Renewing a Royal Sport at Waikīkī

Freeth first attempted to ride the waves at Waikīkī on a traditional wooden surfboard given to him by a “native prince,” according to one account.¹ This would have been in late 1903, after he had returned from living in Philadelphia. The board was sixteen feet long, four inches thick, and probably weighed two hundred pounds. The shape is what Hawaiians call an olo, a craft reserved for royalty. But Freeth soon realized that the board, however regal, was too cumbersome for his needs. He shaped one that better matched his size and was easier to maneuver. The dimensions followed the