In 1905, a teenager named Duke Kahanamoku and his friends
began to gather under a hau (lowland) tree at Waikiki
beach. Duke and his friends, who spent their days surfing,
later created their own surfing club, Hui Nalu, or "The
Club of the Waves."
Duke and his friends later became known as the famous
"Beach Boys of Waikiki" and are credited with
the rebirth of surfing in Hawaii.
Another individual
who played an important part in the revitalization of
surfing in Hawaii was also the first to bring the sport
to California. In 1907, California land developer Henry
Huntington asked Irish Hawaiian George Freeth to give
a surfing demonstration at the opening of the Redondo-Los
Angeles railroad at Redondo beach. Freeth was also the
first person to create a shorter surfboard by cutting
the large 16-foot design in half. His introduction of
surfing to the spectators on the beaches of California
ignited a revolution in both surfboard design and wave-riding
techniques. The California shores soon became grounds
for surfing expansion and innovation.
Over the following
years, the freedom to experiment in size, weight and
shape, along with the introduction of fins and Styrofoam,
became popular topics for surfers looking to equip themselves
for the larger and more challenging surf in places such
as the perilous North Shore of Oahu during the winter
months. The gentle waves found at Waikiki beach were
perfect for the promotion of surfing, but it was the
lure of giant waves that prompted the real dares for
surfers looking to put it all on the line.
