The first global ambassadors for Hawaii were the beach boys of Waikiki: the surfers and the outrigger canoe boys.
Armed with surfboards, smiles, and handfuls of leis, the Waikiki beach boys of the 1920s (including Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku) greeted visitors with their irrepressible ebullience and indigenous charm as they showed “haole” (mainlanders) how to love the ocean and the beach as much as they did.
More than a century later, that passion and love for Waikiki and the water is perpetuated by the beach boys of Waikiki Beach Services. The infectious energy of this merry group of mermen enables even the most risk-averse to ride the waves and to feel the exhilarating rush of adrenaline and accomplishment.
Never thought you’d surf? Never thought you’d ride a wave? Think again.
Sign on with Barney, one of the most equable of a corps of bronzed and buff beach boys, and you’ll be surfing the waves of Waikiki long before your hour-long lesson is complete. Chances are, you’ll feel such a rush that you’ll sign on for an outrigger canoe surfing lesson as well.
Derived from a sport reserved for Hawaii’s royal families, outrigger canoe surfing is one of the safest – and most fun – sports for ocean vessels. Round up your posse and paddle out to the waves for a thrill ride way more righteous than any amusement park.
Located at The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki Beach Services also provides stand up paddle lessons (aka SUP) and sunset catamaran sails. And should the need arise (heaven forfend), they’ll even help you orchestrate a burial at sea.
As professional as they are fun-loving, the beach boys of Waikiki Beach Services are state certified to teach and they work to insure that your time in the cerulean waters below Diamond Head remains one of those memories that lingers, long after you’ve left the beach.
Plus you’ll leave with a photo CD to prove to everyone back home that yes, from now on, you will answer only to the name of “Duke.”
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