on Barry Kanaiaupuni — with aloha*
Passionately involved with surfing, I try to root this love-affair in good grounds of surf-related knowledge. We learn from others and the surfing culture abounds of fascinating characters and their lives speak books of pure insight.

As surfers it is our bond to the ocean that relates us and that oceanic feeling caters our bodies and souls. The Hawaiian Islands are not only the birth place of modern day surfing, but even more so, a place that embodies the essence of the soul of surfing. Luckily this remote island chain was home to me, when I became a surfer and I soaked up as much as I could of the precious surfing spirit, that the place and its people transpire.

An avid reader of the Surfers Journal I recently came across a portrait and interview of Barry Kanaiaupuni, revered power surfer from Haleiwa, Hawai’i; world ranked # 9 in 1976, but best known for his innovative and never-duplicated approach at Sunset Beach.*1

The clearly hawaiian traits in his portrait struck a soft chord in me, called upon my attention and made me follow up my reading of the article resulting in the present glance of reflection.

Grace and power instantly come to mind as the dominant characteristics in the hawaiian style of surfing. This approach combined with the natural ability of hawaiian surfriders in the midst of the tempest — which is what their ocean-garden is to the uninitiated. Their lives have been shaped by the pacific — and their poetic sense for loving togetherness, the aloha spirit, might have been a response to the über-powerful element that surrounds them.

Sunset, 1971. Photo : Art Brewer

As far as Barry Kanaiaupuni is concerned, his biographical facts speak for themselves and there can hardly be any doubt about the ability of the man. Yet, most touching to me is his soul, the pure soul of an hawaiian waterman that approaches life like he would face the crushing peaks of Sunset Beach — with grace, power and determination.

While reserved, Kanaiaupuni is forthright and convivial. He defies penetrating inquiry. It’s something attitudinal. His values come across quietly, with power and wry humor. He simply shuns the inconsequential, keeping his opinions to himself. That said, when one of the lesser- studied chapters from his life is brought up, he leans forward. (…)

What’s your shaping program like today?
Basically I make guns and high-performance longboards from 7’4” up. Sunset guns. Some of the guys I make boards for, I’ve been shaping for them for over 30 years. One guy is a local fireman: I’ve been shaping his boards since he was a teenager. Another guy works for the post office…he’s 58 years old, he comes in and we just know what to do…it’s like a friend, you know? Nothing like a “customer.” It’s old style. We talk.*2

North Shore, 1970. Photo: Brad Barrett

*alo∙ha
alo :: presence ; hâ :: breath
hawaiian language means :: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. it also has come to be used as an english greeting to say hello and goodbye.

*1 Encyclopedia of Surfing : http://encyclopediaofsurfing.com/entries/kanaiaupuni-barry
*2 Surfers Journal : http://www.surfersjournal.com/23-1/go-deeper/interview-barry-kanaiaupuni