On the sandy necklace between sea and skyscraper that is Waikiki Beach, the conversation at beachboy Rabbit Kekai’s 90th-birthday party often turned to the area’s massive changes over the years — and then, just as invariably, turned toward the restless Pacific, still forming perfect waves after all these years.

Some things never change, not waves, not Albert Kekai. Born on Armistice Day 1920, Kekai, nicknamed for his jackrabbit sprinting in school, has witnessed and shaped the world of modern surfing.

The party at Duke’s on the beach yesterday was organized by friends and sponsors, and the location was cheerfully appropriate as Kekai, at the age of 10, became a kind of surfing intern for Duke Kahanamoku. Although Kekai doesn’t catch waves at Waikiki as much as he used to, he’s still a fixture on the beach, talking story and offering advice.

At his birthday party, Kekai was up and down out of his chair, making jokes and good-naturedly waving friends out of his way so he could have a better view of the proceedings.

Things got official when Mayor Peter Carlisle read a proclamation honoring Kekai. "I got to do this with paper and the grand seal of the City and County of Honolulu!" announced Carlisle, who noted he brought board shorts and a rash guard "just in case."

Paul Merino, captain of Waikiki’s lifeguards, has known Kekai for 45 years. While he learned how to be a waterman from Kekai, the surfing elder didn’t teach as much as demonstrate.

"’You want to learn? OK, tag along and carry my fish,’" laughed Merino. "Rabbit did it all and was the best. Ever. And it was about having a good time. Not really about surfing."

Merino and surfing historian Paul Holmes explained that Waikiki’s beachboys filled an unusual niche, a group of expert watermen who introduced thousands of visitors to the ways of the sea, many who had never seen a body of water bigger than a bathtub.

"Like when rich people first went on safari in Africa," explained Holmes. "The beachboys were the hosts, the guides to this unknown territory, the ocean. And they taught us that surfing is not a job, it’s a lifestyle."

Holmes, who came to the islands with Australian surfers in 1976, arrived pre-intimidated by Kekai’s prowess. "This was their ocean, the ‘real’ Hawaiians, where surfing was invented. But the smart ones among us soon figured out that Rabbit would tell you where the choice takeoffs were. All you had to do was ask."

The crowd tended to skew toward barrel-chested, salt-grizzled guys who remembered wooden boards. "Oh, I’ve spent a lifetime surfing," said George Benson, a California resident most of the year. "And we’d always heard about Rabbit. When we first came out here 15 years ago …"

"Twenty-five years ago," said his wife.

"Really? Whoa-oh! Anyway, we old guys became the Rack Pack, always gathering each morning at the racks where our boards are locked up. Rabbit helped us all. He even taught my grandkids to surf. Passing it on. That’s what Rabbit’s all about. We’re the lucky ones."

Kevin Mansfield, somewhat younger, nodded. "I just kind of bumped into him last year on the beach, and he told me stories about Waikiki. He’s seen all the changes here, but he hasn’t changed."

"Rabbit’s got that edge that keeps him going," said Richard Tatz, who met Kekai while surfing Queen’s. "He just doesn’t quit! But it’s not about competition. It’s about you — you and the ocean. Karma."

Tatz is also originally from California. Had he heard about Kekai on the left coast?

"Oh, he’s right up there. Duke Kahanamoku, George Downing, Rabbit Kekai. The legends. And then you move here and meet him, and he’s, he’s …"

What?

"He’s such a cool guy! And there’s not so many left."

A teenage girl on Waikiki Beach in 1957, Gay Sevier got her first surfing lesson from Rabbit Kekai. "We just went down to the beach from the hotel, and there were these easygoing, nice guys ready to show you how to ride the waves. Rabbit kept saying, ‘You can do it, you can do it!’ And he was right."

A quarter-century after that first lesson, Sevier’s son was also taught how to surf by Kekai. And that was more than a quarter-century ago.

"Rabbit Kekai is the exemplar of a waterman, an innovator and an inspiration — oh, the living link to the entire history of modern surfing!" said Holmes.