John Papa ‘Ī‘ī was a personal attendant to Hawaiian royalty, including King Kamehameha II, during the 19th century. He was among the first Hawaiians to study with the missionaries, starting as a young adult in 1820, and for the rest of his life went back and forth effortlessly between the two cultures, native and Western. Fragments of Hawaiian History, a collection of ‘Ī‘ī’s firsthand accounts of pre- and early post-contact Hawaii, was published in 1959. All subheads, below, have been added.


In Puaa, North Kona, is a famous surf called Kooka, where a coral head stands just outside a point of lava rocks. When the surf dashed over the coral head, the people swam out with their surfboards and floated with them. If a person owned a long narrow canoe, he performed what was called 

, or canoe leaping, in which the surfer leaped off the canoe with his board and rode the crest of the wave ashore. The canoe slid back of the wave because of the force of the shove given it with the feet. When the surfer drew close to the place where the surf rose, a wave would pull itself up high and roll in. Any timid person who got too close to it was overwhelmed and could not reach the landing place. The opening through which the surfer entered was like a sea pool, with a rocky hill above and rows of lava rocks on both sides, and deep in the center. This was a difficult feat and one not often seen, but for Kaahumanu and the king [Kamehameha] it was easy. When they reached the place where the surf rose high, they went along with the crest of a wave and slipped into the sea pool before the wave rolled over. Only the light spray of the surf touched them before they reached the pool. The spectators shouted and remarked to each other how clever the two were. This art was held in esteem at that time, and so the surfing places were constantly filled with men and women.

The surf of Huiha at Honuaula in Kailua proper, directly above the place where ships anchored and just seaward of Keikipuipui, was rough when it rose. A person who had just learned to surf was afraid of it, but those who were skilled regarded it as fun. The landing place for this surf was a circle of sand. The water swirled gently as it went out from the shallows, and it was there that the surfers came in to reach the sand circle.

Huiha and Kiope were covered with surf riders when the sea was rough and the surf went all the way up to them. There were two small points on the north side of the sandy landing place, covered with the coarse 

 grass, and to the north, a point of pahoehoe. Just a little north of this point were two coral heads which were used to gage the surf. On the inner side of the pahoehoe and on the north of Keikipuipui, was a surfing place for children and for timid men and women.

If the king rode in, he went ashore gracefully on the surf of Huiha; but when it was rough he went right on in to Kiope. Sometimes he could hardly reach Kiope because of the narrow entrance. The surf dashed over the point of pahoehoe and washed unobstructed and gently into Kiope. Here the mark that was observed for the rising of this surf was the point of Kaliliki. If the sea sprays rose upward two or three times, that was the number of the waves. If the sea sprays of Kaliliki went upward with force, a high surf was indicated and the timid kept away. The skilled went close to the source of the surf and remained there. As to the king, he was frequently seen leaping from a canoe on this surf. Expert surf riders unused to this surf were tossed about by it and found it was wise to sit still and watch the native sons, who were familiar with it, crouch in the flying sprays. A swimmer daring enough to try to land would be killed.

Many surfs [surf breaks] were used in this popular sport. There is a surf on the south side of Huiha. Kiikau is the inner surf; Naohulelua, the outer one. Both run toward the south going shoreward. The surf of Kamakaia at Auhaukeae runs shoreward toward the north. When the sea is rough the surfs there meet with those of Naohulelua.

The surf of Kamoa at Keolonahihi and Puu runs toward the north side of Puu, directly beyond the spring there. The surf of Kaulu in Keauhou is a long one, and similar to the surf of Kamoa. The surf of Kapahukapu is at Napoopoo. There is also a surf at Keei and another on the east side of Kalae in Kau named Kapuuone. Two others are the surfs of Paiahaa at Kaalualu and Kawa at Hilea.

Kanukuokamanu in Waiakea, Hilo, also has a surf; Punahoa has one; and Piihonua has one, named Huia. There is also the surf of Paula at Puueo. The surf of Kapoai is a long one, said to run a distance equal to that of fifteen 

, beginning at the Honolii stream. Papaikou has a surf that rolls toward the mouth of the stream. There is also a surf at Laupahoehoe, said to be the surf that Umi and Paiea used. Waipio, in Hamakua, has a surf that runs toward the sand.

The surf of Maliu in Halelua, Kohala, rises on the east side of Kauhola Point and is 3 to 4 chains long, or longer. Kekakau surfed there, and it is said that he was most skilled in surfing. He was a kamaaina of the place, and it was he who led Kaahumanu to the surf of Maliu. Perhaps that was when the chiefs were farming in Kauhola. No one remembers the year, but it is said that Kauhola was cultivated before the two battles of Laupahoehoe.

As the story goes, Kaahumanu and Kekakau swam or went by canoe to the spot where the surf rose. Before they left, Kekakau talked with the king about the nature of the surf and showed Kaahumanu the places to land, which would be signaled by the waving of a white tapa. If the tapa was moved to the right or to the left, she was to go to the side indicated before the sea rose up high and overwhelmed her. If the tapa was spread out, or perhaps wadded into a ball, the signal meant to go in on the middle of the wave. Kekakau told the chiefess to observe the signals on shore while they rode shoreward from the place where the surf rose to the place where the wave rose up high until they landed. Before they started the earth ovens had been lighted for roasting dogs, and by the time they reached shore, the dogs were cooked.

The surf of Kumoho, which is at Naohaku on the left side of Maliu, was not ridden when the sea was rough. The surf of Puakea did not look large, resembling a sea pool, yet it was famous. The surf of Kapuailima is in Kawaihae, and Kahaleula is in Mahaiula. Honokohau has a surf, and there are others in the various districts of the island of Hawaii.


Here are three kinds of surfboards. The 

 is thick in the middle and grows thinner toward the edges. It is a good board for a wave that swells and rushes shoreward [unbroken] but not for a wave that rises up high and curls over. If it is not moved sideways when the wave rises high, it is tossed upward as it moves shoreward. There are rules to be observed when riding on a surf.

 reaches a length of 12 to 18 feet and is good for a surf that breaks roughly. This board is good for surfing, but it is hard to handle. Other surfers are afraid of it because of its length and its great speed on a high wave that is about to curl over. It can ride on all the risings of the waves in its way until they subside and the board reaches shore.

 board, which is 9 feet long, is thin and wide in front, tapering toward the back. On a rough wave, this board vibrates against the rider’s abdomen, chest, or hands when they rest flat on it, or when fingers are gripped into a fist at the time of landing. Because it tends to go downward and cut through a wave it does not rise up with the wave as it begins to curl over. Going into a wave is one way to stop its gliding, and going onto the curl is another. Skilled surfers use it frequently, but the unskilled are afraid of this board, choosing rather to sit on a canoe or to surf on even smaller boards.


Body surfers use their shoulders like surfboards. When the surf rises before breaking, it is time to slip onto the wave by kicking hard and working the arms. The contraction in the back of a surfer causes him to be lifted by the wave and carried ashore. The right shoulder becomes the board bearing him to the right, or the left shoulder becomes the board bearing him to the left. Liholiho was most skilled in this sport.


There are many ways to show skill in canoe surfing. The king was especially noted for it, and so was his pupil, Gideon Laanui. They were often seen together gliding on the surf outside of Haleumiumiiole at Kawaihae and at Kapuni, outside of Kiikiiakoi. They would allow waves to go by until they saw one they wished to glide on, then ride it to the spot where they chose to land. There are ways of selecting waves which will go all the way to shore, and the king and his pupil were unusually skillful at this. Such things were actually taught.

It was said that a person skilled in canoe paddling and estimating waves could overcome obstacles if the wind was from the right direction, and the ability of the participants became something on which to gamble. This custom remains to this day, and it may be so in the future.

1866–1870: EXCERPT FROM "FRAGMENTS OF HAWAIIAN HISTORY," BY JOHN PAPA ‘Ī‘Ī

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