Explosive, picturesque Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore has long been considered a challenging mecca in the surfing world. Surfers have dreamed of the day when surfing competition could be held at this ultimate of surfing areas. Good ideas, yes, but in reality, never. Never, yes, until the recent First Annual Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships.

For the first time in surfing history, twenty-four of the world’s best surfers were brought together in one group to compete in the world’s greatest surf at Sunset Beach. The Hawaii invitational idea, the brainstorm of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku and the handiwork of Meet Director Fred Van Dyke, finally came true.

The First Annual Duke Kahanamoku Invitational, which was held on December 15 at Sunset Beach, could have taken place on any single day between December 14th and 17th. Likened to an “Olympics of the Surfing World,” the meet was to be held at any one of five predetermined areas on Oahu’s North Shore: Sunset Beach, Haleiwa, Pupukea, Banzai Pipeline, and Waimea Bay—wherever the surf was up and best on the chosen contest day.

Featuring the world’s best waves and the world’s top riders in a spectacular display of surfing, the Duke Invitational was a resounding success. Beautiful sunny weather and excellent surfing conditions provided the backdrop for a beautiful surfing performance. The names were all there and so was the surf.

Mobility of the contest was a unique first in surfing competition. While awaiting the contest alert, all of the surfers were accommodated at the luxurious Sheraton Surfrider Hotel in Waikiki. Daily conferences between North Shore scout Val Valentine and director Van Dyke determined whether or not the contest would be held on a certain day.

On Tuesday the 14th, the surf was sloppy and small, but on Wednesday the unpredictable North Shore displayed all her grandeur and an A-OK signal was called in by Valentine at daybreak. All of the surfers, judges, and officials were roused, and after a hearty breakfast, the entire group was North Shore bound in a large modern bus.

Honolulu radio and TV stations also sounded the surf alarm and several hundred spectators made their way to the country side of Oahu. Joining the surfers and spectators was an entire CBS filming crew led by veteran surf photog Bruce Brown. [NOTE: the Duke event was shown on CBS 

 on Easter Sunday, 1966.] The surf enthusiasts were greeted by classic white-plumed Sunset Beach. Consistent eight- to ten-foot surf with an occasional 12-foot set, and the contest was on.

Judges had a quick meeting and the heats were reviewed. Van Dyke's carefully chosen judges were representative of all ages and schools of thought in surfing. Mark Martinson, the youngster and hot-dogging exponent; Buzzy Trent, the veteran big wave rider; and Wally Froiseth, one of the most experienced of all surfers.

The next six hours of contest surfing were classics in the annals of modern surfing. Four six-man 45-minute heats made up the star-studded preliminaries. From the hard-fought prelims, only the number one and two surfers were chosen to compete in the eight-man final. In a meet that featured 24 potential winners, both the qualifying and finals heats were a masterful display of surfing artistry. Every big- name surfer competed vigorously against his fellow champions in one of the most beautiful spectator events ever.

Every hard-fought heat ended as a cliffhanger with the surfers scoring closely. Here’s how the heats worked out:

In Heat One, Hawaiians Kimo Hollinger, Jeff Hakman, and former Makaha champion Joey Cabell competed against Windansea Surf Club members Mike Hynson, Mickey Dora, and Rusty Miller. Big Hollinger, who spends his working hours toiling at the nearby Wailua fire department, bulled his way through some huge Sunset peaks to defeat second-placing ‘‘baby” Jeff Hakman, 181-180. A close third with 159 points was Rusty Miller, who was trailed by teammate Mike Hynson (155 points). Malibu’s Mickey Dora was very impressive, but loss of his board during the 45-minute heat limited him to 101 points. Cabell, fresh from Aspen’s snowy ski slopes the night before, rounded out the heat with 88 points.

Two former Peru champions, Felipe Pomar and Paul Strauch Jr. headed Heat Two which included hotdoggers John Peck, Dewey Weber and Skip Frye, and big-wave rider Kealoha Kaio. El Hombre Pomar, who is presently attending Church College in nearby Kahuku, made few mistakes while beautifully bottom-turning and soup-powering himself to a first place in the second heat. Pomar’s 176 points were nearly matched by the highly respected Strauch, who garnered 174 points for his big wave hot-dogging efforts. A mere five points behind Strauch was John Peck with 169 points, and Dewey Weber (146 points), Skip Frye (130 points) and Kealoha Kaio (121 points) followed Peck.

The third heat featured heralded big wave riders Greg Noll, Peter Cole, Fred Hemmings Jr., Bobby Cloutier, and Jackie Eberle. Also included in this group was a consistent contest winner, Mickey Muñoz. Eberle, who has gained a tremendous reputation at the nearby Pipeline, went backside at his second most-favorite spot, Sunset Beach, and scored the second-highest point total of the day as he was awarded 196 points. Another high-scoring performer in the third frame was local boy Cloutier who seconded Eberle with 188 points. Powerful Fred Hemmings, last year's Makaha champion, followed Cloutier wave for wave and lost out by two points (186 points). Cole, a fellow instructor of Fred Van Dyke's at Honolulu’s Punahou School, placed fourth with 173 points, and led the diminutive Muñoz (157 points) and burly Noll (127 points).

The fourth heat was the most controversial and hotly contested of all. Goofyfooters Robert August, Butch Van Artsdalen, and Corky Carroll faced off against veteran regularfooters Mike Doyle, George Downing, and United States Surfing Association Champion Richard Chew. Doyle couldn't miss a wave and headed the sextet with 185 total points. The next three places were another story. After scores had been double- and triple-checked, Corky Carroll emerged as the second qualifier with 176 points. Indicative of the evenly matched competition, veteran George Downing, the current Makaha titleholder, was one point behind Carroll with 175 points, and the amazing switch-stance expert Van Artsdalen was one point behind Downing with 174 total points. August, who starred in Bruce Brown’s 

 presentation and recently placed third at the Huntington contest, surfed Sunset Beach for the first time ever and earned 122 points. Chew was not scored on any waves.

Jeff Hakman, a 5'4", 125 pound Punahou School student, bested the biggest names in surfing when he unanimously placed first in the Finals of the first Duke Kahanamoku Invitational. Seventeen-year-old Hakman, a relatively unknown surfer internationally, piled up 219 points out of a possible 300 to place ahead of second-place Paul Strauch, also of Honolulu. Strauch, 22, who performed phenomenally, as did every surfer in the contest, scored 191 points and was followed successively by the following finalists: 3rd, Felipe Pomar, Peru, 184 points; 4th, Jackie Eberle, Hawaii, 183 points; 5th (tie) Bobby Cloutier, Hawaii, and Mike Doyle, California, 179 points; 7th, Corky Carroll, California, 175 points; and 8th, Kimo Hollinger, Hawaii, 173 points.

Hakman, whose parents reside down the beach a mile or so, had a tremendous day and could make no mistakes. The crowd, contest surfers and spectators alike, cheered the youngster’s fantastic efforts. On three of his waves in the finals, all three judges awarded him near-perfect scores. Veteran surfing judge Froiseth, who also heads the Makaha Championships, commented ‘‘Jeff Hakman surfed as good as anyone I’ve ever seen at Sunset Beach.” Trent, a hardcore Sunset old-timer was quoted as saying, “In my 15 years at Sunset, I’ve never seen anyone ride better than Jeff. You just can’t surf better at Sunset. Jeff got the best rides on the best waves.”

The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational was that kind of contest, though. Any one of the entries could have had a good day and emerged the champion. Commented great Windansea Surf Club member Rusty Miller after the meet was over, “The Duke Invitational was the first real breakthrough in a contest ‘for the surfer’.” Miller continued, “I lost and yet felt like a winner.” Surfers and surf-fans across the entire nation can see what Miller means when the CBS broadcasts the First Annual Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships in color during the first or second week in April.

"Hakman, 17, Still in a Daze After Big Victory," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Dec 16, 1965

Jeff Hakman. upset winner of the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Meet yesterday, is only a junior division surfer. And he feels that’s where he still belongs.

"I'm 17 years old," he says “and that qualifies me only for the Makaha meet junior division."

Young Hakman, who has improved considerably since he started surfing five years ago in his native California, registered for the Makaha junior competition because only surfers 18 years of age or older can participate in the senior class.

Even if he had attained the senior division age of 18, Jeff believes he may be out of his class if he competes with the Makaha seniors.

“There will be many good surfers at Makaha," confides modest Jeff. “I don’t know whether I belong in the senior class."

But his accomplishment yesterday belies that statement.

Wally Froiseth, head judge at the Duke meet, rates Hakman with the best.

The 5' 4" 125-pound surfer who says he doesn't know why he was one of the chosen few for the Duke meet, reveals surfing is his only recreation.

“It sure surprised me when I was picked. It could be because I surfed a lot on the North Shore,” he adds.

Hakman, who has been surfing in Hawaii for four years, reports he hits the waves three or four times a week at Waikiki Beach and tries to get to Sunset at least every two weeks.

However, when his family lived at Sunset for more than a year, he got his board out every chance he had.

He will be entering the Makaha meet, which starts Saturday morning, for the fifth time. He made the finals only twice. And the best he's done was to place fifth.

How does he feel he’ll make out this year?

“I can’t say. You have different kind of waves at Makaha.”

1965 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championships

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