As a 12-year-old, self-described “water rat,” Tim Guard received a surfing lesson that would change his life forever.

Guard recalls being introduced by his father, who was in poor health at the time, to legendary waterman Duke Kahanamoku.

“Duke took me out on my first surfing lesson on a board that was probably 12 feet long and weighed 120 pounds, and I couldn’t have possibly dragged it to the ocean,” recalled Guard, now 77. “We went out and surfed for a couple of hours, and I was hooked.”

Guard would eventually become a junior surfing champion, but gravitated toward outrigger canoe paddling. While working his way up the ranks from a dock worker to owner of Hawaii’s largest stevedoring company — McCabe, Hamilton & Renny Co. — Guard also advanced as a paddler and was part of four Molokai Hoe championship crews with the heralded Outrigger Canoe Club in 1965, 1975, 1977 and 1979.

To coincide with what would have been Kahanamoku’s 127th birthday, Guard saw his water sports career come full circle as a member of the eighth class of talented and influential water sports figures to be inducted into the Waterman Hall of Fame on Thursday evening at the Outrigger Canoe Club along Waikiki Beach. The Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser presented the Hall of Fame gathering featuring the 2017 class, which also included John and Jim Foti, Pokey Watson Richardson and the late Tommy Holmes.

The Fotis of Lanikai Canoe Club are Hawaii paddling icons, having won multiple Molokai-to-Oahu world championships, and serve as ambassadors of the sport. Richardson is a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner and former world-record holder in three swimming events. Holmes was an avid big-wave canoe surfer and a co-founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

“I think of all the others who have come before me, and the responsibility I have along with the pleasure and pride associated with walking in the footsteps of all these great surfers and canoe paddlers … it’s almost too good to be true,” Guard said. “It’s essential to celebrate two things: the spirit and legacy of Duke Kahanamoku, the greatest waterman ever; and the second is that, while there are other sports halls of fame, Hawaii is known for our surfers and canoe paddlers and I’m glad that this award was created to honor those individuals who are the finest athletes in the world in their respective sports.”

The Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame was initiated in 2010 to create a lasting tribute to the Hawaiian Islands’ water sports legacy and honor the achievements of Hawaii’s standout watermen and women. The criteria used to select inductees includes their sustained outstanding contribution to a sport as well as international, national and local accomplishment and recognition.

Net proceeds from the event benefit the ODKF’s college scholarships and athletic grants program. Since its inception in 1986, ODKF has presented nearly $2.5 million dollars to scholar athletes and non-profit organizations in Hawaii.

“One of our responsibilities is to pass the heritage and legacy on to the next generation, and I feel keenly that I’ve been able to do that,” said Guard, who founded the Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy Foundation and is active with ODKF and the Marimed Foundation. “I can’t compete any longer realistically, but to be able to give back by encouraging the kids and coaching them, or through assistance from the foundation that provides scholarships and grant assistance so they can achieve their dreams, that’s a blessing and represents the continuation of our legacy as watermen of Hawaii.”

For more information and to view past honorees, visit www.DukeFoundation.org.