There are numerous variables to contend with in order to make a contest like the Duke Classic a success. The biggest and most important of these variables is always the surf. Who would imagine that by setting aside a single week during the stormy month of December, it would be likely that you could come up with the best day Sunset Beach has seen this year? Well, it happened! The surf was twelve feet and this year’s Duke meet was probably one of the best contests to ever come off.

The waiting period started on Friday, December 12. The surf was flat. Sunday was the first day with any action. Waves were breaking on the point about four- to eight feet. The first heat was sent out to test the conditions. It was inconsistent and most of the contestants were not in favor of continuing the meet. After a short meeting at Ricky Grigg’s house, it was decided to cancel until the next morning. There was also word, according to the weather report, that an eight-foot groundswell was going to hit the following day. That evening Sunset started pumping in beautiful eight- and nine-foot waves from the northwest and everyone knew that something good was to happen.

I had trouble sleeping that night because of the sound of the building waves. The moon was full and I knew the surf was coming up fast. I awoke at least three times to look at the silver lines building in front of my house at Pipeline. Finally, at about 5:30 a.m. I couldn’t stay in bed any longer, so I got up and drove to Sunset Beach. The waves were twelve feet and perfect; one of those kinds of days you dream about. I wanted to be the first one out and get in some practice time before the meet. Moonlight surfing at Sunset is far out. It was light soon and the waves were being torn apart by aggressive Duke contestants. The waves were excellent, the sun was hot, and the contest was on.

The first heat entered the water early. There were some large waves. Ryan Dotson and Peter Drouyn both qualified for the finals. The second heat backed off somewhat. Reno and Hamilton qualified. I don’t know the different strategies that were being used, but I personally had two basic ones for my heat. My immediate concern was to keep from getting caught inside. The other one was to make every wave I rode. Whatever happened in between was mostly reflex. This probably sounds extremely basic, but it’s surprising how hard it becomes when the waves hit fifteen-feet. Kanaiaupuni and I squeaked through this heat. The waves backed off again in the fourth heat. Nat and Paul Strauch qualified.

One criticism I have about the Duke system is that too many excellent surfers are eliminated too fast. There are six contestants per heat and only the top two advance to the finals. I realize there is a time factor involved, but in a contest of this caliber, where it is an honor to just be invited, there should be more chances to perform. At least three surfers out of each heat should be able to advance into the semifinals, and then half of those advance into the finals.

The scoring system, however, made this year’s Duke better than ever. Each surfer was designated a number which could be seen from the water. Three of these numbers were then put up in order from left to right according to point scores at the moment. The numbers could be easily seen from the lineup. If your number was on the far left, you were in first. If you were in the middle, you were second, and if you were on the right, you were in third. If you didn’t see your number, you were in trouble. Although these positions could of course change after any ride, the system still gave the surfer an idea of where he stood in relation to his competitors.

Another thing I was stoked on was that everyone was so polite. You could imagine that with a $1,000 first-place prize involved, contestants might tend to be rude and aggressive. Surprisingly, everyone was considerate. There was only one interference call during the entire contest.

As I saw the finals from the water, everyone looked like they were jamming. Ryan Dotson had a longer board than most of us. He was catching bigger waves, fading farther, and pulling in tight to cover maximum area smoothly. Peter Drouyn had this thing he was doing where he would be down at the bottom of a wave, almost forced to straighten out, and at the last minute arch and pull himself out of the hole high enough to make the wave. Paul Strauch employed his catlike smoothness to spring out of turns and maintain the rhythm he is noted for.

Nat Young's cutbacks have always impressed me. On a wave like Sunset when you’re jacked up on the lip, it’s nearly impossible to pull a cutback down into the pit without running out to the shoulder first. Yet Nat was doing exactly that. Reno, meanwhile, was using his low style to precisely work the larger waves he was picking. Hamilton was using his grace to throw some impressive cutbacks. Barry didn’t catch enough waves in the finals, mainly because there was a giant lull, but the performance he gave in the prelims was the most radical and powerful of the day.

The final went something like this: In the opening 20 minutes, my number was in first place. Then there was a long lull. About 20 more minutes went by and the waves started pumping again. I looked at the numbers, and Drouyn was in first. I was in second. It remained that way until there were just four minutes left, and a beautiful twelve-footer was coming. Reno and I were the only ones far enough outside to catch it. There it was, the $1,000-dollar wave! Reno smiled and let me have it. It was one of those smooth Sunset walls you know will be tight. After I kicked out, the horn blew. . . .

After final calculations, the results were announced: Barry, 8th; Nat, 7th; Hamilton, 6th; Reno, 5th; Strauch, 4th; Dotson, 3rd; Drouyn, 2nd, and I was lucky. The first-place contestant was awarded a calabash filled with a thousand crisp dollar bills and a trip to Peru. Awoooo!

Jeff Hakman, fending off strong challenges from Drouyn and Young (Nat rode well but was called for an interference) in the final heat’s closing minutes, became the Duke’s first two-time winner. The Sunset Beach waves were well-shaped, with sets running 10 to 15 feet with offshore wind. Hakman felt that an important factor in his win was the advantage he gained by kneepaddling, thus setting higher on his board and enabling him to see what was happening outside, making it possible for him to gain better take-off position than the other prone-paddling contestants.

A card-scoring system (similar to the Smirnoff) allowed contestants to know how they were scored at the end of each ride, and created spectator excitement, as the lead changed several times.

 filmed the Duke from helicopter, boat and shore, and the final heat was extended from 45 to 90 minutes to facilitate the TV coverage. In addition to the $1,000 first-place money, Hakman won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Peru International in February.

1970 Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Classic

Subscribe or Login

Encyclopedia of Surfing

History of Surfing

Interviews

Features

Videos

Contests