Legendary Hawaii waterman Duke Kahanamoku’s broad smile can be seen in a black-and-white photo taken just after he won a sailing race in his 32-foot sloop in 1931. In another, Kahanamoku stands with fellow beachboy Tom Blake and a wooden "olo" surfboard in front of the old Outrigger Canoe Club in 1935.
A color photo from the 1940s features Chick Daniels, head beach attendant at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for 50 years, dressed in a red lava-lava while playing an ukulele.
The beachboys of Waikiki were a major reason visitors came to Hawaii during their heyday between the 1920s and 1940s.
‘WAIKIKI BEACHBOYS’
Photo exhibit
» Where: Royal Hawaiian Hotel Coronet Lounge
» When: Wednesday through Dec. 31
» Info: Royal Hawaiian concierge desk, 931-7311
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Matson Navigation Co. celebrates the legacy of these famed watermen with its new "Waikiki Beachboys" collection of more than 30 rarely seen photographs on large-format canvases, along with posters and ads from the era. The exhibit is free and will be open to the public in the Royal Hawaiian’s Coronet Lounge from Wednesday through the end of the year.
"The beachboys had the ultimate spirit of aloha," said Matson archivist Lynn Krantz. "When people came to Waikiki Beach, they came to these beachboys to learn how to ride a surfboard or an outrigger. Their spirit was infectious."
Matson started promoting surfing in Waikiki as early as 1912, according to Krantz. In the 1920s visitors from all over the world began arriving on Matson passenger ships, including the famous SS Lurline, to vacation at the Royal Hawaiian, built by Matson in 1927.
The beachboys were instrumental not only in introducing guests to water sports, but in keeping them coming on the Matson liners. Women went crazy for the beachboys because of their good looks and charm, Krantz said. Many were also talented musicians and entertainers.
The charismatic Daniels, who performed in a band called the Royal Hawaiians and wrote the words to "Lei Aloha," would often serenade guests at the hotel after finishing his duties as a beach attendant. Charles Baptiste, known as "Panama Dave" because he always wore a Panama hat, played ukulele and toured the mainland, performing on West Coast radio stations when he was just 20 years old.
As illustrated in the photographs, the beachboys were connected to the ocean in all that they did, be it surfing, outrigger canoe paddling, bodysurfing or playing water polo on surfboards.
Other beachboys featured in the mostly black-and-white photos include Curly Cornwell, Sally Hale, Pua Kealoha and Kahanamoku brothers Sam, David, Louis and Sargent.
Krantz chose the 1931 photo of Duke Kahanamoku in a skipper’s hat, taken by Blake, because it’s not usually seen. Another photograph, from the Hawaii State Archives, shows the beachboys lined up with their surfboards on the beach fronting the "Pink Palace."
The exhibit marks the fourth time Matson has partnered with the Royal Hawaiian, now owned by Kyo-ya Hotels and Resorts and managed by Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Past shows include "Amelia Earhart in Hawaii," "Hollywood’s Golden Age in Waikiki" and "Boat Day."
The Matson archives encompass a vast collection of photographs documenting the celebrities and travelers who rode its ships and vacationed in Waikiki from the 1920s to the 1960s.
"For me it’s really important to pay tribute to these beachboys because they’re so much a part of why Waikiki is the way it is today," said Krantz. "When you see these photos big, it hits an emotional chord and you say, ‘Oh wow, that was an amazing time.’"
