing. Duke and a group Antwerp (1920), Paris (1924), and Belgium
wonderful dying sport and changed the his- of native Hawaiians founded their own surf (1932). His surfing demonstrations at Coro-
tory of surfing in Hawaii. In 1907 after read- club called Hui Nalu (Surf Club). Once again na Del Mar and Santa Monica caused a sen-
ing London’s article, railroad and real estate the history of surfing in Hawaii was chang- sation. He became world famous by winning
magnate Henry Huntington invited George ing when Hui Nalu and the Outrigger Ca- an Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter
Freeth to California to put on a surfing dem- noe Club started friendly competitions that freestyle in Stockholm and again in Antwerp
onstration to promote the opening of the many came to the beach to watch. By 1912, in 1916. Touted as the fastest swimmer alive,