Tracy Phillips Darling maintains that there is no better view than the one enjoyed in a canoe.

The elite paddler, kayaker and coach is grateful for the aquatic playground that has allowed her to travel the world for various competitions over the past four decades after first being “plopped down” at the Outrigger Canoe Club and taking up surfing at age 8.

Phillips Darling became accustomed to high-level competition on the water as a paddler and coach with Outrigger, and also competed in multiple kayaking events in the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. Phillips helped Outrigger secure a runner-up finish at the Hawaiian Airlines Na Wahine O Ke Kai in the 2016 edition of the race, and did so 38 years after being a part of the winning crew in the inaugural Molokai-to-Oahu women’s competition. She estimates that she’s crossed the Kaiwi Channel competitively 33 times.

Phillips Darling was honored as a member of the 10th class of talented and influential water sports figures to be inducted to the Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki on Thursday. The Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser presented the gathering featuring the 2019 class, which also included Kai Lenny and Robby Naish.

“You can’t beat being on the water, we’re so lucky,” said Phillips Darling. “Everyone who grew up here (at Outrigger) experienced the same sports that Duke excelled in – volleyball, surfing and canoe paddling – and that propelled me, along with all the amazing athletes here at the club, to be a very good competitor.

“When you get to a certain age, you think back and I realized ‘Wow, I was so blessed and lucky to be surrounded by all these influential athletes.’ “

At 26 years old, Lenny is the youngest inductee to make the Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame. Since catching his first wave as a 5-year-old surfer, he has embraced and mastered multiple watersport disciplines, including big-wave and tow-in surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, stand-up paddleboarding and foil boarding.

Despite not yet reaching the prime of his career, Lenny has already claimed more than 10 world championships in multiple SUP categories, and earned 2019 World Surfing League Biggest Wave Awards for Ride of the Year as well as the XXL Biggest Wave for the second consecutive year. The jack-of-all-trades also earned a spot in the Surfers’ Hall of Fame’s 2019 class earlier this summer.

“Just to be recognized and to go into the Waterman Hall of Fame, it’s an honor,” said Lenny. “I never thought I’d be getting inducted at the ripe age of 26, and I still feel like I have a lot to do, and a lot to earn, and a ton left in the tank. Just to be recognized is proof that whatever I’m doing is alright, so I need to remain on this same trajectory.”

Naish is regarded as an “ambassador, legend and pioneer” of water sports, and claimed his first windsurfing world championship in 1976 at age 13. Throughout his illustrious career on the water, Naish accumulated 24 world windsurfing titles and more than 150 event victories, as well as multiple kiteboarding slalom and jumping championships.

The international sports celebrity has traveled the world and has been featured in numerous films and videos depicting his trade. His Naish brand is recognized around the globe, and includes a full range of sailboards, SUPs, hydrofoils and kite surfing boards and equipment.

“Being called a ‘waterman’ was almost a bad thing in the old days, and being a multi-sport athlete was never really embraced like it is today,” said Naish. “But I was the guy who tried to get along with everybody, and over time, it became accepted: You weren’t a ‘kook’ just because you do something different, and you prove yourself by not being a flash in the pan.

“It’s about staying humble and passionate, and passing the torch to guys like Kai Lenny who are surfers at heart and love playing in the wind and waves, and embrace being multi-sport athletes.”

The event, which is part of the annual Duke’s OceanFest celebration, was held on what would have been the 129th birthday for Kahanamoku, who is recognized as Hawaii’s “Ambassador of Aloha” and most famous waterman.

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

The Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame was founded in 2010 to create a lasting tribute to the Hawaiian Islands’ water sports legacy and honor the achievements of Hawai‘i’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.

“The Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame honors legends and celebrates those who help perpetuate the spirit and legacy of Duke Kahanamoku,” said Bill Pratt, chairman of the Waterman Hall of Fame event. “This event is both an inspiring and fun way to raise funds for Hawaii’s next generation of leaders through the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation. It would be hard to imagine our culture and enriched island history without the significant contributions and spirit of aloha of Duke Kahanamoku.”

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