Welcome to my third blog post about Duke Kahanamoku—surfing legend, Olympic hero, and Hawaiian treasure! As a newbie blogger, I didn’t expect to dive so deep and so fast into the digital ocean of Duke’s life.
One of the puzzles I faced was uncovering the adventures of Duke beyond his Olympic glory days. Sure, there are plenty of photos of him with medals, but what else did this water wizard get up to?
After some serious Googling, I hit a roadblock—nothing much beyond the newspaper headlines. Frustration nipped at my heels, but I’m a high school research addict at heart. I thrive on this stuff!
I wondered, “What’s quintessentially Hawaiian?”
Images of Pearl Harbor, the ocean, exotic plants, and pineapples danced in my head. Cue the light bulb moment: pineapples! Dole’s cheeky mascot “Piney Pals” caught my eye which I also owned, and the hunt was on.
I stumbled upon a vintage Dole Pineapple ad featuring three dudes and a surfboard. One board had a Chief’s picture, sparking my curiosity. A quick Google revealed one of Duke’s board had a Hawaiian Chief embedded on the top of his board. To confirm, I emailed Dole and the “Surfing Heritage” folks.
Linda from Surfing Heritage replied, confirming that the board with the Hawaiian Chief was indeed Duke’s. Discovering this little-known gem felt like finding a hidden treasure in a sea of Duke memorabilia.
As a proof I included a printout of Duke’s board and its info along the response I’ve got from Surfing Heritage.
Writing about Duke isn’t just blogging—it’s a passion project. And this is just the beginning of my Duke journey. I’ve got a binder full of Duke-related topics ready for exploration. The more I dig, the more the universe throws unexpected Duke tidbits my way. This blogging ride is a wave I’m grateful to ride!
