“The 12th Annual Duke Kahanamoku Hawaiian Surfing Classic,” by James Jones, 

The Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Classic is the most prestigious event in surfing. It is dedicated in memory of Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s greatest Olympic champion, and the father of modern surfing. It was the Duke who introduced surfing to Australia and other parts of the world outside Hawaii, and he is probably the most instrumental person in the development of modern surfing. It is fitting that this contest is held in memory of the Duke’s remarkable athletic achievements and his love for surfing, and also in memory of the spirit of this great man, his integrity, dignity, and courage.

The contest is filmed annually for ABC-TV’s 

, and is a showcase for the finest surfers in the world. For the Hawaiian community, the contest is considered an integral part of the cultural heritage of these islands.

To selected the 24 Duke contest invitees, a poll is taken of knowledgeable people throughout the surfing world, including competitors, journalists, judges, and organizers. No entry fee is required of those talented enough to receive an invitation.

This year, opening ceremonies for the Duke were held at the Hyatt Kuilima Resort Hotel. Prayers were offered by the Reverend Abraham Akaka of Kawaihao Church to bless the surfers and ask for the cooperation of the elements. Duke Classic Queen Sherry Ann Bush (Miss Teenage Hawaii for 1976) drew four heats of six surfers each from the Duke’s hat, which was provided by Mrs. Duke Kahanamoku, who was also in attendance.

Since Duke won gold medals in four Olympics, it was appropriate when the ABC-TV crew arrived with Mark Spitz, winner of seven gold medals in a single Olympics, who was on hand to do color commentary for the telecast.

After 10 days of waiting, first for the television crew to arrive and then for proper surfing conditions, the entire contest was run in one day.

The event was held at Sunset Beach in near-perfect conditions. Ten-foot waves with a slight offshore breeze gave surfers the opportunity to present a display of high-performance surfing. A northwest swell built wedging peaks in the middle of the bay, which walled up on the inside reef to challenge the speed of the fastest boards and riders. Smooth surface conditions allowed everyone the opportunity to lay out their best turns and cutbacks, and a few lucky ones scored heavily with tube rides. Sunny skies and gentle winds, perfect beach weather in Hawaii, combined with the fact that the contest was held on a Sunday, drew the largest crowd of the season, estimated at 6,000 people by the morning newspapers in Honolulu.

Eight surfers advanced from the preliminaries and the semi to the final: four from Hawaii, three from Australia, and one from South Africa.

After winning the semifinal, Jonathan Paarman of Cape Town, perhaps tired from his earlier effort, finished eighth in the final. Combined with his fifth-place finish in the Smirnoff, Paarman made the best contest showing of the South African contingent this season.

Michael Peterson, defending champion Ian Cairns, and Peter Townend, all of Australia, were, in the words of color commentator Mark Spitz, “put in the shade” by the four Hawaii surfers who swept the top four slots. The Aussies took seventh, sixth, and fifth, respectively, and surfed well, displaying radical cutbacks and constant maneuvering, but the “Hungry Hawaiians” were not to be denied this day.

Barry Kanaiaupuni was in fine form with his patented under-the-lip takeoffs, driving down the face of some of the larger waves to crank the radical bottom turn. With the top five rides being scored, Barry caught the bare minimum, but made each one wave to finish fourth.

Larry Bertlemann monopolized the inside section, as he did when he won the Duke title in 1974. Displaying one of the finest cutbacks in the business, Bertlemann coasted into third place.

Michael Ho found his waves farther up toward the point, which were bending and wrapping all the way through the middle and peeling into the inside. Getting long rides, Michael was turning into, under, over and around section after section, and finished second for the second year in a row.

James Jones dueled with Barry K for the biggest and best waves: the peaks in the middle of the bay where the north wall met the west peak. A wide array of maneuvers, combined with tighter positioning, higher speed, and selection of the best waves proved to be the winning combination. Jones won his second Duke title, having won previously in 1972.

Awards were presented at the annual banquet, once again back at the Hyatt Kuilima. Every Duke contestant earned a minimum of $100, and for the first time in the history of the contest every surfer invited showed up to compete.

Queen Sherry presented everyone with flower leis, Mrs. Kahanamoku presented everyone with checks, and event chairman Henry Ayau presented each surfer with his own individual Oscar-like Duke trophy.

The Service-Above-Self award for the surfer contributing the most toward the betterment of surfing went to Peter Townend of Australia.

In addition, event sponsor Avis Rent-A-Car presented the winner of the Duke Classic with a solar-powered watch.

1976 Duke Kahanamoku Surfing Classic

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