One of the pioneers of modern surfing, Albert “Rabbit” Kekai, died today at Leahi Hospital, according to Hawaii News Now. He was 95 years old.
In the ’30s and ’40s, Kekai was considered one of the best high performance surfers. The Hawaiian surfer learned from the famous Duke Kahanamoku, who is widely credited with popularizing the sport of surfing in the ’30s and ’40s.
Kekai won the Makaha International in 1955, which at the time was considered the unofficial world championships … More
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Starting in the 1920s surfers mesmerized the crowds at Waikiki with their skills. Soon, these “beach boys” were giving lessons to visiting mainlanders. The most famous beach boy, Duke Kahanamoku, was medal winning Olympic swimmer. Back home, he mentored a crew of Beach Boys, who helped to spread the word about surfing. We talked to one of his last Beach Boys — Rabbit Kekai. Hes 85, but he’s at the beach every day by 9:00 AM, still doing what he loves, teaching people to surf and how to have fun in the water.