6 Inspiring Surfers

These amazing shredders prove that the human spirit is boundless and irrepressible.

Duke Kahanamoku

The Father of Surfing. Titled “Surfer of the Century” in 1999 by Surfer magazine. Olympic gold and silver medalist. A bronze statue of him stands at Kuhio Beach in Waikiki, and another surfs at Sydney’s Duke Kahanamoku Commemorative Park. Immortalized by name and often image in everything from awards, biographies, restaurants, films, and US Postal Service stamps. Surfing would not be the sport it is without the ambassadorship of Duke Kahanamoku, whose generosity of spirit is as much responsible for its meteoric rise in popularity as his skill on the water. Despite facing discrimination as a dark-skinned native Hawaiian, Duke encouraged surfing as a sport to be practiced with grace and good humor, traveling internationally to teach surfing in between swimming exhibitions and Olympic competitions.